Tom Collins: Creating Real Economic, Social & Environmental Value through the Power of People

Avison Young wins the 2022 Commercial Brokerage Firm of the Year

BOSTON- Founded in 1978, Avison Young is a global real estate advisor powered by people to create real economic, social and environmental value. As a global commercial real estate consulting, brokerage, and advisory firm, offering transaction, management, financial, and consulting services, Avison Young’s clients collaborate with an empowered partner who is invested in their success, and (in their words) “in the business of making spaces and places work better for people.” Avison Young’s purpose is to create real economic, social, and environmental value as a global real estate advisor, powered by people.

Avison Young’s New England and Boston office is led by Tom Collins, who joined the firm as a Principal and Managing Director in 2019. He manages the day-to-day operations of Avison Young’s Boston and Hartford offices. He was a market leader for 20 years with Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) in New England. Tom Collins has been a leader in the real estate community for much of his 40-year career.

For 20 years, he served as Executive Managing Director of Cushman & Wakefield’s (C&W) New England Area leading over 120 real estate professionals at the company’s offices in Boston, Hartford and Manchester, NH. During his tenure, C&W became one of the leading real estate services firms in New England with revenues growing from $4 million in 1994 to nearly $90 million in 2014. For his efforts, he received the company’s Manager of the Year award in 1998, 2001 and 2006. Collins is a past president and past board member of the Commercial Brokers Association and a past board member of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board.

He is also an active member of NAIOP Massachusetts, a past NAIOP State board member, and has been honored with NAIOP’s President’s Award (2000 and 2006) and Industry Achievement Award (2013). He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) and has been on the board since 2005. Collins also serves on the Southborough Economic Development Committee. Before commencing his real estate career, Collins served in the U.S. Navy. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Bentley University.

Notable projects from Avison Young include 175 Lowell St. in Wilmington, MA and the new Kenmore Square location for the Boston team of Gritstone bio. Avison Young is the agency leasing team for 175 Lowell St. in Wilmington, MA. This 312,195 SF Office/Warehouse project, under development by National Development, is expected to be delivered to the market in the fall of 2023. The development will provide 300,000 SF of 36’ clear warehouse space with 53 docks and two drive-in bays and 12,195 SF of Office space on a mezzanine level. The property is strategically located just 3.2 miles from both I-93 and I-95, and 10 miles from I-495 with easy access to both Boston and Logan Airport.

Gritstone bio, a San Francisco-based company focused on groundbreaking immunotherapies for cancers and infectious diseases, has engaged Avison Young’s Life Sciences project team to help deliver a new state of the art lab and cGMP facility in an historic location in Kenmore Square to unite the Boston Gritstone team under one roof.  The project is approximately 70,000 SF, and the Avison Young team is providing project management support, as well as technical support to assure operational flexibility to meet future needs. The project is slated for completion in 2023.

When asked about its five-year growth plan by the Boston Real Estate Times, Avison Young had this to say:

“Avison Young New England (“AYNE”) established its office in Boston, MA in 2011, and in 2015 we opened our office in Hartford, CT.  In the New England region, we are currently engaged in the leasing of office, industrial, retail, medical office, and healthcare as well as life science spaces. We represent both tenants and landlords, and in addition, have a strong presence in Project Management and Construction Management. We provide Property Management services, and our Capital Markets Group advises clients on Investment Sales as well as securing debt and equity across the capital stack.

 

Over the next five years, our emphasis will be on the continued growth of all our business lines, while attracting and retaining client-first-oriented professionals. We will work to expand our Urban Leasing and Suburban Leasing Teams, growing both our Occupier and Investor Service offerings across all product types. AYNE’s Project Management team has extensive experience within the Life Science industry which extends to our collaboration with Avison Young’s leasing and capital markets groups.

 

To be successful in the CRE services business our professionals work to understand their client’s organization holistically.  We work to understand the pain points, the things that keep leadership up at night.  Supported by our Consulting Group and our Avant Data Analytics platform we solve a host of issues that may be troubling our clients including portfolio optimization, workplace intelligence, location strategy, supply chain and distribution, labor analytics, and incentives negotiations.”