Land broker Lee Jones joins Avison Young in Houston

             Land broker Lee Jones joins Avison Young in Houston

PR Newswire

HOUSTON, Feb. 28, 2013

Commercial real estate industry veteran becomes Principal

HOUSTON, Feb. 28, 2013  /PRNewswire/ - Rand  Stephens, Avison Young  Principal 
and Managing Director of  the company's Houston  office, announced today  that 
land broker Lee Jones has joined Avison Young in Houston.

Effective immediately, Jones becomes  a Principal with  Avison Young. He  will 
continue to focus on representing users, investors, and developers' land-sales
needs.

During his 20-year career in real estate, Jones has also worked with Houston's
top home builders and residential-lot developers. He was most recently  Senior 
Vice-President with  Houston-based  The  Betz Companies,  and  has  previously 
worked with  companies such  as  KB Homes,  Lennar  Homes, DR  Horton,  Larson 
Intermodal, The Sowell Companies, Trustmark Bank, Eagle Oilfield Equipment and
Ritchie Bros.

"First and foremost,  Lee Jones is  the right cultural  fit for Avison  Young. 
Client-focused, very intelligent and knowledgeable of the Houston real  estate 
market, Lee is a great  addition to our company as  we look to further  expand 
our industry  relationships  in the  Texas  markets," comments  Stephens.  "In 
addition, Lee's  expertise  as a  land  broker specializing  in  the  suburban 
markets is a good  complement to our  existing team of  land brokers who  work 
inside the Loop."

Jones further establishes  Avison Young as  a premier land  expert in  Houston 
following  the  company's  acquisition  of  Houston-based  Mason  Partners  in 
January. Acting on behalf  of investors and  developers, Jones has  negotiated 
transactions that  led  to  the  development  of  raw  land  into  residential 
communities, industrial  facilities, retail  centers, churches,  schools,  gas 
stations and other properties, while  also assisting clients in  redevelopment 
projects.

In addition  to  facilitating land  deals,  Jones  has brokered  the  sale  of 
numerous  office  buildings,  apartments  and   retail  centers  as  well   as 
residential lots  in bulk  sales to  home  builders. In  the process,  he  has 
developed close relationships  with engineers, developers,  home builders  and 
other commercial and residential real estate industry experts.

Jones holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at  Austin. 
He is a  CCIM candidate,  and a  member of the  Urban Land  Institute and  the 
Greater Houston Builders Association.

"I was drawn to the Avison Young culture of partnership. Being a Principal and
having an equity position in  the company was also  very important to me,  and 
what attracted me to Avison Young," says Jones. "Furthermore, the  opportunity 
to work with some of the  top professionals in Houston, including Todd  Mason, 
Jeff Lindenberger,  Harry  Holmes, Rob  Neblett  and Darrell  Betts,  is  very 
exciting. I look forward to continuing  my career at Avison Young and  working 
with my new colleagues in Houston and across the company."

Today's announcement  comes  on the  heels  of the  Houston  Business  Journal 
releasing its  list last  week  of the  largest Houston-area  commercial  real 
estate brokerage firms. Avison  Young's Houston office made  its debut on  the 
list at number 15.

Furthermore, Avison  Young was  a winner  of Canada's  Best Managed  Companies 
program in  2011 and  the company  announced  earlier this  week that  it  had 
requalified in 2012 to maintain its status as a Best Managed company.

Over the past four years, Avison Young has  grown from 11 to 43 offices in  35 
markets and  from 300  to more  than 1,100  real estate  professionals  across 
Canada and the U.S.

Founded  in  1978,  Avison  Young  is  Canada's  largest   independently-owned 
commercial real estate  services company. Headquartered  in Toronto,  Ontario, 
Avison Young is also the largest Canadian-owned, principal-managed  commercial 
real estate brokerage firm in North  America. Comprising more than 1,100  real 
estate  professionals  in  43  offices   across  Canada  and  the  U.S.,   the 
full-service   commercial   real   estate   company   provides    value-added, 
client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing  and 
mortgage placement  services  to  owners  and  occupiers  of  office,  retail, 
industrial and multi-residential properties.

For further information/comment/photos:

• Sherry Quan, National Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison
Young: (604) 647-5098; cell: (604) 726-0959

• Rand Stephens, Principal and Managing Director, Houston, Avison Young: (713)
993-7810 

• Lee Jones, Principal, Avison Young: (713) 993-7137

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.

Follow Avison Young on Twitter:

For industry news, press releases and market reports:
www.twitter.com/avisonyoung 
For Avison Young listings and deals: www.twitter.com/AYListingsDeals

Follow Avison Young Bloggers: http://blog.avisonyoung.com

  * Editors/Reporters: please click on link to view and download photo of Lee
    Jones
    http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/Lee_Jones.jpeg

SOURCE Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC)

Contact:

Media Relations:
Sherry Quan 
(604) 647-5098 or (604) 726-0959 cell
email: sherry.quan@avisonyoung.com