Canadian pension fund Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, or OMERS, is opening its first American office at 320 Park Avenue near 51st Street, the fund announced, in hopes of expanding its presence in private market investments in the U.S.
OMERS manages $53 billion in assets, including $10 billion in the United States. Canadians have been active of late in the New York market, and real estate watchers might recognize OMERS’ investment arm, Oxford Properties Group, which partnered with the Related Companies on the 12 million-square-foot development of Hudson Yards.
“I can’t think of a bigger statement about our commitment to the New York market than the Hudson Yards project,” said Oxford Properties Group President and CEO Blake Hutcheson.
The Toronto-based firm also has offices in Calgary and London. The firm will have a 30-member investment team specializing in real estate, infrastructure, private equity and capital markets in the new office. — Adam Fusfeld