Richard Kimball Joins GVA Worldwide As President & CEO – North America

BOSTON - GVA Worldwide, a premier international commercial real estate services group, today announced Richard "Rick" Kimball has joined the organization as President and CEO - North America. In the position, Kimball is responsible for leading business development efforts and key brokerage activities in support of GVA's firms in the United States and Canada. He will also drive new market growth and expansion throughout the region. The newly-created position marks the first time GVA Worldwide will provide exclusive leadership for a particular demographic region.

"Over the past several years, the various GVA offices in North America have forged strong relationships and worked closely together," said Richard Pogue, GVA Worldwide Board member, and President and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based GVA Advantis. "The time is right to recognize the strength of the collective group in a more formal manner and expand our presence in the region. There is no better person to lead the charge than Rick Kimball."

Jeff Lyon, GVA Worldwide Board member, and Chairman and CEO of Seattle-based GVA Kidder Mathews, concurred, and added, "While Rick will focus his efforts in North America, we fully expect the momentum built here to have a very positive impact on GVA's global operations, particularly in terms of new business development, client services and client sharing."

Kimball comes to GVA Worldwide from NAI Global, where he served as Executive Vice President of Brokerage Operations for the Americas and was responsible for developing strategic alliances and joint business ventures with internal and external partners. Before joining NAI in 2007, he worked with Colliers International as Executive Vice President of Business Development for more than eight years. Kimball began his career in commercial real estate services in brokerage and management roles with CBRE, where he worked for 17 years in Washington, D.C., and Oakland, Calif.

"GVA Worldwide is unique in that it has struck a terrific balance between an appreciation of the mindset of independent brokers and brokerage firms, and the importance of providing seamless services to clients under a consistent brand and unified delivery platform," said Kimball. "I look forward to building on this culture and using it to expand business and revitalize operations throughout North America, with the goal of positioning the organization as a leader in all markets it serves."