Newmark bolsters national finance team
Newmark hired Nina Russo as a managing director in its debt and structured finance practice, in which she will work between the firm’s Atlanta and New York offices. The brokerage said Russo will focus on financing matters across all property types nationwide, reporting to Jordan Roeschlaub and Jonathan Firestone, co-heads of Newmark’s global debt and structured finance practice.
Prior to Newmark, Russo handled capital-markets transactions at Meridian Capital Group, structuring more than $2 billion in financing for multiple property types. She started her career at KeyBank, holding roles across real estate and corporate finance areas.
Savills pursues Chicago life science business
Savills appointed James Otto as vice chairman and head of life sciences for its Chicago region, joining a tenant advisory team led by North American brokerage Chairman Joe Learner and Chicago region President Robert Sevim. The company said Otto served previously as an executive vice president at CBRE, where he worked for more than two decades, including two years in the firm’s Tokyo office.
Otto has handled transactions valued at more than $5 billion in his career. Austin Barrett, Savills’ head of life sciences in North America, said the company is seeking to serve growing Midwest demand for biotech lab and office space.
Walker & Dunlop expands multifamily services
Walker & Dunlop added several investment and finance-focused executives to its team, including John Carr as managing director to lead multifamily property sales across the Southeast. The company said Carr will be based in its Atlanta office. He joined the firm from Cushman & Wakefield, where he handled more than $5 billion in institutional and middle-market transactions throughout the Sun Belt, bolstering the firm’s investment sales presence in Texas. Carr worked earlier at the national development firm Alliance Residential.
Walker & Dunlop also brought on three former Greystone loan originators to expand its private-client residential finance team. Kyle Jemtrud is now managing director in Minneapolis and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Wilson Molitor is now director in Minneapolis, both serving in Walker’s small-balance group that originates loans for multifamily properties. Tim Thompson is now managing director of real estate finance at the company’s office in Austin, Texas, also originating small-balance multifamily financing.
PMA targets San Diego consulting growth
Project Management Advisors promoted Adam Enright to vice president and managing director in its San Diego office, as the company seeks to grow its national presence in high-growth regions. The Chicago-based real estate consulting firm said Enright has nearly two decades of experience in project management across multiple categories, including life sciences, healthcare, hospitality and higher education.
He most recently expanded PMA’s Phoenix presence after earlier work growing the firm’s life science tenant representation services in San Diego. PMA is now targeting expansion in San Diego’s hospitality, higher education and residential development industries. The firm also has regional offices in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Austin, Texas, Tampa and Orlando, Florida.
TBG Partners taps urban design chief
Design firm TBG Partners hired Gonzalo Echeverria as principal and director of design for its urban design and planning studio. The Houston-based company said Echeverria has nearly three decades of global experience in design and management and will lead community development-focused projects across the firm’s four Texas offices, located in Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio.
Prior to TBG, Echeverria served as director of design and planning at McCord Development, where he led the 4,300-acre master plan for Generation Park in Houston.
He worked earlier at firms such as Urban Design Associates, URBE Ltd. and LRK, serving global development clients on projects in North America, Latin America and Europe.