Avison Young named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for second year in a row
A winner of Canada's Best Managed Companies program in 2011, Avison Young requalifies in 2012 to maintain its status as a Best Managed company
TORONTO, ON, Feb. 26, 2013 /CNW/ - After competing against a wide range of companies nationwide to win the Canada's Best Managed Companies (Best Managed) award in 2011, Toronto, ON-based commercial real estate services firm Avison Young requalified in 2012 to maintain its status as a Best Managed company.
The prestigious national award is sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, National Post, Queen's School of Business and MacKay CEO forums. The announcement was made today by the national sponsors and in a special report in the National Post daily newspaper.
Canada's Best Managed companies, spanning every region across the country and an array of industries, have demonstrated business excellence through a rigorous and independent process that evaluates the calibre of their management abilities and practices.
"On behalf of the Board of Directors of Avison Young, our employees, our clients and our partners, we are truly honoured to have been renamed one of Canada's Best Managed Companies," comments Avison Young Chair and CEO Mark Rose. "This designation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our employees, our tremendous growth in recent years, and our differentiated, Principal-led structure. Each Principal has a stake in the success of our firm, which drives a culture of collaboration, co-operation and client focus, across the company. We manage our business without service-line or geographic silos, in order to have a greater positive impact on our clients' success."
Rose continues: "This award is a recognition of our success with clients, our values, our accomplishments and our culture. Among the key pillars of the Avison Young culture are partnership, honesty and integrity. Through these values we have created a loyal base of clients. We applaud the accomplishments of all the Best Managed recipients for their commitment to excellence, and we look forward to continuing to build and sustain a culture that will enable our future success."
Avison Young is the largest Canadian-owned, principal-managed commercial real estate brokerage firm in North America. Since launching its five-year growth plan in late 2008, the company has grown from 11 to 43 offices and from 300 to more than 1,100 real estate professionals across Canada and the U.S. The company now has its eye on future growth in Europe and Asia.
"We would like to congratulate Avison Young and its entire workforce. Achieving Canada's highest level of Canadian business excellence takes a united effort and we are privileged to acknowledge such a strong team," states John Hughes, Partner, Growth Enterprise Leader, Toronto, Deloitte.
Hughes adds: "We believe that there are three vital building blocks to sustainable growth: strategy, capability, and commitment. Avison Young has demonstrated it is a model of success in all three areas and is duly recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed."
Established in 1993, Canada's Best Managed Companies is a national awards program recognizing Canadian companies that have implemented world-class business practices and created value in innovative ways. Applications are reviewed by an independent judging panel that evaluates how companies address various business challenges, including new technologies, globalization, brand management, leadership, leveraging and developing core competencies, designing information systems, and hiring the right talent to facilitate growth.
"One of the reasons our Canadian-based company has been so successful in building our U.S. business in such a short period of time is that our organization stands behind all of our professionals, as well as the culture we have created and sustained, and the level of collaboration and partnership that prevails in our firm," says Earl Webb, Avison Young's President, U.S. Operations, based in Chicago. "We provide high-calibre real estate professionals with an environment where they can provide superior service to their clients, work within a company that has experienced professionals in all disciplines collaborating to formulate client solutions, and have a lot of fun working together every day. Our strong capital structure gives us the financial flexibility to respond to growth opportunities quickly, while providing our staff members with a broad platform of support as they work closely with clients on complex real estate issues."
"By pursuing innovation and investing in meeting the needs of their clients, this year's winners have made a positive impact in the Canadian marketplace," notes Jon Hountalas, Executive Vice-President, Business Banking, CIBC.
2012 winners of the Canada's Best Managed Companies award, along with the Gold Standard winners, Requalified and Platinum Club members, will be honoured at the annual Best Managed gala in Toronto on April 16, 2013. On the same date, the Best Managed symposium will address leading-edge business issues that are key to the success of today's business leaders.
"Over the past 30-plus years, Avison Young has always been focused on providing the highest level of service to our clients and delivering professionalism in every aspect of our business. We have now added onto that an aggressive growth strategy, which has allowed us to offer both existing and new clients, as well as new Principals and staff members, the opportunity to expand this approach to new markets, in every service line of commercial real estate," adds Avison Young Principal Tod Hughes, based in Calgary, AB.
"This, of course, involves ensuring that scalable systems, good governance and best practices in every area of the business are followed and implemented. This process is what good leadership demands, and what we have been able to do. The results are demonstrated in many ways, including being recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies," he says.
About Canada's Best Managed Companies
Canada's Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $10 million. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices.
The awards are granted on four levels: 1) Best Managed winner: one of the 50 new winners selected each year; 2) Requalified member: repeat winners retain the Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review; 3) Gold Standard winner: after three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully reapplied for the designation. Companies may requalify for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review; 4) Platinum Club member: winners that maintain Best Managed status for a minimum of six consecutive years.
Program partners are Deloitte, CIBC, National Post, Queen's School of Business and MacKay CEO forums.
For further information, visit www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca
Visit the online community for private companies on the Best Managed channel on the FP Executive: www.financialpost.com/bestmanaged
About Avison Young
Founded in 1978, Avison Young is Canada's largest independently-owned commercial real estate services company. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Avison Young is also the largest Canadian-owned, principal-managed commercial real estate brokerage firm in North America. Comprising more than 1,100 real estate professionals in 43 offices across Canada and the U.S., the full-service commercial real estate company provides value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial and multi-residential properties.
For further information/comment/photos:
• Sherry Quan, National Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison Young: (604) 647-5098; cell: (604) 726-0959; [email protected]
• Mark Rose, Chair and CEO, Avison Young: (416) 673-4028
• Earl Webb, President, U.S. Operations, Avison Young: (312) 957-7610
• Tod Hughes, Principal, Avison Young: (403) 265-9552
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SOURCE: Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC)
Media Relations:
Sherry Quan
(604) 647-5098 or (604) 726-0959 cell
email: [email protected]
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