CBRE bolsters debt, finance team; Blackstone's Link Logistics taps Minnesota leader; Colliers expands Bay Area office agency practice

CBRE said it has expanded its U.S. debt and structured finance services team with the addition of Vice Chairs Mark Fluent, David Milestone and Bill Moyer. The three, who will be based in Los Angeles, have collectively closed deals totaling more than $150 billion. Fluent and Moyer joined CBRE from Deutsche Bank, while Milestone previously worked at Newmark. Their combined experience will fortify CBRE's ability to serve institutional clients across the U.S., said James Millon, president of U.S. debt and structured finance for CBRE. Fluent has more than 30 years of experience and previously served as head of originations at Deutsche Bank. Moyer spent 17 years at the bank and has 25 years in the industry, having divided his responsibilities between the firm's large loan team in New York City and overseeing originations in the U.S. Southwest as part of Fluent's team. Milestone has 20 years of experience and a track record of originating and executing debt transactions throughout the West, primarily for institutional clients. Earlier in his career, he helped Eastdil Secured grow its debt services from $4 billion to more than $60 billion in annual volume.

Link Logistics, operator of last-mile logistics real estate, has promoted Nick Trevena to senior vice president and market officer for Minnesota. In this role, he’ll oversee the Blackstone-owned firm's approximately 15 million-square-foot portfolio in the Minneapolis metropolitan area. He will lead leasing, operations and investment performance across the market, Link said. Trevena joined the Link in 2021 from Founders Properties, where he was an asset manager. He previously was a senior property manager at Cushman & Wakefield, where he responsible for nearly 3 million square feet of office and industrial properties. The Minneapolis resident earned a bachelor's degree in real estate from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and also holds Certified Commercial Investment Member, Minnesota Real Estate Salesperson and Real Property Administrator certifications. Trevena is a member of the Building Owners and Managers Association and NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, where he serves as co-chair of the NAIOP education committee.

Colliers has appointed Christian Prelle as executive vice president and head of its office agency group in the San Francisco Bay Area. In his new role, Prelle will expand Colliers’ office agency practice and help the firm enhance its market position in the Bay Area, the company said. Prelle has completed more than 420 transactions totaling in excess of $3.5 billion during his career. He is known for his expertise in representing property owners, maximizing asset value and guiding them through complex real estate decisions, Colliers said. Before joining Colliers, he was executive managing director for Newmark, where he led the Palo Alto, California, office for six years and oversaw more than 55 brokers and staff.

Investment firm Andover Properties of New York City has hired Carly Causey as director and head of investor relations. In the role, she is based in the Miami office and intends to expand the firm's investor base, overseeing relationships with key investors and helping to enhance communication and collaboration, the company said. Causey previously headed investor relations at Cresset Partners, a major investment firm. “Her proven track record in managing investor relationships and driving engagement makes her a valuable addition to Andover Properties," CEO Brian Cohen said in a statement. Andover specializes in alternative real estate asset classes such as self-storage, manufactured housing, RV parks, small bay industrial property and car washes.

Matthews Real Estate Investment Services has hired retail leasing professional Scott Lifschultz as a first vice president and self-storage broker Jake Payne as a vice president. Based in El Segundo, California, Lifschultz joined Matthews after founding SPL Realty Partners in Los Angeles, where he advised global brands and entertainment concepts on their real estate strategies. He also was a partner with GVA Williams, a brokerage acquired by Colliers in 2008. In addition, he held in-house corporate roles with Blockbuster Video and NIO, a Chinese automaker. He has completed more than 1,000 lease transactions involving over 2 million square feet of space and with an aggregate estimated value exceeding $2 billion.

Payne, based in Birmingham, Alabama, specializes in the acquisition, disposition and real estate advisory of self-storage assets in the Gulf Coast region. He previously was a vice president at Marcus and Millichap. Payne has been involved in the sale of more than $500 million in self-storage transactions since beginning his career in 2018.