Two Former Colliers Execs Bolt to Avison Young

Ron Perry, principal, Avison Young, Boston

BOSTON—Former Colliers International Boston president and head of brokerage Ron Perry has surfaced at competitor Avison Young and he didn’t arrive at his new firm alone. Besides Perry , Larry Epstein , a former senior vice president at Colliers, and three other Colliers team members have jumped ship to Avison Young’s Boston office. Earlier this month, Colliers International Boston reported that James Elcock had been appointed president and head of brokerage at Colliers, replacing Perry who had worked at Colliers since 1984. Perry was president of Colliers International Boston since 2010 and head of brokerage since 2007. Perry and Epstein are now principals of Avison Young and will continue to focus on assignments for tenants and landlords in the Downtown Boston market. Perry and Epstein have 32 years and 16 years of commercial real estate experience, respectively. Also joining Avison Young from Colliers Boston are Jeff Gates and Mike McElaney as senior vice-presidents in the Boston office, and Matt Perry (Ron Perry’s son) as a senior associate. “We’re thrilled to welcome Ron and Larry, both highly regarded industry leaders and experts in Boston’s dynamic and challenging downtown office market, to Avison Young,” says Michael Smith , Avison Young principal and managing director of its Boston office. “Their well-established track records and diverse experience will benefit investors, landlords and tenants alike. They will play a prominent role in fortifying our unique principal-led culture and enhancing our client-centric, full-service business line coverage.” Perry tells Globest.com he “had a great run at Colliers.” The veteran commercial real estate executive and broker began his career at brokerage firm Meredith & Grew in 1984, which became part of Colliers in 2007. He was recognized as the Top Producer by Colliers in 2012 and was awarded the Commercial Brokers Association’s Boston Downtown Office Deal of the Year Award in 2003 and 2007. He was named CBA’s Broker of the Year in 2004. Among some of Perry’s most notable transactions include law firm Ropes & Gray’s 450,000-square-foot lease at the Prudential Center five years ago and Loomis, Sayles’s 350,000-square-foot lease at One Financial Center about four years ago. The former standout athlete in basketball and baseball at the College of Holy Cross, says that over the years as Colliers International Boston got larger, his role that began with providing leasing and consulting services for tenants and landlords, grew to include a more supervisory role as head of brokerage and president. “What I found was that I was looking for an opportunity with an entrepreneurial-type company, which was not as large where I could continue to work on what I love doing (providing services) for clients downtown,” says Perry, who was drafted by the MLB’s Chicago White Sox and the NBA’s Boston Celtics. “This opportunity with Avison Young gives me the chance to do that and devote 100% of my time to clients and new business opportunities. I found out over the years that is how I want to continue my career, that is what I really enjoy doing.” After graduating from college in 1980 he tried out to play pro basketball with the Boston Celtics and was among the final cuts to make the 1980-1981 team that won the NBA championship that year. Perry later played several years with the Chicago White Sox AA minor league affiliate in Glens Falls, NY before entering the commercial real estate business. Epstein was attracted to Avison Young by its expansion program in Boston and across the globe. He adds that he sought to join a firm where he could increase his leadership role. Epstein also had an interesting career path to commercial brokerage. Prior to joining Colliers, he was the northeast regional manager for Triangle Services, a national building service provider. He was also employed for seven years by WBZ-TV Boston as a senior sports producer. Avison Young opened its Boston office in October 2010. Over the past seven years, the firm has grown from 11 to 77 offices and from 300 to more than 2,200 real estate professionals in Canada, the US, Mexico and Europe.