Raise Commercial Real Estate Hires 13-Year Veteran Broker Josh Rand as Senior Vice President in Los Angeles, CA

Josh Rand

 

LOS ANGELES, CA,  Jan.14, 2022 – Raise Commercial Real Estate (Raise), a technology-powered commercial real estate brokerage firm, announced that it has hired 13-year veteran broker Josh Rand as Senior Vice President in the firm’s Los Angeles office.

 Rand will continue working with occupiers on their leasing and investment real estate needs in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California.

 With the addition of Rand, the firm has more than doubled the team throughout Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Denver since 2020.

Felipe Gomez-Kraus

 

Raise has high growth targets for 2022 as it expands across the country, serving clients from publicly traded companies like Palantir and Twitch to high growth startups like Notion and Envoy.

 “Starting 2022 with an impactful addition to the brokerage team underscores our excitement in Los Angeles and commitment to client service in a time of rapid change,” said Felipe Gomez-Kraus, President at Raise.

“Josh's extensive background serving the best occupiers in Los Angeles, matched with his understanding of how our technology can impact their experience, is the perfect addition as we continue our expansion across the country.”

                Rand joins Raise from Cresa where he most recently served as Senior Vice President. Completing more than $200 million in lease and sales transactions since 2008, he has worked with clients across various industries in the Greater Los Angeles area and throughout the United States including Anastasia Beverly Hills, Beyond Yoga and DRINKS. 

 

CONTACT:

David Ebeling

Ebeling Communications

949.861.8351

949.278.7851 (Cell)

david@ebelingcomm.com

Member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE)

“PR Strategist for the Commercial Real Estate Industry:  I do what I love and love what I do.”

King & Spalding Opens Office in Miami, FL

 

Randy Bassett 

Miami, FL — King & Spalding is opening an office in Miami, Florida at Southeast Financial Center, 200 S Biscayne Blvd.

The office is the firm’s 23rd site globally.

 The new office will extend the reach and capabilities across a number of the firm’s trial, transactional and governmental practices.

 

 Partner Randy Bassett will serve as its office managing partner.

 

“The Miami office officially plants roots in a state where King & Spalding already has substantial capabilities, experience and connections,” said Robert D. Hays, Jr., chairman of King & Spalding.

Robert D. Hays, Jr.

“Given Florida’s rapidly expanding economy and strategic importance more broadly in the U.S. and Latin America, as well as the firm’s many clients with business and legal interests in the state, the Miami office will be an important hub for the firm and our clients.”

 

The office which will open in early February launches with 12 partners who are relocating to Miami from other K&S offices or who will spend the majority of their time there.

 

 The office will also serve as a base of operations for the more than 50 K&S lawyers who are barred in Florida and regularly work on matters in the state.

 

 

 

CONTACT:

Micheline Tang
212-556-2301
mtang@kslaw.com   

www.kslaw.com.

 

Ryan Spradling joins JLL’s West Coast industrial capital markets team

Ryan Spradling

SAN DIEGO, CA – JLL Capital Markets has welcomed Senior Director Ryan Spradling to its capital markets team on the West Coast to focus on industrial investment sales and advisory in the greater San Diego and Orange County areas.

 

Spradling has spent his 19-year career representing owners and occupiers with leasing, acquiring and disposition of industrial assets in and around San Diego County.

Mark Detmer

He joined JLL’s industrial brokerage team in 2019 from another leading commercial real estate firm. 

His brokerage career began in 2003 as an industrial landlord and tenant specialist, and he is versed in all industrial segments, including multi and single-tenant, cold storage and R&D assets.

 

With Spradling’s move to capital markets, the U.S. industrial capital markets team now has a deeper local presence to further its national reach and coast-to-coast coverage.

 

He joins the West Coast industrial capital markets team helmed by Los Angeles-based Senior Managing Director Mark Detmer, who is also a co-leader of the national capital markets industrial platform.

