Avison Young Nabs 3 Industry Pros From The Ezra Company for DC Offices
By Christina sturdivant-Sani July 23, 2019 8:36 am
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Avison Young has hired Glenn Meltzer, Robert Katz and Eugene Martin, formerly of The Ezra Company, as principals who will focus on office tenant and buyer representation as well as advisory services in the Washington, D.C., region and across the country, according to the Toronto-based firm.
The industry veterans have worked as a team for more than 25 years which “speaks to their collaborative approach and talent, making them an excellent fit for Avison Young’s culture,” Josh Peyton, a principal and managing director at Avison Young, said in a statement from the firm.
Meltzer and Katz will be based in Avison’s D.C. office while Martin will work out of the firm’s Tysons, Va. location. “Their arrival further strengthens the platform — and specifically, tenant advisory services — in the greater Washington area,” Peyton continued.
Meltzer served as president at The Ezra Company and has expertise “in the analysis, structure and negotiation of real estate transactions in lease, purchase, build-to-suit development and tenant-equity participation,” according to the statement.
Katz, who specialized in tenant brokerage and consulting services as executive director at The Ezra Company, has experience “assisting law firms, associations and corporations with local, national and international requirements,” per the statement.
The team’s clients have included The College Board, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Navy Federal Credit Union and the International Food Policy Research Institute, which all signed leases for more than 100,000 square feet in the D.C. metro area, an Avison Young spokesman told Commercial Observer.
“We wanted to continue to provide comprehensive tenant advisory services, but with Avison Young’s larger platform, support group and greater access to market information,” Meltzer told CO. “Avison Young is privately held and owned by its professionals so it was most appealing to [us] to join AY as principals.”
Avison Young also hired five additional employees from The Ezra Company to work in the D.C. region. Meltzer told CO that their transition to Avison Young was discussed with the company’s founder Fred Ezra months in advance and it resulted in “a mutually beneficial arrangement that allowed Fred Ezra to retire and staff to select their best options.”
The Ezra Company did not return CO’s request for comment.
