California People and Company News, Week of May 1, 2026

• Tom Maloney has joined Cushman & Wakefield as chair, Occupier Advisory Services, based in Los Angeles. In this senior leadership role, Maloney will accelerate growth, elevate talent, and strengthen Cushman & Wakefield’s Occupier Advisory Services platform. He joins Cushman & Wakefield from JLL, where he most recently served as executive vice chairman. 

• TMG Partners, one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s largest mixed-use property developers, has appointed Ben Kochalski as co-CEO with Michael Covarrubias, who also remains chairman. Kochalski will retain his role as CIO. 

• Latitude 33 Planning, Engineering & Surveying is strengthening its operations in the Los Angeles market with a strategic hire and a larger office.  The firm recently welcomed Rebecca Wanders as director of business development. She is based in the firm’s downtown Los Angeles office, recently relocated to a larger suite at 700 S. Flower St., Suite 2580.

• Sweetgreen, Inc., a restaurant and lifestyle brand that serves healthy food at scale, has appointed Ryan Slemons as chief development officer. Slemons will lead all aspects of real estate, design, construction, facilities and portfolio management. He brings nearly two decades of experience in real estate, franchising and store development across various industries.  

• IMPACT Community Capital, an affordable housing debt investment manager, has promoted Andrew Zimmerman to CIO. He will lead the firm’s overall investment strategy, portfolio management, and capital deployment efforts, ensuring continued alignment between IMPACT’s disciplined investment philosophy and its long-term growth trajectory. 

• Rancho Mission Viejo’s chairman, Tony Moiso, has appointed Jeremy Laster as CEO and president, for the family-owned, fully integrated land ownership and management company. Laster has served as president of The Ranch since 2022. 

• BISON Partners, LLC, a retail-focused real estate investment and operating company targeting value-add opportunities across the western U.S., said Todd Huber will join the firm as head of asset management. Huber joins BISON from Paragon Commercial Group, where he served as SVP of investments and spent eight years leading retail acquisitions, development and asset management assignments across Southern California. 

• ExchangeRight has fully subscribed Net-Leased All-Cash 17 DST, adding to the growing acquisition pipeline for ExchangeRight’s Essential Income REIT. The $41.9-million offering consists of six long-term net-leased properties tenanted by Sprouts Farmers Market, Tractor Supply Company, Hobby Lobby, WellMed and Dollar Tree, spanning 148,408 square feet across Texas, Illinois, and Ohio. 

• Gantry, the largest independent commercial mortgage banking firm in the U.S., is reporting $1.0 billion of new commercial mortgage production in the first quarter of 2026. This reflects an improved rate climate to begin the year and continued debt availability even with renewed volatility from geopolitical disruption. Despite the substantial disruptions, early signs point to a strong Q2 2026 for loan production as rates stabilize to consistent levels and an extended pipeline outlook that is tracking ahead of 2025.  

• South Shore Building Services, a provider of commercial exterior building services in Southern California and part of the Valcourt Group, has opened its new San Diego office. The company said the opening of the San Diego office. The opening of the San Diego office marks a strategic expansion of South Shore’s longstanding presence in the market and reflects the company’s continued growth and investment in Southern California.  

Hear from top executives from BGO, Blackstone, Cushman & Wakefield, Kennedy Wilson and CBRE as they break down strategy, capital flows, and where the market is headed on May 28 at Connect LA. Join the conversation shaping LA CRE—register now: www.connectLA26.com