Movers & Shakers: Sperry recruits from Cushman, Colliers taps self-employed broker … & more

Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates has a fresh poach: Jimmy Chai is jumping ship from Cushman & Wakefield to be Sperry’s new managing director in its Koreatown office.

Chai was a director for 9 years at Cushman, where he amassed over $500 million in transactions, Sperry said in an announcement Monday. He specialized in leased investments, landlord and tenant representation, and land development.

Multifamily brokerage Stepp Commercial hired Tia Jones from the Ritz-Carlton at L.A. Live to be its latest associate, the firm announced Monday. In her new position, Jones will focus on multifamily investment sales in Hollywood and West Hollywood. In the past, she worked in property management, financial analysis, transaction coordination and leasing.

Colliers recently hired Reza Ghobadi to lead its multifamily and mixed-use investments in the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank. He will focus on helping the brokerage to expand in those submarkets.

Ghobadi joins Colliers after forming and leaving his own consulting firm, according to a Colliers spokesperson. Before striking out on his own, Ghobadi worked for Marcus & Millichap and Keller Williams Commercial.