AZ Big 100: 50 commercial real estate leaders to watch in 2024

While we don’t have a crystal ball to look ahead when it comes to Arizona’s commercial real estate outlook for 2024, several factors historically influence the state’s market — and those companies on the list of the AZ Big 100 for 2024 will be shaping those factors. 

Arizona’s growing population, a key driver for commercial real estate, is often attracted by its business-friendly environment and quality of life. Cities like Phoenix, with a thriving tech industry, are likely to see increased demand for office spaces.

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READ MORE: AZ Big 100: 50 real estate companies to watch in 2024

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Chris Anderson

Managing director // Hines

Anderson serves as a senior managing director and city leader responsible for new commercial and residential business opportunities that include new development, acquisition, management and disposition within the Southwest Region of the U.S. 

Adam Baugh

Partner // Withey Morris Baugh

Known as the “MacGyver of land use,” Baugh’s fingerprints are on some of the most successful restaurants, shopping centers, mixed use projects and master planned communities in Arizona. He works to create unique solutions and navigates the political landscape to bring new development to fruition.

Devin Beasley

Executive director // Cushman & Wakefield

As Executive Director of Cushman & Wakefield’s Self-Storage Advisory Group, Beasley specializes in RV & Boat Storage/Self-Storage. His client-first approach of partnering with private and institutional clients in both an advisory and transactional capacity has enabled growth of long-lasting relationships.

Rachelle Strole

Owner and co-founder // Capital Asset Management 

Capital Asset Management, co-founded by Rachelle Strole and Aaron Strole, focuses on property management, leasing and development. With a lifelong passion for real estate and business, Rachelle Strole began her professional career at an early age, immersing herself in the real estate and banking industries. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Languages from Arizona State University where she graduated Cum Laude and became fluent in Spanish.

“The best decision we made for CAM in 2023 was focusing on organic growth,” Strole says. “We have made marketing a priority, increasing our SEO and online presence, which has had a significant impact on the expansion of Capital Asset Management.”

Strole and her team have also made a concerted effort to bolster company reviews from their tenants and clients. “This has given us credible insights as to what people like about us, so we can concentrate on that in the future,” she says. “We also worked harder than ever to put our name on the map by informal networking and maintaining existing professional relationships. This has helped us to bring on fresh talent with all different backgrounds and experience levels.”

As for trends in the new year, Strole anticipates that companies will continue to make their way west for a better climate, more space and more affordable real estate. “Phoenix continues to be a melting pot for business of all shapes and sizes,” she says. “We’re seeing international companies making their mark in our city because of its modern infrastructure and recent advancement in technology, which inevitably influences real estate trends. Convenient co-working spaces are essential to satisfy the needs of companies these days and we anticipate that trend continuing throughout 2024.”  

Learn more: camcre.com

Ed Beeh

Executive vice president and managing principal // SRS Real Estate Partners-West

With more than two decades of experience, Beeh specializes in tenant and landlord representation, as well as disposition services. His user representation experience includes a variety of tenants such as grocery stores, drug stores, restaurants and financial institutions. 

Jenna Borcherding

Director of development // VanTrust Real Estate 

In just four years, Borcherding — one of AZRE’s 2023 Most Influential Women in Commercial Real Estate — amassed a portfolio of development projects in Arizona and Nevada that has surpassed 3.8 million square feet. She also frequently speaks on panels and provides mentoring to commercial real estate professional hopefuls. 

Katie Haydon

President and CEO // Haydon Companies 

An anomaly in a male-dominated industry, Katie Haydon is president and CEO of Haydon Companies, one of the Southwest’s largest general contractors, which was previously run by her father Gary Haydon for more than 30 years. 

Through the years, Haydon has held many positions in the organization, continually learning the business. Her laser-like focus is on positioning the company’s next generation for sustainability and growth. She accomplishes it all as a devoted mother and community servant, baseball coach, board member and mentor for Xavier, supporter of West Valley Mavericks, Tempe Diablos, Scottsdale Charros, Thunderbirds, Boys & Girls Club and as All Saints Episcopal Day School’s volunteer construction consultant.