Ryan Sitov

The West Coast investment sales and advisory team also includes Managing Director Ryan Sitov in Northern California, along with Managing Director Buzz Ellis in Pacific Northwest and Senior Director Ben Geelan in Phoenix.

 

“Southern California’s coastal port markets – and adjacency to trade partners in Mexico – are major drivers for industrial owners, developers and users,” Detmer said.

 

 “Ryan is a vital part of our Southern California growth strategy to continue to push our client’s needs for new development and capital deployment.

 

"His experience is second to none, having served the Southern California industrial markets for nearly 20 years, and we are thrilled he has joined our team.”

Aldon Cole

Spradling is based in the San Diego office, which is run by Senior Managing Director Aldon Cole.

 “The transition of Spradling into the Capital Markets Group underscores the opportunities to best serve our clients, given the strong synergies between leasing and their need to access the full-suite of capital markets advisory in the industrial vertical,” Cole said. 

Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc. ("JLL") is a real estate broker licensed with the California Department of Real Estate, license #01223413.  

 

CONTACT:

Kimberly Steele

 JLL Manager

 Public Relations

Phone: +1 713 852 3420

Email:  Kimberly.Steele@am.jll.com

Divvy Homes Taps Blackstone's John Lee as COO and Promotes Lucia Franzese and Shirley Lin to Executive Leadership Team

Adena Hefets

 

 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Jan.13, 2022 – Divvy Homes, a market leader in the proptech industry, announced today a number of new hires and promotions spurred on by significant financial backing and market opportunity.

 John Lee will join Divvy Homes as the company’s new chief operating officer, while two Divvy leaders are promoted to the executive leadership team and seven vice presidents have been added to the roster.

Lucia Franzese

John Lee joins Divvy following nearly eight years at Blackstone where he last served as a managing director in the private equity group.

 Prior to Blackstone, he worked at TPG and Merrill Lynch, and earned degrees from Harvard Business School and Stanford University.

Shirley Lin 

 Lee will oversee all operational functions of the business and provide strategic vision to the organization.

 Divvy Homes was incubated in Max Levchin's startup studio HVF and co-founded by Adena Hefets, Nick Clark, and Alex Klarfeld.

Max Levchin

As a member of the executive leadership team, Lee reports directly to chief executive officer Hefets.

 “This is the third time that John and I have worked together, and I am absolutely thrilled to have John join Divvy Homes as we begin this new chapter. Fueled by our Series D funding and debt financing, we’re poised for accelerated growth,” said Hefets, co-founder of Divvy Homes.

  "Our diverse, top-notch team is deeply experienced and committed to our mission of broadening access to homeownership.

 "We will continue to grow our team throughout the country so we can better serve our customers and agents.”

Nicholis (Nick) Clark

 Divvy Homes also announced that Lucia Franzese is promoted to chief revenue officer and Shirley Lin to chief product officer.

 Franzese joined Divvy in February 2019 with a focus on leading customer and agent acquisition.

 Under her leadership, the sales and marketing teams have grown the number of homes closed by 25x and have onboarded nearly 30,000 partner agents.

 Franzese’s team has grown to 75+ teammates and continues to prioritize driving revenue growth for Divvy. 

Molly Nelson

Lin joined Divvy as vice president, product in January 2021 to accelerate its next phase of product development.

 Since joining, she has designed and implemented proprietary capabilities in areas such as customer underwriting, property valuation, and conversion.

Torie Runzel

 For example, Lin revamped the product for Divvy’s nearly 30,000 agents and delivered a 40 percent increase in approval rates for self-employed customers.

 In her new role as chief product officer, Lin will lead a group of 11 across product and design who will focus on driving growth through automation and differentiated customer and agent experiences. 

