Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) is pleased to announce that Leo Paytas, a 30-year industry veteran who has represented tenants and landlords globally, has joined its Rutherford, New Jersey office as a senior managing director. Paytas has worked on behalf of a wide range of tenants and landlords in the financial, insurance and legal industries.

In the last two years alone, Paytas has represented clients in the sale or lease of more than 2.4 million square feet, with a total transaction value of $264 million. His expertise, combined with his Fortune 500 company relationships, offers a unique value to clients. Household-name companies he has represented include Prudential and its 7-million-square-foot portfolio, for which he oversaw transaction activity including acquisitions, dispositions and sales.

Other notable transactions he has completed include a 1.5-million-square-foot sale on behalf of Celgene, a 355,000-square-foot transaction for Equinix and a 298,000-square-foot deal with Cuisenaire Company of America. A select few of his other clients include Ameriprise, Continental Airlines, Healthstar and Intel. Paytas holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

“Leo has a comprehensive understanding of how to assist a variety of clients on either side of a transaction,” said Vice Chairman David Simson. “He is well-equipped and knowledgeable in the nuances of high-profile and complex client representation, and we look forward to leveraging his experience, to continue to provide our clients with best-in-class service.”

About Newmark Knight Frank

Newmark Knight Frank, operated by Newmark Group, Inc., is one of the world's leading commercial real estate advisory firms. Newmark has over 4,600 employees in over 120 offices. Together with London-based partner Knight Frank and independently-owned offices, NKF's 15,000 professionals operate from more than 400 offices in established and emerging property markets on six continents. With roots dating back to 1929, NKF's strong foundation makes it one of the most trusted names in commercial real estate. We offer a complete suite of services and products for both owners and occupiers across the entire commercial real estate industry.

Our investor/owner services and products include investment sales, agency leasing, property management, valuation and advisory, diligence, underwriting and, under trademarks and names like Berkeley Point and NKF Capital Markets, government sponsored enterprise lending, loan servicing, debt and structured finance and loan sales. Our occupier services and products include tenant representation, real estate management technology systems, workplace and occupancy strategy, global corporate services consulting, project management, lease administration and facilities management. We enhance these services and products through innovative real estate technology solutions and data analytics designed to enable our clients to increase their efficiency and profits by optimizing their real estate portfolio. We have relationships with many of the world’s largest commercial property owners, real estate developers and investors, as well as Fortune 500 and Forbes Global 2000 companies. For further information, visit www.ngkf.com.