“I believe the heartbeat of our organization is our culture,” Haydon says. “That’s why, after visiting 27 countries and learning about culture, I spearheaded the Haydon 2.0 culture overhaul to bring us back to our roots — from our extensive and inclusive hiring process to the touchpoints throughout one’s career at Haydon.”

Maintaining excellence in Haydon Companies’ culture, according to Haydon, involves an ongoing commitment to embracing improvement, celebrating successes and leading people to be the best they can be. 

Learn more: haydonbc.com

Tyson Breinholt

Partner and associate designated broker // Commercial Properties, Inc.

Breinholt and his team completed more than 200 transactions for their clients, totaling 847,366 square feet in 2022. “I believe that if you want to be successful, you need to surround yourself with highly motivated and performing team members,” he says.

Tim Brislin

President // Harvard Investments

Harvard Investments promoted Brislin to president in November 2023. He has been instrumental in several key company initiatives for Harvard Investments, including the development of thousands of residential lots in Harvard’s master-planned communities and the launch of Harvard’s new FirstStreet division, a platform creating build-to-rent communities. 

Chris Burson

Senior relationship manager, commercial real estate // Flagstar Bank

Burson has more than 16 years of commercial real estate banking experience and serves as a board member of the Phoenix Community Alliance, a nonprofit focused on building a stronger Downtown Phoenix that identifies economic and growth opportunities among businesses, education, arts and culture, and governments.

Susan Byram

Vice president of design and construction // Plaza Companies 

Byram joined the Plaza Companies team in 2011 and has more than a decade of project management and construction experience. She leads a team of project management professionals including general contractors, architects, engineers and various consultants.

Michelle Walker

Vice president of operations // SSC Underground 

With more than 25 years’ experience at SSC — a trenchless technology company that delivers underground construction and consulting across the country — Walker brings specialized knowledge from both a business and technical perspective to safety, project management, workforce and logistical issues. Outside of her role at SSC, she has been a strong advocate for the construction industry through her leadership in various construction associations and as the founding chairman of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention. She also serves on the board of directors of the Greater Phoenix Chamber.

“Always prioritizing the workforce, my passion for people is a driving force in every decision and action that I am a part of,” Walker says. “I am fortunate to belong to a leadership team at SSC that shares this common mission to make not just our company but our entire industry a place where men and women can have fulfilling careers, earn an excellent living, receive meaningful benefits and develop personally and professionally.”

Walker adds, “At SSC we do this in many ways — it starts with our ‘I AM SSC’ company values and extends into offering industry leading wages and benefits.”

Some of the recent ways SSC has implemented these measures is incorporating six additional paid holidays to allow for employees to have the four day weekend at Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas and New Years off with pay. 

“It drives our investment decisions, reinvesting profits into equipment that automates processes to limit physical demand on our crews and capital improvements to expand training and development facilities,” Walker says. “This passion for our industry workforce led to me being a part of creating and leading for nearly eight years, the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, a nonprofit organization to combat the epidemic of suicide in the construction workforce.”

Learn more: sscunderground.com

Chris Burbach

CEO // Fundamental Income

Burbach founded the net lease real estate company in 2018. Rapidly, he’s led the company to successfully acquire more than $1.4 billion in real estate assets across more than 40 industries. He is a member of the board and jointly leads the firm’s Investment Committee.

Rory Carder

Co‑managing director, financial services leader, principal // Gensler 

As co-managing director of Gensler’s Phoenix office, Carder plays an integral role in the strategic growth and positioning of the Phoenix office. She brings over 25 years of workplace design experience spanning technology, financial services, professional services, office development and government. 

Chuck Carefoot

President of the Southwest Region // Ryan Companies

A key player in the Southwest Region’s growth during the past 15 years, Carefoot now serves as the region’s leader. He oversees team members from all of Ryan’s services and works closely with the regional leadership team to grow the region in concert with the company’s strategic direction.

