Ann Sperling, Jones Lang LaSalle's chief operating officer for the Americas region.

This week's People of Note includes the following markets: Atlanta, Chicago, East Bay, New York and Los Angeles.

CHICAGO
JLL Names Sperling COO of Americas Region

Jones Lang LaSalle appointed Ann Sperling chief operating officer for the Americas region. Based in Chicago, Sperling will implement the Americas regional plan, lead the region’s management committee, and oversee its planning process and compensation program. She replaces Bill Thummel, who was named chief operating officer of the global corporate solutions division.

Sperling has a strong background in strategy, finance, operations and marketing, and has worked with both corporate and investor clients in tenant representation, agency leasing and investment sales. Formerly the managing director at Catellus Development Group, her nearly 30 years in the industry is highlighted by nearly 25 years at Trammell Crow Co. before its merger with CB Richard Ellis. She moved up the ranks to eventually earn the senior managing director and area director title for the company’s Rocky Mountain region.

The Tufts University magna cum laude graduate also has an M.B.A. from Harvard. She holds memberships with the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, the Urban Land Institute and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

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Editor's Note: CoStar's People of Note is published each Friday covering the latest commercial real estate executive level promotions and new hires. Please click on the headline of each article to jump to full coverage.

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ATLANTA, NEW YORK
Carter Opens NYC Office to Focus on Capital Markets

Carter, a commercial real estate firm based in Atlanta, opened a new office in Manhattan last month and tapped 15-year capital markets veteran Michael Seton as an executive vice president to lead the expansion. The company’s strategy is to source new deals, increase services and focus on the nation’s real estate capital markets.

"Our New York office will enable Carter to better leverage our existing relationships on the debt and equity sides," said Bob Peterson, the company’s chairman and CEO.

Seton, an expert in real estate finance, is the former managing director and division head in Eurohypo's Originations Group. He’s been involved in more than $25 billion in real estate financings including Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, New York’s Chrysler Building, General Motors Building and 15 Central Park West.

He will work with Carter's Advisory Services Group and The Carter Funds to source new investment opportunities. Seton will mainly concentrate on the firm’s principal investment activity and establish Carter’s partnerships in the equity and debt capital markets.


CHICAGO
Koch Moves to Transwestern’s Industrial Group

Randall Koch joined Transwestern’s industrial practice as senior vice president. He will work on the acquisition, disposition, leasing and build-to-suit of industrial buildings and the sale of vacant land in metro Chicago.

Koch, formerly a senior vice president at Grubb & Ellis in Rosemount, has 30 years of experience as an industrial broker. Koch was part of the Grubb team that won the 2008 NAIOP Industrial Deal of the Year Award for Central Grocers’ 934000-square-foot build-to-suit in the Cherry Hill Industrial Park. Before Grubb, he’s held senior level positions at Insignia/ESG, before its merger with CB Richard Ellis, Paine/Wetzel and Arthur Rubloff.


NEW YORK CITY
Lown Joins NewOak Capital
By Lauren Hale

NewOak Capital has named Jay Lown as managing director and senior member of its Financial Institutions Group. His new responsibilities include coordinating all activities related to the U.S. Government mortgage lending programs and developing mortgage advisory solutions.

Prior to joining NewOak Capital, Lown served as an advisor to the senior deputy director at the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), where he participated in the creation of the Obama Administration's "Making Home Affordable" modification program. He has also been with UBS and Salomon Brothers. Lown has more than 17 years of experience in the financial sector.

Lown earned his M.B.A. at Northeastern University and his B.A. at Lehigh University.


EAST BAY
JLL Names Chopra as Managing Director
By Aaron Turkeltaub

Jones Lang LaSalle appointed Samit Chopra as a managing director with the firm's international desk. The international desk connects clients with transaction specialists around the world.

Currently in Palo Alto, CA, Chopra has spent the last 11 years moving up the ranks of JLL. He is now responsible for expanding the firm's international business across its three regions--Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.


LOS ANGELES
NAI Capital Hires SVP of Retail in Encino
By Sasha M Pardy

John Raudsep has joined the Encino, CA, office of NAI Capital as a senior vice president. With more than 25 years of commercial real estate brokerage and business development experience, Raudsep will specialize in retail tenant, landlord and investor representation at the firm.

Prior to NAI, Raudsep worked for ReMax Commercial, where he negotiated more than 1 million square feet of retail property investment transactions in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada. Prior to his career in real estate, Raudsep led numerous healthcare reform projects worldwide and domestically working for Bristol-Myers Squibb and WellPoint Health Systems.


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