Avison Young managing director named Bergstrom Center’s Alumnus of the Year
ORLANDO, Fla.—Nick Banks was honored as the 2020 Kelley A. Bergstrom Real Estate Center’s Alumnus of the Year at its annual Trends & Strategies Conference at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando.
Banks (BSBA ’90) is a principal and managing director with Avison Young and responsible for overseeing the firm’s activities in North Florida. He is the global leader of Avison Young’s Retail Affinity Group and also a member of the company’s US Executive Committee.
“It was an amazing honor,” Banks said of receiving the award. “UF shaped my life and career in so many ways. It’s very gratifying to be able to give back to the students and play a role in helping to shape their lives and careers.”
Banks serves as an advisory board member of the University of Florida Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies, where he is also a member of the executive board. In 2018, he became a member of the national board of directors for the University of Florida Foundation where he serves on several committees. He remains connected closely with the Bergstrom Center and real estate education at the Warrington College of Business.
“Our industry is changing rapidly,” Banks said. “The Bergstrom Center is helping to prepare future generations of commercial real estate professionals to lead this change. It’s exciting to witness the energy and talent of the students as they embark on their careers.”
Banks is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), where he has been a frequent panelist, and he was also the founding co-chair of the Gainesville committee for the North Florida chapter of Urban Land Institute (ULI). He recently served as the board chair for the United Way of North Central Florida and is a former member of the board of directors of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, where he served as a member of the executive board and as a member of the Business Development Committee. He is a graduate of Leadership Gainesville, which is a year-long leadership program hosted by the Chamber.
Prior to joining Avison Young in 2019, Banks ran Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group, which he founded in 2002 while living in South Florida. He relocated to Gainesville in 2004, and in 2010 shifted the firm’s focus to serve third party clients and perform brokerage and property management services. Within nine years, Nick led the firm’s growth to a team of over 30 professionals doing business in six North Florida markets. Nick has fostered relationships with several large clients including Regency, Kite, RMR Group, The University of Florida, UF Health, Santa Fe College, City of Gainesville, RD Management and Hankin Group.
Banks joins 15 other individuals that have been named Alumnus of the Year. The Bergstrom Center’s Alumnus of the Year award is given to a UF graduate who has made an impactful and sustained contribution to real estate education at the University of Florida. All recipients are friends of the Center who have gone above and beyond to grow the presence of UF’s Real Estate program. Read more about the Bergstrom Center Alumnus of the Year.
