Office Busyness Index recognized for “painting a data-driven picture of where return-to-office really stands”

Toronto, Chicago, London –  Global real estate advisor Avison Young has been ranked number seven out of 50 to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2025, in the Urban Development and Real Estate category for its office utilization dashboard – the U.S. Office Busyness Index. Fast Company’s editors and reporters based their selections on a combination of innovation and impact factors that companies are having around the globe.

“We are extremely proud to once again be listed in Fast Company’s World’s ‘Most Innovative Companies’ list for our mobility index,” said Mark Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young. “Avison Young’s U.S. Office Busyness Index is a differentiating tool that empowers our clients to make well-informed decisions about their real estate investments with greater transparency. With the great work of our Market Intelligence team, we will continue to lead the way with nuanced data-driven capabilities for enhanced client advisory at the local and national levels.”

Avison Young launched the Office Busyness Index in July 2024. The mobility index tracks office utilization through approximately 4,000 office properties across the U.S. in more than 40 markets. The combination of proprietary Avison Young Technologies products, exceptional analysis and insight from our Market Intelligence professionals, and anonymized mobility data from Placer.ai make this innovative resource the most reliable indicator of office utilization in the U.S. today. It enables the firm to provide enhanced, data-driven support to clients by painting a clear picture of where return-to-office truly stands.

“This is an exciting recognition that reinforces that the Office Busyness Index is an innovative tool that provides reliable data and insights on office utilization. This carefully curated data offers a better understanding of the dynamic of how people are choosing to live and work in today’s evolving environment,” added Jennifer Rosenak, Principal, U.S. Director of Market Intelligence. “Our mission is to provide fresh and innovative approaches leveraging a combination of data and technology to guide clients and help solve their challenges and future-proof their business strategies.”

Fast Company also selected Avison Young in 2022 for its Most Innovative Companies list based on the firm’s Vitality Index which tracked daily foot traffic in major cities and leading industries located in 20+ different markets across North America, allowing for real-time access to comparisons to pre-pandemic levels of activity in an effort to guide companies and investors through uncertain times.