Movers: CBRE names new Sr. VP for Dallas, plus more

Cushman lures valuation expert from JLL, Avanta, Parkside also make hires

CBRE's James Stein, Parkside Capital's Brett Walker; and Lauren Ferrante, Avanta Residential's Paige Shipp and Cushman & Wakefield's Kenneth Levenson (CBRE, Parkside Capital, LinkedIn, Cushman & Wakefield)
CBRE's James Stein, Parkside Capital's Brett Walker; and Lauren Ferrante, Avanta Residential's Paige Shipp and Cushman & Wakefield's Kenneth Levenson (CBRE, Parkside Capital, LinkedIn, Cushman & Wakefield)

➤ CBRE has hired James Stein as a senior vice president on its Advisory and Transaction Services team in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. His responsibilities will include representing tenants in leasing, acquisitions, and dispositions, as well as providing consulting services to office occupiers.

The firm moved its headquarters to Dallas-Fort Worth last year to expand its reach and services within the city.

A native of Fort Worth, Stein began his career as a commercial real estate attorney at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, before making the transition into brokerage at Cushman & Wakefield. He joins CBRE from Cushman.

He graduated from Fort Worth Country Day before receiving a Bachelor’s degree in history and communications and then a law degree from Northwestern University.

Stein has over 14 years of experience advising law firms, corporations and financial institutions in commercial real estate transactions, including relocations, portfolio management, and lease expansions. He has represented such clients as Dyson, Coca-Cola, and Mastercard.

➤ Houston real estate investment firm Parkside Capital has named Brett Walker, previously the leader of its investor relations division, as its new president.

Prior to joining Parkside in 2016, Walker served as director of real estate at The Gustafson Group, which is also based in Houston.

Walker most recently helped Parkside raise over $60 million for its third investment fund, and will work alongside CEO John Moody — whose brother Dan Moody was recently appointed as the new managing director at Partners — as the firm prepares to launch its fourth.

“Brett has been instrumental in the success of our business over the last seven years, and we are proud to promote him to president,” said Moody. “This management shift will maximize our investment potential with Brett’s expertise and wealth of experience.”

Walker has more than 20 years of experience in land development and currently has nine active projects underway in and around Houston.

As part of the effort to launch a new fund, Parkside also promoted Lauren Ferrante to the role of director of operations. She was previously the operations manager and started out as an executive assistant when she joined the company in 2013.

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➤ Avanta Residential, a subsidiary of El Paso-based Hunt Companies Inc., has announced the appointment of Paige Shipp as Director of Development for Texas.

Shipp has more than 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, particularly in land acquisition and development, asset management, real estate finance, and market research.

Her previous role was as vice president of underwriting and market research for EHC/AG Asset Management at Avanta, evaluating its product positioning strategy for over 360 projects across 64 markets.

Previously, she also served as regional director for housing analytics firm Zonda, advising home builders, developers, and financial institutions on the best strategies to navigate shifting economic conditions. She maintained a $2 million book of business for Zonda, growing their client membership by 40 percent in just four years.

“We are excited to have someone with Paige’s experience and knowledge of the Texas market leading our development efforts in the state,” said Avanta president, Peter Spier.

In her role as Director of Development for Texas, Shipp will be responsible for sourcing and developing institutional-quality rental neighborhoods throughout the state. Her duties will include site selection, contract negotiations, overall relationship management, due diligence, and design.

➤ Cushman & Wakefield has hired a new managing director to lead its valuation and advisory division for the South Central market, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Kenneth Levenson leaves JLL’s Houston office to join Cushman, where he will oversee their valuation and advisory services across the South Central market area.

Levenson joined JLL in 2016 when the company acquired his previous firm, which itself was the Houston affiliate of New York-based Integra Realty Resources Inc. Integra was soon rebranded into JLL’s first valuation and appraisal services office in the U.S., and Levenson’s main role there involved managing and expanding the firm’s valuation business.

“Kenny is a highly respected industry veteran who brings a wealth of experience and a leadership mindset,” said Rob Skinner, head of Cushman’s valuation and advisory services in the U.S.

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