Purchase strengthens firm’s tenant-representation services in Atlanta

TORONTO, Jan. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Mark E. Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young, the world’s fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm,
announced today that it has acquired The Eidson Group LLC, a privately held real estate services company based in Atlanta,
Georgia.

The purchase further expands Avison Young’s tenant-representation
services in Atlanta and the U.S. Southeast.

Effective immediately, Douglas Eidson joins Avison Young as a Principal and Scott Perry joins the firm as an associate broker. They will continue to focus on
their specialty of tenant representation.

“We are very pleased to welcome Doug and Scott to Avison Young in
Atlanta,” comments Rose. “After having operated his own firm for 16
years and having been approached by many firms, Doug’s decision to join
our Principal-led firm speaks to our entrepreneurial spirit and
collaborative culture, which has proven to be very attractive to so
many outstanding brokers both in Atlanta and across North America in
the last few years.”

Rose continues: “This acquisition deepens Avison Young’s presence in
Atlanta and is in line with the company’s strategy to further
strengthen our tenant representation platform and capabilities
throughout North America.”

Founded in 1998 by Douglas Eidson, The Eidson Group is a corporate real
estate services firm specializing in representing Atlanta tenants with
their office space solutions. Services offered include acquisition,
disposition, facility design co-ordination, portfolio management, lease
document review and move management.

“Atlanta has been critical to the growth of Avison Young in the U.S.
and, as the headquarters for many Fortune 1000 and international
companies, plays a vital role in our ongoing expansion program across
the country,” states Earl Webb, Avison Young’s President, U.S. Operations. “Since Avison Young’s
inception, clients have relied on us for our tenant-representation
expertise, which is a core service of our company. By acquiring The
Eidson Group and bringing Doug and Scott on board, we can continue to
ensure that our clients’ needs will be met – and provide more
innovative ways to deliver our offerings.”

Avison Young opened its Atlanta office in January 2010 with Steve Dils joining as a Principal and Managing Director of the Atlanta office. The
company acquired Atlanta-based Hodges Management and Leasing Company (HMLC) in July 2010 and Atlanta-based Barry Real Estate Companies, Inc. in October 2011.

Today, the Atlanta office has more than 75 employees with approximately
20 msf of space under property management. Led by top professionals,
the Atlanta brokerage has built a broad platform covering all industry
sectors. Atlanta serves as the hub of Avison Young’s Southeast
expansion, partnering with many of the company’s other U.S. offices on
several projects. Avison Young’s Atlanta-based Southeast Capital
Markets Group also works frequently with the firm’s Canadian offices,
particularly Toronto and Vancouver, to assist Canadian investors with
cross-border investments in commercial and multi-residential property
located in the Southeastern and Sunbelt markets.

“Adding Doug and Scott strengthens our tenant-representation team in
Atlanta and the Southeast,” notes Dils. “The acquisition of The Eidson
Group continues our growth in Atlanta by adding a highly respected
professional and a young broker who provides more depth to our team.”

Eidson brings more than 20 years of commercial real estate to the
company, while Perry has six years of industry experience.

“Scott and I are thrilled to be part of Avison Young’s ongoing expansion
program in the United States,” says Eidson. “I am also excited to be
part of Avison Young’s unique, Principal-led ownership structure. By
linking our operations with Avison Young, we can benefit from
tremendous brand power and a strong brokerage network that spans the
U.S., Canada and parts of Europe. At the same time, we can maintain our
strong core values and tenant-representation services by partnering
with people who share our philosophy of putting the client first.”

—

Biographies

Douglas Eidson
Since commencing his commercial real estate career in 1990, Douglas
Eidson has completed numerous transactions through brokerage and
consulting arrangements in almost every major market in the United
States. He has been involved in a number of major leasing transactions
as well as small- to medium-sized regional office leases for a variety
of companies. He has extensive experience in the Atlanta marketplace as
well as in many other major markets across the country.

Prior to joining Avison Young, Eidson found The Eidson Group, a
tenant-representation firm based in Atlanta, and served as the firm’s
Principal. Before launching his own company, he was an associate broker
with Grubb & Ellis in Atlanta. Eidson has worked closely with large
corporations providing a full range of real estate facility services,
including sublease arrangements, buyouts of existing space, new
facility acquisition, strategic analysis and business planning. As a
result of his experience, Eidson has a thorough understanding of the
true needs of today’s corporate user.

Eidson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University. He is
a member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors and the Buckhead
Rotary, director of the Buckhead Coalition, and current treasurer of
the Garden Hills Neighborhood Foundation. In addition, Eidson is a past
Chair of the membership committee for the Buckhead Club, past President
of the Garden Hills Civic Association Board and a past board member of
Christ the King School. He served as President of the Buckhead Business
Association in 2005.

Scott Perry
Scott Perry joins Avison Young after serving for five years with The
Eidson Group. Prior to joining The Eidson Group, he served as an
associate with CB Richard Ellis in Atlanta from 2007 to 2009. An office
tenant-representative specialist, Perry provides strategic planning and
real estate solutions to his clients by offering a comprehensive
understanding of their overall corporate goals and objectives. He
focusses on headquarters relocations, regional office locations,
property acquisitions and dispositions, subleases and lease renewals
for local and multi-market clients. He has represented companies such
as Industriaplex, Cubellis, Advantage Sales and Marketing, Darden
Restaurants, and Jocks II. Perry holds a Bachelor of Business
Administration degree from Georgia State University and is a member of
the Atlanta Board of Commercial Realtors.

Over the past five years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 53 offices
and from 300 to more than 1,500 real estate professionals across Canada
and the U.S.

Avison Young is the world’s fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Avison Young is a collaborative,
global firm owned and operated by its principals. Founded in 1978, the
company comprises 1,500 real estate professionals in 53 offices,
providing value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing,
advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to
owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial and
multi-family properties.

•Editors/Reporters: please click on links to view and download photos of
Doug Eidson and Scott Perry
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/Doug_Eidson.jpg
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/Scott_Perry.jpeg

For further information/comment/photos:

• Sherry Quan, National Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison Young:

604.647.5098; cell: 604.726.0959

• Mark Rose, Chair and CEO, Avison Young: 416.673.4028

• Earl Webb, President, U.S. Operations, Avison Young: 312.957.7610

• Steve Dils, Principal and Managing Director, Atlanta, Avison Young: (404) 865-3666

• Douglas Eidson, Principal, Avison Young: 404.865.3661

www.avisonyoung.com

Avison Young was a winner of Canada’s Best Managed Companies program in 2011 and requalified in 2012 to maintain its status as a
Best Managed company.

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SOURCE Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC)