With more than thirty years of commercial real estate experience, Mr. Baird has an impeccable record and stellar reputation for his work in representing top-tier tenants and landlords as well as assembling, developing and leasing new development projects in Austin, Texas. He has executed in excess of 400 transactions totaling nearly 5 million square feet of space and $700 million in volume. He joined Avison Young, formerly Commercial Texas, LLC, in 2011, with the task of strengthening the company’s office, industrial, and land platforms, as well as expanding sales and development consulting services. While at Avison Young, Mr. Baird has completed several notable transactions including Scott, Douglass McConnico leasing 40,000 square feet, LKQ leasing 220,000 square feet, a 126-acre land purchase in Cedar Park, Texas, and the sale and placement of $65 million in 1031 exchanges.Mr. Baird spent the previous 16 years with Lincoln Property Company, where he was recruited to coordinate leasing activities for five suburban office buildings in Houston, Texas, owned by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. There, he increased the 800,000 sq ft portfolio’s occupancy level to more than 90 percent within nine months. Lincoln then asked that he relocate to Austin, Texas in 1995, and coordinate leasing activities for MetLife’s high-profile downtown Class A office tower called 100 Congress Avenue – an assignment he held for 12 years. John is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Economics. He is married to his wife Leslie and has two grown children.