Broker returns to CBRE LA biotech, office businesses; JLL taps development leader; Trademark names executive for project near Houston

CBRE said veteran broker Patrick Church who left the real estate services firm for JLL in 2013, returned to CBRE as an executive vice president in Los Angeles. Church will continue his work in the life science sector and pivot back to the office sector, where he will specialize in both landlord and occupier representation, CBRE said. Church also will draw on his knowledge and connections to pursue deals in the education sector, the firm said. Church's return enhances CBRE's office team and life science practice group, "further expanding our capabilities and market reach," said Dean Hunt, CBRE's executive managing director of greater Los Angeles who's based Glendale, California-based, in a statement.

Church, who has 30 years of industry experience, spent the past nearly 12 years at JLL. He most recently served as a managing director in Los Angeles, where he led the firm's life science practice group and deep tech team. He previously worked at CBRE from 1996-2013 where he became a senior vice president.

JLL Project and Development Services, or PDS, appointed Ben Jackson as global head of development services, a group that advises clients during the development process. In this newly created position, Jackson will lead the team and unite PDS' overall capabilities around the world to ensure clients have access to the group's services, JLL said. Jackson will oversee development advisory, development management, cost management and project controls for PDS, working with JLL team members across the globe.

Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jackson has worked at JLL for more than 10 years and most recently served as the head of strategy and growth for PDS in Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific regions. Before that, he led PDS in the Middle East and Africa for a decade and helped grow the market there, JLL said. Overall, Jackson has spent more than 20 years as a contractor, architect and project manager and led and executed developments across the Middle East, North Africa, the United Kingdom and Australia. In addition to development advisory services, JLL's PDS unit also offers clients sustainability, design and relocation services and multisite project management and other services.

Trademark Property Co. tapped Noemi Gonzalez to serve as general manager of Market Street – The Woodlands, the firm's suburban town center near Houston that contains 560,000 square feet of shopping, dining and entertainment venues along with office and hotel spaces. Gonzalez, who has served as marketing director for Market Street since 2015, succeeds Jenny Taylor, who vacated the role in February. In her new role, Gonzalez will manage the day-to-day operations of Market Street – The Woodlands development that marked its 20th anniversary last year, Fort Worth, Texas-based Trademark said. Gonzalez's creativity, leadership capabilities, and passion for The Woodlands "have been excellent assets to Market Street over the years,” Trademark CEO Terry Montesi said in a statement.

Gonzalez also will oversee property staff, expenses and maintenance and security measures and serve as a liaison between tenants and ownership to help with leasing efforts, the firm said. Market Street's mix of uses contains nearly 400,000 square feet of retail space filled by numerous tenants including 15 restaurants, a luxury cinema, and a high-end H-E-B grocery store, 115,000 square feet of Class A office space and a 70-room Hyatt Centric hotel. The property is 94% leased, and Trademark said it expects additional tenants to open at the center in the third and fourth quarters.

IPA Capital Markets, a division of Marcus & Millichap that works with major private and institutional investors, hired Jake Lapidot as a director in Manhattan. In his new role, Lapidot will be responsible for securing debt and equity financing for mid-market and institutional clients, IPA said. He will work with the team led by Max Herzog and Marko Kazanjian, who joined the firm in 2023 along with Andrew Cohen. IPA also added Max Hulsh to the team that year.

Before joining IPA, Lapidot was a director at Cooper-Horowitz, a real estate finance shop founded by Howard Cooper and Barry Horowitz. Lapidot's experience includes work in securing senior permanent, bridge and subordinate financing such as mezzanine debt and lining up joint venture equity for deals in various sectors including industrial, multifamily, retail and office. Evan Denner, executive vice president and head of business at IPA Capital Markets, said in a statement that the addition of Lapidot is a significant part of "the continued growth of our New York team." 

Trinity Investments, a U.S. real estate investor focused on the hospitality sector, promoted Rob Tanenbaum to managing director of strategic operations. He previously served as a senior vice president. In his new role. Tanenbaum will continue to report to Greg Dickhens, a managing partner of Trinity, and oversee the firm's strategic operations team in the United States and Europe, the company said. Since joining Trinity last year, Tanenbaum has enhanced "the performance and value of Trinity’s assets including the Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando and The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida,” Dickhens said in a statement.

Tanenbaum is based in Trinity's Miami office. The firm has its headquarters is Honolulu, Hawaii, and additional offices in Los Angeles and London. As of March 2024, Trinity had invested more than $10 billion in properties in the United States, Mexico, Europe and Japan.