The lobby of Avison Young’s office in Morristown — Courtesy: Avison Young
By Joshua Burd
Avison Young has announced two new hires on its New Jersey project and construction management teams.
John Colvin, who joins the firm as a project manager, will be responsible for a range of office, industrial and other institutional projects throughout the tristate area, helping manage preconstruction and construction phases, according to a news release. He comes to Avison Young alongside Ben LaPenta, an assistant superintendent, who will work with project managers Mandy Jaust and Anthony Shashaty on the firm’s assignments on behalf of Opal Holdings LLC in the Woodbridge area.
“As Avison Young continues to be retained for some of the tristate area’s most impactful new projects and build-outs, we are excited to expand our project management and construction management services with the addition of John Colvin and Ben LaPenta,” said Jeffrey Heller, principal and managing director of Avison Young’s New Jersey office. “Both John and Ben bring a strong professional foundation and energetic approach to work that will bring tremendous value to our growing team.”
Colvin joins Avison Young from Amazon, where he most recently was a Start-Up Program manager, the news release said. Having been at the company since graduating in 2018, Colvin quickly climbed the ranks in various operations and program management roles.
He also led Amazon’s FulPHLment Young Professionals group, which helped introduce and recruit new college hires in the area while building a strong professional network across the company’s buildings in Greater Philadelphia, Avison Young said. Colvin graduated from Pennsylvania State University’s Smeal College of Business in 2018 with a bachelor’s in supply chain and information systems with a minor in new venture entrepreneurship.
LaPenta, who will support project managers in the field by supervising all subcontractors and vendors working on projects within Opal’s portfolio, comes to Avison Young after serving as an interior systems foreman at Wargo Interior. In that role, he led a bilingual team in construction and job site management.
He graduated with honors in 2019 from Triangle Tech, where he achieved an associate’s in specialized technology as well as in carpentry and construction technology.
