Colliers has recruited the trio of Chris High, Steve Bruce and Conor Evans, veteran life science and office leasing brokers, from Newmark in San Diego. High and Bruce will serve as vice chairs and will co-lead Colliers' Southwest life science practice, and Evans will be a vice president, the firm said. Combined, High, Bruce and Evans have nearly 48 years of industry expertise. During their seven-plus years at Newmark, the team completed 547 deals with an aggregate volume of more than $1 billion. The trio's experience and market knowledge "will allow them to make an immediate contribution to our growth in San Diego," David Josker, president of U.S. West region brokerage for Colliers, said in a statement. Colliers said High, Bruce and Evans will focus on multi-tenant and corporate headquarters life science and office leasing, landlord services and tenant representation. Their client roster includes Longfellow, Regent Properties, Lincoln, GEM Realty Capital, Swift, Sterling Bay and Zephyr, Colliers said.

JLL has promoted Michael Raphael, who has been at the brokerage for the past 13 years, to the position of chief procurement officer. In his new role, Raphael will report to Neil Murray, CEO of JLL work dynamics and lead procurement activities globally, and manage annual procurement spending for JLL and on behalf of its clients, the brokerage said. Raphael previously served as global head of sourcing solutions, development and operations at JLL. In that position, he managed the global sourcing team that handles client outsourcing requests and was responsible for the operations team. Based in Chicago, Raphael spent several years in Asia where he served in several roles including chief procurement officer for the Asia-Pacific region, where he led a team of 226 people in 14 countries. Raphael has built relationships with JLL's suppliers and external partners Murray said. “Sourcing & Procurement is at the heart of JLL’s sustainability program, and we recognize that a significant portion of our overall impact stems from our supply chain," he said in a statement. Raphael started as chief procurement officer on April 1 and succeeded Juud Tempelman.

Broker and business owner Jeffrey Counsell, who specializes in working with food, ingredient and nutrition occupiers, has merged the company he co-founded, Global Food Properties, with Cresa. Counsell has joined the Chicago-based firm as a principal, Cresa President Greg Schementi said. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Cresa said the deal with Counsell has positioned the brokerage as the only commercial real estate firm with a "dedicated food, ingredient, and nutrition manufacturing and research-and-design" practice. “With his addition, we are adding expertise in this dynamic sector of our business" and expanding its presence "in industry sectors that require extensive subject matter knowledge," Schementi said in a statement. Global Food's Adam Ratajski joined Cresa with Counsell as a vice president responsible for tracking data and market availability, business development and executing deals, Cresa said.

Counsell co-founded Global Food Properties in 2015 after working at CBRE, where he was a senior vice president of its food facilities group, and at Trammell Crow. During his career, Counsell has completed more than 200 transactions with an aggregate total of over $650 million. His clients include several branded and private-label manufacturers in the frozen, refrigerated and shelf-stable food categories. "Continued margin compression, the necessity of automation, and increasing regulatory pressures create an uncertain landscape," in the food, ingredient and nutrition facilities industry, and Cresa's focus on occupiers provides a path forward for Global Food's clients and the opportunity to expand Cresa's business, Counsell said in a statement.

Savills has expanded its workplace studio with the addition of Jamie Feuerborn, who spent the past two years leading workplace strategy for the Boeing Aerospace and Autonomy Center. Feuerborn, who has more than 20 years of workplace and design experience and is based at 399 Park Ave. in Manhattan, joined Savills as a senior managing director of its North America workplace studio group. The team has 15 workplace and design professionals, including six based in Savills New York City office. Savills workplace studio specializes in workplace analysis and strategy, wellness and sustainability, change and communications management, design and space planning and optimization.

In addition to her time at Boeing, where she served on the team that led program and change management and activities to drive engagement for its 2,000-member global real estate and facilities organization, Feuerborn worked at workplace design and architecture firms Ted Moudis Associates, Perkins+Will, Holzman Moss Architecture and Inscape, where she held the positions of director of workplace strategy and director of sales. At Savills, Feuerborn will work closely with Katrina Kostic Samen, head of Savills' North America workplace studio. Feuerborn's experience leaves her positioned to understand "how to strategically align client’s business objectives with physical work environments for optimal performance and employee satisfaction,” Kostic Samen said in a statement.

Rockefeller has picked veteran asset management and investment executive Marisa Gadlin to lead its trophy New York office portfolio that contains approximately 6 million square feet in midtown Manhattan. In her new role as a senior vice president and head of core holdings, Gadlin, who joined Rockefeller in 2021, will oversee new initiatives, asset management, leasing and operations for its portfolio that includes 1221 and 1271 Avenue of the Americas, two of the five buildings developed as part of the expansion of Rockefeller Center, and the property management of 745 Seventh Ave., where Rockefeller owns the land on a long-term ground lease. Before her promotion, Gadlin led asset and facilities management for Rockefeller's core holdings portfolio. “At a time when some are questioning the future of the office and the role of the CBD, our core Manhattan portfolio has consistently outperformed, maintaining nearly 100% occupancy and attracting some of the most compelling retail and restaurants in the city,” Rockefeller Group CEO Daniel Moore said in a statement. Rockefeller said its New York office portfolio is 99.5% occupied. Last year, the firm finished a $50 million public plaza renovation at 1221 Avenue of the Americas.

CBRE has hired Ajay Kalra, a veteran Iowa business and sales executive, to serve as its market leader in the Hawkeye State. Kalra joined CBRE as a managing director and, in his new role, will oversee business operations and direct the brokerage's expansion strategy for its advisory services lines that include leasing, sales, debt and structured finance, valuation and property management. He also will lead CBRE’s office in Des Moines. Kalra has nearly 10 years of experience in business management in several different industries, including commercial real estate. Most recently, he served as a senior investment manager at LCS Real Estate, an Iowa-based real estate private equity firm. At LCS, Kalra assisted with the company’s investment strategies, performed financial analysis and managed several senior living properties across the state. Kalra previously served as a regional manager at Keurig Dr Pepper, where he managed 30 company branches across Iowa. At Keurig Dr Pepper, he was responsible for more than $400 million in sales. Jeff Kaiser, a CBRE senior managing director in St. Louis, said in a statement that he is confident "the Des Moines office will continue to see significant growth across all business lines" under Kalra's leadership.

Newmark has expanded its capital markets team with the addition of senior managing directors Davis Finney and Colt Neal. Finney and Neal joined Newmark's government leases capital markets team in Atlanta. In their new roles, the duo will provide investment sales, debt and equity placements and recapitalizations for properties leased to federal, state and municipal government contractors and education tenants, Newmark said. Finney and Neal previously worked with Michael Bull at Bull Realty, where they focused on the sale of government investment sales. "Government assets are a specific sector requiring niche expertise," Neal said in a statement. Chad Lavender, Newmark's capital markets president for North America, said the pair's "expertise in navigating the complexities of government-leased assets adds to the diversity of services" the brokerage offers.