Tammy Carr

Director of business development // Brinkmann Constructors 

Carr joined Brinkmann Constructors as a director of business development to support the company’s growing presence throughout the Greater Phoenix region. With more than two decades in the commercial real estate industry, her success is a testament to her strategic approach to building and maintaining long-lasting client relationships. This approach is centered around collaboration, thoughtful planning and a commitment to aligning Brinkmann’s vast capabilities with each client’s vision and goals. 

As the Valley’s landscape continues to evolve, Carr looks forward to creating new partnerships in the industrial, multifamily, senior living, hospitality and medical sectors. As an avid builder of both community and connection, she is actively involved in industry associations including the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) and the Arizona Association of Economic Development (AAED). 

By staying at the forefront of industry trends, Carr helps strengthen Brinkmann’s position as a leading general contractor both regionally and nationally. 

Learn more: brinkmannconstructors.com

Shannon Francoeur

Executive vice president // TerraWest Communities 

Francoeur has more than 20 years of experience in land acquisition and development for both home builders and private developers. She previously worked for Pulte Homes and DMB. At DMB, Francoeur was involved in the revenue management and development of masterplans such as Marley Park, Verrado, DC Ranch and Eastmark.

Jamie Godwin

President and CEO // Stevens Leinweber Construction

In his 10 years with SLC, Godwin has launched a ground-up construction division and continued to evolve the firm’s tenant improvement capabilities, growing revenue by a stunning amount while ensuring SLC remains one of the Valley’s most trusted general contractors. He equally prioritizes giving back through numerous philanthropic commitments.

Mike Greenawalt

CEO // Rosendin

Rosendin is the nation’s largest employee-owned electrical contracting company that is building the foundation for regional growth in Arizona’s mission-critical, industrial and commercial market sectors. Since 2020, Rosendin’s Arizona office tripled in size, providing jobs for over 1,300 highly skilled employees building state-of-the-art data centers and semiconductor facilities.

Nicolette Hawthorne

Founder // P.R.O.S. Sports Housing 

Hawthorne started P.R.O.S., which provides a home-away-from-home for professional sports teams, 10 years ago and went from operating from her kitchen table to developing it into a multimillion-dollar company. P.R.O.S. has made the Inc. 5000 list three times. 

Shannon Hersker

Senior vice president // Northmarq 

Northmarq’s status as a leading build-to-rent platform was further solidified with the addition of Hersker to the company’s Phoenix debt/equity team. With a specialty in financing build-to-rent (BTR) projects, Hersker will assist clients with sourcing equity, construction lending, bridge debt and permanent financing. She will collaborate with the Northmarq investment sales team on BTR acquisitions and dispositions.

Vanessa Williams

Senior director of business development and marketing, U.S. West Region // Colliers in Arizona

Williams is a business partner and advisor to regional and local executive leadership teams and brokers, developing and implementing marketing and research strategies that position Colliers as an industry leader. She leads a talented group of marketing and research professionals, elevating teams as strategic counterparts to Colliers’ brokerage professionals. 

Tasked with developing a highly effective salesforce to achieve organic growth and continuously increase market share, Williams’ strategies have resulted in significant business development wins across Colliers’ ever-growing Western Region. 

“Strategically integrating Colliers’ marketing, research and brokerage stands as my most innovative decision,” Williams says. “This alignment was transformative, unifying our approach, positioning Colliers as an industry leader and driving record revenue growth. We fostered collaboration by merging these crucial functions, enabling tailored strategies that propelled market presence.”

The move, according to Williams, transformed their teams into strategic partners, delivering comprehensive solutions that deeply resonate with their clients. “By leveraging innovative and measurable tactics and collaborating closely with brokers and staff,” she explains. “Our creative process led to highly effective marketing concepts that set Colliers apart and helped us achieve landmark wins across the West.”

In 2024, Williams predicts that the real estate landscape will pivot to tech integration and sustainability. “Colliers is poised to lead this transformation,” she says. “Technology will reshape transactions, data analysis, and client interactions, while sustainability will drive decision-making and industry trends. Working closely with regional and local leadership teams and brokers, we focus on seamless tech integration and championing sustainability initiatives.”

Williams notes that Colliers leveraging innovative and measurable tactics has resulted in significant successes of all types and sizes. It’s this approach she says, “will future-proof our business and exceed client expectations while delivering resilient and dynamic service aligned with the ever-evolving industry landscape.”