Alex Kaufman

VP New Hires and Promotions since H2 2021:

 New senior hires and promotions across Marketing and Sales, Operations, Finance, and Data Science include: 

 Alex Kaufman - hired as Vice President, Data Science & Analytics

 

Bill Hoch - promoted to Vice President, Strategic Finance

Bill Hoch

 Kyle Zink - hired as Vice President, Marketing & Communications

 Molly Nelson - hired as Vice President, Sales

 Pete Nichols - hired as Vice President, Engineering

Spencer Thorp - promoted to Vice President, Home Operations

 

Torie Runzel - promoted to Vice President, People

 Divvy Homes’ 2021 Hiring 

 

Kyle Zink 

Led by VP of People Torie Runzel, the Divvy Homes team has tripled to more than 210 in the last 12 months, with more than a quarter of new hires coming from internal referrals.

 With an increased focus on diversity and inclusion team building in 2021, Divvy Homes doubled Black and Latinx representation from 9% to 18% and increased female representation from 35% to 42% across all levels, and more than doubled women in tech (product, engineering, data science, and design) to 25% representation. 

 Additional Hiring

Divvy Homes continues to look for additional senior leaders to add to its team as it searches for VPs of Corporate Development and Capital Markets.

Spencer Thorp

 Divvy Homes is also on the hunt for a Director of Product, Head of Talent Acquisition, and Head of Risk to continue to lead Divvy’s growth in 2022.

 Divvy has adopted a flexible work-from-anywhere policy so nearly all of Divvy’s positions are remote friendly outside of market-specific roles.

 

To learn more about Divvy Homes and open positions, please visit www.divvyhomes.com.

CONTACT:

 

Catherine Cuello-Fuente

 

Original Strategies

catherine@originalstrategies.com

917-545-8696

 

 

Harbor Group International Acquires Luxury Southern California Apartment Community

Annie Rice

 

 Santa Clarita, CA – Harbor Group International, LLC (“HGI”) and Azure Partners, LLC (“Azure”), announce their joint venture for the acquisition of Jefferson Vista Canyon, a 480-unit, Class A apartment community in Santa Clarita, Calif.

 HGI and Azure acquired the property from JPI. JLL brokered the transaction and arranged a $173 million floating rate loan on behalf of HGI and Azure. 

 

Jefferson Vista Canyon apartments,
 a 480-unit, Class A apartment community
in Santa Clarita, CA

The Jefferson Vista Canyon Apartments are part of a 185-acre, mixed-use master-planned development, designed to offer residents convenient and walkable access to employment, recreation and entertainment options.

At completion, the development will feature 650,000 square feet of office space and 165,000 square feet of retail, and will include an 11-acre park and direct access to 10-miles of hiking and walking trails.

T. Richard Litton Jr.

The City of Santa Clarita will construct a bridge across the Santa Clara River connecting the development with Soledad Canyon Road, providing an essential access point to complement the expected increase in resident and visitor density to the micro-location.

 The community is centrally located and easily connects residents to major employment and lifestyle nodes within the Santa Clarita Valley, the neighboring San Fernando Valley and throughout Greater Los Angeles via Route 14 and I-5.

The property offers an embedded Metrolink commuter rail and bus transfer station, which will provide residents additional modes of access to major employment and entertainment centers in Greater Los Angeles.

Peter Yorck 

The Santa Clarita region is proximate to a range of employers within aerospace and defense, medical devices and biotech, advanced manufacturing, digital media and entertainment and information technology.

 “The Jefferson Vista Canyon community provides the accessibility, convenience and connectivity today’s residents are seeking,” said Richard Litton, President, HGI.

 “This acquisition highlights HGI’s investment strategy of acquiring properties in well-located, dynamic markets with strong employment fundamentals. We look forward to expanding our footprint in Southern California.”

Nick Lavin

Bryant Ferber, Azure’s Managing Director and Head of Acquisitions added, “We are excited to announce our first acquisition in California, and expect this transaction to serve as a springboard to more opportunities in the western United States as we seek to expand our presence in the region.

"Jefferson Vista Canyon aligns perfectly with our core investment strategy to acquire best-in-class assets in submarkets with strong growth trajectories.”

