CushWake nabs DTLA powerbroker Andrew Tashjian from CBRE

Andrew Tashjian Cushman Wakefield
Andrew Tashjian

Updated, Friday, September 9, 10:18 a.m.: On September 1, 2015, DTZ officially merged with Cushman & Wakefield. One year later, the merged company is marking its anniversary by aggressively hiring talent out of other shops.

On the heels of poaching retail broker Stephen Algermissen back from Colliers, Cushman has hired Andrew Tashjian out of CBRE.  

“I’m excited to take the next step at Cushman & Wakefield with the benefit of resources and leadership,” he told The Real Deal. “I think I will be arguably a little more nimble. My business won’t change, but when you have more resources to build it into something significant, it will go a long way to putting points up on the board.”

As a managing director at Cushman, Tashjian will continue to work the territory that has been his exclusive focus since he started at CBRE seven years ago: Downtown Los Angeles.

“I’m filling a niche that [Cushman & Wakefield] has a need for and are willing to put money behind,” he said.

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The broker has been involved in many major DTLA investment sales deals, and he also oversees a creative office leasing portfolio of nearly 2 million square feet. Tashjian was brokered the $26 million dollar sale of 1201 South Grand Avenue, where Shenglong Group plans to build a 37-story luxury condominium tower, and the sale of the Commercial Exchange Building, which is being converted by Sydell Group into a 200-key Freehand Hotel.

He heads leasing for office properties owned Vancouver-based developer Onni Group, which has swiftly acquired a sizable portfolio in DTLA in recent years. Those buildings include 600 and 800 Wilshire. He has been involved in DTLA leases for coworking company Industrious, the Los Angeles Clippers headquarters, All Def Digital, Evite, HelloGiggles and Modcloth.

Tashjian said his day to day in DTLA won’t change dramatically at his new shop.

“At the end of the day, it’s a different color jersey and different email address, but it’s business as usual.”

Correction: A previous version of this story said Sydell Group is converting the Commercial Exchange Building to a NoMad Hotel. It is a Freehand hotel.