Learn more: colliers.com

Katie Hurst

Executive director // Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED) 

Hurst, a longtime Arizona professional and catalyst for entrepreneurship and coworking in the state, was named executive director of AAED in September 2023. She oversees AAED’s day-to-day operations and manages staff development. She will also help implement the organization’s three-year strategic plan and supports its board of directors, committees and events.

Justin Kelton

President, Southwest Region // McCarthy Building Companies

Kelton and McCarthy’s Southwest Regional leadership team have been implementing company initiatives focused on culture, innovation and workforce development that are rooted in the firm’s strengths: builders; delivering great experiences; and taking a healthy approach in professional/personal growth/development. Thanks to these initiatives, there are innovations being brought to projects across Arizona that benefit the community, industry and workforce.

Rusty Kennedy

Managing director // Stream Realty

Kennedy is responsible for leading the strategic direction of Stream’s industrial business in the Phoenix market, including overseeing operations, business development, recruiting and the execution of industrial transactions, including project leasing, tenant representation, acquisitions, dispositions and development services. Kennedy served as the chairman of NAIOP’s Arizona Chapter in 2022 and was a member of the Super Bowl LVII Host Committee in 2023.

Doug Klocke

Vice President // LPC Desert West

Klocke oversees all phases of real estate development. He serves as the primary customer contact and manager of all real estate improvement projects from conception to completion, including shell development and tenant improvements. Klocke directs the project design team, manages city and local government approvals, and oversees construction, costs, schedule and quality. He graduated from ASU with a B.S. in civil engineering. 

Patrick MacQueen

Founder // Medalist Legal 

MacQueen’s legal career has been highlighted by work primarily in the areas of real estate transactional law and real estate litigation. He recently prevailed in several Arizona Court of Appeals matters and one with the Arizona Supreme Court and served as local counsel in the $129 million acquisition of the City North development adjacent to Desert Ridge Marketplace in North Phoenix.

Terry Martin-Denning

CEO and designated broker // NAI Horizon 

In her role as CEO and designated broker, Martin-Denning is responsible for the overall strategy of NAI Horizon. She provides leadership and direction and promotes the vision, culture, and professionalism of NAI Horizon both internally and externally. As designated broker, Martin-Denning manages the agents and oversees the daily transactional activity, including the review of all real estate contracts and documentation.

Heath Melton

President, Phoenix region // Howard Hughes Holdings 

Melton oversees the development of Teravalis, a 37,000-acre master planned community located in West Valley Phoenix. Melton is a senior leader who has been with the company since 2015. In his previous role as executive vice president of master-planned communities in the Houston region, Melton was responsible for residential planning and development of highly acclaimed master-planned communities in Texas: The Woodlands, Bridgeland and The Woodlands Hills. Now, he is overseeing one of the biggest projects in Arizona history.

“Arizona needs housing,” Melton says. “Whether they’re moving from another part of our state or country, buyers in all life stages need homes, built to the highest possible environmental and design standards — in places where the economy will grow.”

At buildout, Teravalis will be home to 100,000 homes and offer a unique place that supports the health and well-being of its residents, expanded dining and retail options and a place to live, work, play and discover.

“Teravalis is a thoughtfully planned community that bridges the gap between nature and development with diverse housing options, amenities, retail and commercial spaces seamlessly integrated into the landscape,” Melton says. “At least 20% of land will be devoted to open spaces, including walking and biking trails, community parks and natural areas. Built for the future, in harmony with nature, Teravalis strikes a balance between the built and unbuilt environment.”

Melton says Teravalis will help address the housing and affordability crisis in Metro Phoenix. 

“The U.S. experienced the fastest-ever deterioration in housing affordability over the past three years as housing prices soared, followed by a historic mortgage rate shock,” Melton says. “One answer has stood out to solve the affordability crisis — build more housing at all price points and that’s exactly what Teravalis will provide.”

Of note: Teravalis has developed detailed plans to leverage innovation to target a 35% reduction in water consumption compared with the Arizona Department of Water Resources baseline of 146 gallons per person per day, allowing Teravalis to thrive.

