Zach Azus.
Zachary Azus, 26
Associate vice president in the New York consulting/advisory group at JLL
When Zachary Azus was a student at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, he attended a talk by Related Companies Founder and Chairman Stephen Ross himself, along with Related CEO Jeff Blau, about the planning, financing and development of Hudson Yards.
Just a few years later, Azus would help relocate Lyft to Hudson Yards, where it acquired more than 100,000 square feet, and was instrumental in transitioning YAI out of its Hudson Yards space, which Amazon later occupied.
“Stephen Ross inspired me to be in real estate,” Azus said.
Azus is an associate vice president at JLL (JLL), where he advises clients on the financing side of their office deals.
Azus was on the team that clinched the Spotify deal, moving the music-streaming giant from Chelsea to 380,000 square feet at 4 World Trade Center, which helped cement the Financial District as a destination for technology and media tenants. In addition to individual deals, Azus continues to advise on portfolio-wide strategy for tech companies like Spotify, Square and Nextdoor.
“We’re assisting companies with scenario planning, figuring out their footprint globally,” Azus said. “It’s really interesting, especially during this time.”
When Azus first arrived at JLL in 2016, the advisory team was a startup within the company, and he’s been able to grow with the team. He said the timing worked in his favor because that’s just when the wave of tech leasing began in full force, with what seemed like every Silicon Valley company looking for a New York headquarters.
While things have slowed during the pandemic, Azus has taken part in two large office leasing deals: Match signed onto a 40,000-square-feet space at 60-74 Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District, and Amazon Studios inked a deal at the 25 Kent building in Williamsburg.
As for handling the health and economic crisis, “I see our role as office brokers to get back to the office and ensure that work from work is happening,” Azus said. “For the city to come back, people need to get back to work.”