 The JLL Capital Markets team representing the seller was led by Managing Director Peter Yorck and Director Nick Lavin.

Brandon Smith

The JLL Capital Markets Debt Advisory team representing the borrowers was led by Managing Directors Brandon Smith, Annie Rice and Jamie Leachman.

 “This luxury asset had a tremendous lease up over the past twelve months and will soon reach stabilization, demonstrating strong renter demand for this product and location,” said Yorck.

 “The sale of Jefferson Vista Canyon indicates continued robust investor interest in more suburban pockets of Los Angeles County, such as Santa Clarita.”

 

Jamie Leachman

Built in two phases from 2020 to 2021, Jefferson Vista Canyon features contemporary finishes and desirable amenities unique to other communities in the area, including resort-style pools and a rooftop deck. Interior units include a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts.

 Jefferson Vista Canyon adds to HGI’s Southern California multifamily portfolio and marks the firm’s seventh multifamily investment in the region.

 About Harbor Group International

Harbor Group International, LLC, and its affiliates control an investment portfolio of $16.3 billion including 4.4 million square feet of commercial space throughout the United States and the United Kingdom and 59,000 apartment units in the United States.

About Azure Partners

Azure Partners LLC (“Azure”) is a real estate investment firm focused on the acquisition and management of real estate assets within high-growth markets in the United States.

About JPI

JPI is a national developer, builder, and investment manager of Class A multifamily assets across the U.S., with over 5,000 apartment homes under construction.

CONTACT:

Harbor Group International

Morgan McGinnis

(323) 500-0939
mmcginnis@prosek.com

 

JLL

Jenna Sharp

(214) 394 3356

Jenna.Sharp@am.jll.com

JPI.com.

jll.com.

JPI.com. 

 

Native Realty Promotes Sara Dorfman and Dan Ross to Senior Associate

 

Sara Dorfman

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, Jan. 12, 2022 – Native Realty, the Jaime Sturgis-led real estate firm that is disrupting the industry and placemaking South Florida’s hottest neighborhoods, promoted two brokers who have been with the firm since shortly after its 2017 launch. Sara Dorfman and Dan Ross are now Senior Associates at Native.

 Dorfman and Ross earned the new roles by generating consistent and strong sales volume and for their overall contributions to Native over the past five years. The duo will take on additional firm-wide responsibilities following the promotion.

Dan Ross

“Sara and Dan are talented and driven individuals who care deeply about the neighborhoods Native shapes and spends time in,” Sturgis said.

“Both produce a high output of impactful deals and have grown tremendously since joining us. We are excited to see Sara and Dan flourish in their new roles with the firm.”

Will Grace 

Dorfman is versed in all aspects of real estate investment sales and leasing, including commercial, residential, multifamily, new construction and redevelopment, investment portfolios and vacation home rentals.

A New Jersey native, Dorfman relocated to Fort Lauderdale nearly a decade ago and has worked in real estate throughout her time in the city. She also has 10 years of real estate experience at a family-owned business in New Jersey.

Stacy Karst 

Ross specializes in investment sales across all commercial real estate sectors, and retail and restaurant leasing. He earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Real Estate from Florida State University, in addition to bachelor’s degrees in Marketing and Management.

Ross and Sturgis first met through their mutual involvement in the university’s American Marketing Association.

Jaime Sturgis

Native recently relocated its corporate headquarters to a new Fort Lauderdale office that is double the size of its previous headquarters. The 4,000-square-foot office is located at 1926 E. Sunrise Blvd. in the city’s Victoria Park neighborhood.

 The firm also just added real estate agents Will Grace and Stacy Karst to its growing roster.

 

CONTACT:

Eric Kalis

Vice President

 BoardroomPR

ekalis@boardroompr.com

O 954-370-8999 

C 305-794-5123

Bank of America Plaza | 1776 N Pine Island Road

Suite 320 | Fort Lauderdale, FL 33322

Web | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

www.nativerealty.com.