Cushman & Wakefield Strengthens Valuation & Advisory Platform with Return of Three Senior Industry Leaders
Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world’s leading commercial real estate services firms, has announced the return of three experienced professionals to its U.S. Valuation & Advisory platform. Chris Sonne, Greg Becker, MAI, MRICS, and Chris Lassiter have rejoined the company as Executive Directors, reinforcing the firm’s expertise across key regional markets and expanding its ability to serve clients with specialized valuation services.
The appointments represent a significant investment in Cushman & Wakefield’s strategic growth plans as demand for sophisticated valuation and advisory services continues to increase across the commercial real estate sector. Based in Southern California, Tampa, Florida, and Nashville, Tennessee, respectively, the three executives will strengthen the company’s presence in high-growth markets while enhancing expertise across several major property sectors.
The return of these experienced professionals reflects Cushman & Wakefield’s ongoing strategy of expanding its valuation capabilities by attracting industry-leading talent with deep market knowledge, long-standing client relationships and specialized technical expertise. Their combined experience spans decades of commercial real estate valuation across multiple property types, including self-storage, industrial, office, retail, multifamily and special-purpose assets.
Erick Mazzoni, U.S. Market Lead for Valuation & Advisory at Cushman & Wakefield, said the appointments demonstrate the strong momentum of the firm’s Valuation & Advisory business and its continued commitment to strategic expansion. According to Mazzoni, the company is responding to evolving client needs by broadening its service capabilities, increasing its coverage in important regional markets and investing in experienced professionals who can support the next phase of growth for the platform.
As commercial real estate markets become increasingly complex, clients are seeking valuation professionals with specialized expertise and extensive knowledge of both local and national markets. Cushman & Wakefield’s latest appointments are designed to address these evolving requirements while strengthening the firm’s competitive position across several important property sectors.
Among the three returning executives, Chris Sonne will be based in Southern California, where he rejoins the company’s nationally recognized Self Storage Valuation practice. Sonne returns to Cushman & Wakefield from Newmark and brings with him extensive experience in valuing institutional-quality self-storage facilities.
Widely regarded as one of the industry’s leading authorities in self-storage valuation, Sonne has built a strong reputation for advising institutional investors, lenders, developers and owners on complex appraisal assignments involving one of commercial real estate’s fastest-growing asset classes. His expertise covers a wide range of self-storage properties, from stabilized operating facilities to development projects and institutional investment portfolios.
In addition to his personal expertise, Sonne also returns with his two-person valuation team, immediately expanding Cushman & Wakefield’s resources within its national self-storage practice. Their arrival further strengthens the firm’s ability to provide specialized advisory services in Southern California, one of the country’s most active and competitive commercial real estate markets, where institutional demand for self-storage assets remains strong.
Tim Garey, Managing Director and Practice Lead for Cushman & Wakefield’s Valuation & Advisory National Self Storage Group, described Sonne as one of the industry’s most respected experts in self-storage valuation. Garey noted that Sonne’s extensive track record, long-standing client relationships and trusted reputation among institutional investors significantly enhance the firm’s ability to manage highly complex valuation assignments throughout the United States.
The growing popularity of self-storage as an investment sector has increased demand for valuation professionals with specialized market knowledge. Institutional investors continue to allocate capital toward self-storage assets because of their resilience, stable cash flows and long-term growth potential, making experienced advisors increasingly valuable in supporting acquisition, financing and portfolio management decisions.
Greg Becker also returns to Cushman & Wakefield after previously serving with the firm, bringing more than 35 years of experience in commercial real estate valuation. Based in Tampa, Florida, Becker rejoins the company from Colliers and will play an important role in strengthening valuation services throughout the Southeast and Caribbean regions.
Throughout his distinguished career, Becker has developed extensive expertise in valuing a broad range of commercial property types, including industrial facilities, office buildings, retail centers and specialized assets. His experience extends across 43 U.S. states as well as most Caribbean nations, giving him one of the broadest geographic backgrounds within the commercial valuation industry.
Becker has completed valuation assignments involving major industrial portfolios, regional shopping centers, hospitality properties, large-scale resort developments, marinas and numerous special-purpose assets. His ability to evaluate highly complex real estate investments across multiple jurisdictions makes him a valuable addition to Cushman & Wakefield’s expanding Southeast practice.
His professional credentials, including the MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute and MRICS membership with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, further reflect his expertise and commitment to maintaining the highest professional standards within the valuation industry.
Chris Lassiter also returns to Cushman & Wakefield, joining the firm as Tennessee Region Lead based in Nashville. Before rejoining the company, Lassiter most recently served with Apprise by Walker & Dunlop, where he continued to build extensive experience across a variety of commercial property sectors.
Lassiter specializes in multifamily housing valuation, one of the most active and rapidly evolving sectors within commercial real estate. His expertise includes apartment communities, mixed-use residential developments and investment-grade multifamily assets throughout Tennessee and surrounding markets.
Beyond his client work, Lassiter maintains an active leadership role within the Tennessee chapter of the Appraisal Institute, reflecting his commitment to advancing professional standards, supporting industry education and mentoring future appraisal professionals.
His return significantly strengthens Cushman & Wakefield’s multifamily valuation capabilities in Tennessee, a region experiencing sustained population growth, increasing housing demand and continued investment activity. Nashville and other Tennessee markets remain among the country’s most dynamic real estate environments, creating ongoing demand for experienced valuation professionals with local market expertise.
Dave Beshears, Southeast Market Lead for Valuation & Advisory at Cushman & Wakefield, emphasized that both Becker and Lassiter bring exceptional experience and trusted client relationships that will support the firm’s continued expansion throughout the Southeast. According to Beshears, Becker’s extensive background across multiple complex asset classes throughout the Southeast and Caribbean is particularly distinctive, while Lassiter’s leadership strengthens the firm’s growing multifamily platform in one of the nation’s busiest investment markets.
The appointments come at a time when commercial real estate owners, investors, lenders and developers increasingly require comprehensive valuation services to support acquisitions, financing, refinancing, portfolio management, financial reporting and strategic decision-making. Rapid market changes, evolving capital markets and shifting investment strategies continue to increase demand for highly specialized appraisal expertise.
By bringing back three accomplished professionals with decades of combined industry experience, Cushman & Wakefield is further reinforcing its position as a leading provider of valuation and advisory services. Their collective expertise across institutional self-storage, industrial, office, retail, multifamily and specialty asset classes will enable the firm to deliver broader market coverage, deeper technical capabilities and enhanced client service across Southern California, Tennessee, the Southeast and the Caribbean.
The return of Chris Sonne, Greg Becker and Chris Lassiter highlights Cushman & Wakefield’s ongoing commitment to investing in experienced leadership, expanding specialized expertise and supporting clients with high-quality valuation solutions in an increasingly competitive and evolving commercial real estate market.
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