Cushman & Wakefield Expands Minneapolis Office Real Estate Team With Three Hires From Avison Young

MINNEAPOLIS — Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) announced May 28 the addition of three office real estate professionals to its Minneapolis leasing team: Brian Helmken, Erik Heltne and Addison Carlson. All three join from Avison Young, where they built practices advising occupiers and landlords across the Twin Cities' city and suburban office markets.

New Employees Bring Decades of Office Real Estate Experience

Helmken joins Cushman & Wakefield as Senior Director, bringing more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience in the Minneapolis market. He most recently served as Executive Vice President in Avison Young's Minneapolis/St. Paul office. His background spans landlord and tenant representation, new real estate development, site acquisitions and dispositions. Helmken holds a B.A. in Urban Studies and Political Science from the University of Minnesota Duluth and is a member of the Minnesota Commercial Association of Realtors (MNCAR). He previously served as a Housing and Redevelopment Authority Commissioner for the City of Plymouth, Minnesota.

Heltne also joins as Senior Director. He brings more than 15 years of commercial real estate experience, most recently as Executive Vice President at Avison Young, where he focused on the Twin Cities' Southwest and West suburban office markets. He represented both institutional and local landlords on leasing strategy. Heltne began his career in 2008 with Cassidy Turley — now part of Cushman & Wakefield — advising tenants and landlords in the Minneapolis central business district, and later spent five years with CBRE. He holds a B.S. in Marketing Management and Business Communications from the University of St. Thomas and is active in NAIOP and MNCAR.

Carlson joins as Senior Associate, specializing in office leasing across the Twin Cities' Southwest and West suburban markets. During three years at Avison Young, she represented a portfolio of local office landlords, focusing on occupancy and asset performance through data-driven strategies. Before entering commercial real estate, she worked in financial planning and analysis for a technology company in Minnetonka. She holds a B.A. from the University of St. Thomas with dual concentrations in Supply Chain Management and Data Analytics and is a licensed real estate broker in Minnesota.

"We are thrilled to welcome Brian, Erik and Addison to our Minneapolis team," said Anders Pesavento, Managing Principal of Cushman & Wakefield in Minneapolis. "Their combined experience, deep local relationships and complementary skill set further strengthen our ability to deliver best-in-class leasing advisory services. As the office landscape continues to rebound and evolve, their expertise will be instrumental in helping our clients navigate change and capitalize on new opportunities."

Cushman & Wakefield reported $10.3 billion in revenue for 2025 across its core service lines of Services, Leasing, Capital Markets, and Valuation. The firm employs approximately 53,000 employees in more than 350 offices across nearly 60 countries.

About Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a global commercial real estate services firm serving occupiers and investors. In 2025, the firm reported revenue of $10.3 billion. Additional information is available at cushmanwakefield.com.

Sources: Cushman & Wakefield Press Release, May 28, 2026