Ripco is continuing its hiring spree, bringing on a high-level Cushman & Wakefield executive.

Ripco hired Cushman & Wakefield Head of Retail Services North America Gene Spiegelman as a principal and vice chairman.

“For Ripco, this is a monumental moment,” Ripco co-founders Peter Ripka and Todd Cooper said in a joint statement. “We just added one of the most accomplished and respected retail real estate professionals in the world to our organization.”

Spiegelman told the New York Post the move is not “lateral,” but a chance to partner with Ripka and Cooper. Ripco, which started in 1991, now has 70 brokers. Spiegelman, who worked at C&W for 18 years, has twice won the Real Estate Board of New York’s Retail Deal of the Year Award.

His clients include Crate & Barrel, Century 21 and Zeckendorf Development. Last month, Ripco hired former SCG Retail broker Geoff Bailey. It has also hired Beth Rosen and Emily Simmonds from RKF, a firm that was last week acquired by Newmark Knight Frank.