CBRE Group, Inc. announced that Brandon Famous, a veteran executive with more than three decades of experience in retail and commercial real estate, has been appointed Senior Managing Director and leader of the company’s Retail Occupier Advisory & Transaction Services practice in the Americas.
Famous will be responsible for the practice’s business operations, business development, financial performance and recruitment in the U.S., Canada and Latin America.
In late 2013, Famous joined CBRE as Executive Vice President with CBRE’s acquisition of Fameco Real Estate, L.P., the Philadelphia-based retail brokerage firm of which he was the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder.
He has completed more than 1,700 retail lease transactions totaling in excess of 16 million square feet of space, and has represented numerous top-tier retail occupiers, including Chipotle, Starbucks, The Home Depot and Nordstrom Rack.
Famous will oversee a Retail practice at CBRE that now advises 1,000 retailers on their real estate needs in the Americas, and encompasses more than 450 retail brokers.
Prior to founding Fameco, Famous’s retail background included eight years in leasing and development with two of the Delaware Valley’s largest shopping center developers and five years in retail operations and site selection for a mid-Atlantic sportswear retailer.
He received a BA from Villanova University.
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United Realty appointed Brian D. Buehler as its President.
He had previously served as Executive Vice President and President of Distribution. Mr. Buehler was also announced as the President of URTI.
Buehler will lead the development and distribution of new products and services, while working to further align management and shareholder interests through market leadership on issues such as fee reduction, transparency and clarity.
Buehler has over 20 years of financial services, commercial real estate, and alternative investment product and investments experience.
Prior to joining United Realty Advisors, LP, Buehler worked for Strategic Storage Holdings, LLC (SSH) as First Vice President of Western Markets and was later promoted to National Sales Director.
Buehler co-chaired the ADISA (fka REISA fka TICA) Ethics and Standards committee, which authored both the ACE Awards and Code of Standard and Ethics. He holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses, and CA Insurance Life, Health, Property and Casualty licenses.
He is a graduate of Chapman University with a BA in Business Communication.
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Cushman & Wakefield announced the promotions of Stamford-based senior director, Adam Klimek and directors, Brian Scruton and Bill Montague, in recognition of their collaborative approach with clients, and their passion for the industry.
Collectively, these professionals have more than 24 years of experience representing the interests of tenants and landlords throughout the Fairfield, Westchester and Stamford area.
All will continue to deliver the firm’s signature, client-centric service and world class capabilities, and will remain based in the Stamford office.
Adam Klimek, senior director, is one of three newly-promoted brokerage professionals who specializes in both tenant and landlord representation in Fairfield and Westchester Counties.
Klimek currently represents more than 400,000 s/f of office space for landlords in Fairfield County, including: Faros Properties, Marcus Partners, Edgewood Capital, The Silverman Group and Paragon Realty.
He has negotiated almost two million square feet of transactions on behalf of tenants that include: Newman’s Own, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Bridgewater Associates, MOAB Oil, The United Way, and McKinsey & Company, among others.
He received NAIOP’s Emerging Leader award in 2008, and was recognized as C&W’s northeast region “Associate of the Year” in 2007.
Prior to joining C&W’s Leasing Services Group, Klimek served as an accountant in C&W’s Boston, Mass. office.
A graduate of the University of Connecticut, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a major in finance.
Brian Scruton, director, also specializes in tenant and landlord representation in Fairfield and Westchester Counties.
In his seven-year-career with the firm, Scruton has been invovled in nearly 800,000s/f of transactions on behalf of the following organizations: NBC Sports, Chelsea Piers – Stamford, World Wrestling Entertainment, Repucom, Lovesac Furniture, Carrington Capital, MOAB Oil and Signal Administration.
He has also represented some of the largest commercial landlords in Fairfield County, including: RFR Realty, Mack-Cali Corporation, RXR Realty, Spinnaker Real Estate Partners and Steve Wise & Associates. Scruton is a graduate of Cornell University where he was a two-year captain of the Cornell Men’s Soccer Team, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Policy, Analysis and Management.
Bill Montague, director, has more than six years of experience representing Fairfield and Westchester County’s tenants and landlords, as well as several national tenants.
Montague has negotiated more than more than 850,000 s/f of transactions on behalf of clients that include: Global Imaging Systems, Inc. (a Xerox Company), TIAA-CREF, Tauck Tours, United States Postal Service, W.R. Berkley, Edgewood Capital Advisors, WiltonRe, Luxury Mortgage Corp., Nordic Tankers, Fairfield County Bank and The Affinion Group, among others.
He was a Division 1 Ski Racer and is a graduate of St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.
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Heather Kahn has joined Boston Properties as Vice President of Leasing in the New York region.
Kahn’s role at Boston properties follows a stint as assistant director of leasing at Fisher Brothers.
She has also worked as an Assistant Vice President of Leasing at Paramount Group where she played an active role in leasing in New York and Washington DC. Prior to joining Paramount, she served as a Senior Director at Tishman Speyer in their New York office.
Kahn graduated from Loyola University Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Business.
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Hidrock Realty announced that Jessica Schmidt has joined the firm as managing director of finance.
In her new role, Schmidt supports and directs Hidrock’s financial objectives by providing analyses and strategic recommendations to ownership.
Prior to joining Hidrock, Schmidt was the Controller at Woodmont Properties where she oversaw financial operations with an emphasis on residential, industrial and development. Her in-depth knowledge of systems was instrumental in generating sophisticated internal and external reporting packages.
In addition to managing the reporting process, she also oversaw the implementation of internal controls and procedures for the accounting department.
Schmidt brings with her over 15 years of experience that spans finance and operations in construction, development and property management.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from University of Maryland University College.
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Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. announced that Mark Aloia has joined the firm as a Member, and will work alongside the other 30 attorneys within its expanding Transactional Law group.
He will represent clients in a wide variety of commercial real estate transactions, including leasing, acquisitions and financings.
Aloia is an experienced, highly skilled attorney who has handled and managed a diverse group of transactions both in New York and nationally involving all property types, including office leases, retail leases, sales and acquisitions, and loans.
Prior to joining Rosenberg & Estis, he served as Business Unit General Counsel and Vice President with Aegon USA Realty Advisors LLC, the real estate asset manager of global insurance company Aegon/Transamerica.
He was the company’s lead U.S. equity real estate attorney for nearly 20 years.
Aloia received a bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University and his juris doctorate from Hofstra University School of Law.
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Cushman & Wakefield announced the addition of associate director, Matthew Torrance, to its Stamford, Conn. team.
Torrance has represented some of Fairfield’s largest landlords including Forstone Capital, Mill Management and Structure Tone Equities.
He has also represented some of the area’s best known tenants, including: the Johnnie-O, Wavney LifeCare Network, Scoperta Capital, Pagliaro Bartels Sajda Architects, Avolon Aerospace Leasing and Pitney Bowes Employees Federal Credit Union.
Torrance earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of North Florida, where he was a four-year member of the school’s Division I golf team.
Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, Torrance was a senior associate at RHYS Commercial.
Before entering the commercial real estate field, he spent six years as a professional golfer.
