Goodman Commercial has added a veteran four-broker Fraser Valley development land team.

The additions come as Vancouver-based Goodman deals with strong demand for its services and prepares for more eastward expansion within the B.C. Lower Mainland.

The team is headed by Justin Mitchell and moves to Goodman from Frontline, which he founded. The other team members are Megan Johal, Sam Taktsang and Adam Lawrence.

Goodman Principal Mark Goodman and Mitchell decided to team up after discussing the idea for several years.

“I’ve known Justin and his team for many years, probably going back 16 or 17 years [from] when he started Frontline,” said Mark Goodman in an interview. “So, we’ve stayed in touch for all these years and would meet periodically for lunch and talk about our marketing philosophies and the state of the market. They were always in the Fraser Valley space with a focus on land. And, I was in mostly the Metro Vancouver space with a focus on land and apartment buildings.

“What’s happening, at least for Goodman Commercial, is that we have so much business. We just can’t handle it.”

Metro Vancouver has become one big construction zone, he quipped, noting that new land-use policies have spurred a plethora of development projects.

“The city is changing so rapidly that it all comes down to land,” he said. “I realized that we needed to add more horsepower to service the ever changing city.”

He said the new team will help Goodman Commercial deal with increased business within Vancouver’s city limits and add to the company’s growing presence in the Fraser Valley. In one of its latest deals, he brokered the sale of a redevelopment site in the Fraser Valley community of Maple Ridge, B.C.

“So, we [already] have Fraser Valley exposure,” said Goodman. “Now, we have even more bench strength.”

Under Mitchell’s leadership, Frontline recorded about $3 billion in sales across asset classes. He has about 20 years of development experience, including 15 years as a licensed broker. Before launching Frontline, he served an analyst and investment broker, and was involved in $1.2 billion worth of sales. He has also worked for project management and development firm MKT.

Lawrence has about 12 years of commercial real estate experience, specializing in investment and development property sales in suburban Vancouver. Since 2017, he and his team have facilitated about $1 billion in transactions.

An eight-year industry veteran, Johal has facilitated about $1 billion in transactions while specializing in residential development land sales. While brokering transactions, she will also manage the Goodman land division’s operations.

Taktsang will support the development land team with comprehensive research, detailed underwriting and process management while maintaining strong relationships with landowners. He sandwiched two stints at Frontline around development and acquisition roles with Abstract Developments and Tallbridge Real Estate.