Learn more: teravalis.com

Ken Miller

Principal // Butler Design Group

Miller pursued architecture with passion since the age of 10, when his parents gifted him a drafting table and he immediately fell in love with drawing. He grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., studied formally at The Cooper Union in New York City, then headed for the desert in 2004. Miller has designed and directed projects across a wide array of building types, with a proclivity for stewardship of the complex ones.

Jeff Moloznik

Senior vice president, development // RED Development

Moloznik leads public and private financing, entitlements, tenant relations, construction coordination, community outreach and government relations. His commitment to the community includes multiple board leadership positions and neighborhood groups. He managed the development of CityScape Phoenix, RED Development’s $500 million, 2.5 million-square-foot, mixed-use, high-rise destination in Downtown Phoenix. He is currently overseeing the development of the third phase of CityScape.

Don Nottke

Vice president of business development // Derek Builders 

Originally from Chicago, Nottke spent the early part of his construction career in Southern California centered mostly on educational K-12 projects. In 2005, he moved his family of four to the red-hot Arizona market where, as a superintendent, he successfully completed retail, entertainment, office, medical and distribution projects. 

While working in distribution, Nottke discovered his true passion — cold storage. He accepted a CM position with a top cold storage industry leader and completed multiple projects ranging from $5-$110 million for clients such as USF, WinCo, UNFI and PFG to name a few. Nottke’s 35-plus year construction background has equipped him with valuable knowledge and experience which have proven key in his current role as vice president of business development at Derek Builders. 

Nottke’s undying passion for building has been instrumental in the exponential growth of Derek Builders. Since its launch in Arizona in 2018, the company has experienced a 150% increase in revenue year over year. Nottke sits on the executive board of the City of Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce and is a member of NAIOP and CEBA/GCCA.

Learn more: derekbuilders.com

JV Nyman

President // Concord General Contracting 

Nyman is highly involved in the local Tucson community and engaged in the trends of the market. This enables perspective and certain business philosophies to be brought back to the Concord team in order to succeed. His main focus is on company culture, client service and development at all times. As president of Concord General Contracting, Nyman makes it his priority to foster relationships across Concord’s Tucson and Mesa offices.

CJ Osbrink

Executive managing director // Newmark 

As a member of Newmark’s rapidly expanding West Coast Capital Markets team, led by Kevin Shannon, Osbrink has more than 17 years of experience in office, industrial and retail investment sales throughout Arizona, Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii. Osbrink joined Newmark in 2017 after working for more than six years at HFF, where he closed transactions totaling more than $2 billion.

Camille Patterson

Property manager // Whitestone REIT 

Patterson is an accomplished and results-driven commercial real estate executive with a collaborative and entrepreneurial approach, and substantial success in providing operations management, acquisition, disposition and leasing of investment grade, income-generating properties. She is experienced in asset and property management, sales and leasing/brokerage, capital markets, development and construction and investment analysis.

Carrie Perrone

Principal, Higher Education Studio leader // SmithGroup

Studying abroad while in high school not only inspired a career, it gave Perrone a rather worldly perspective for a teen. “It allowed me to appreciate how architecture and the built environment around us tells a story of time, place and culture,” she says. Now when Perrone takes on a higher education project, she envisions the impact far down the road.

Larry Pobuda

Executive vice president and general manager // The Opus Group

Pobuda, the executive vice president and general manager for The Opus Group, leads development activity in the Western U.S. and brings 35 years of diversified commercial real estate experience to the company, including work in office, industrial, multifamily and medical office segments.

Chelsea Porter

Vice president of brand and development strategy // Renaissance Construction 

Porter grew up in the commercial real estate industry as her parents founded Renaissance Construction when she was about 1 year old. She naturally fell in love with commercial real estate, pursued her degree in interior design at The Savannah College of Art and Design, and returned to Arizona, where she started at Renaissance as a project engineer. Porter has held many roles at Renaissance over her 12-year tenure and currently assists in leading the company in its business approach as vice president of brand and development strategy, which is well-suited to her innovative nature.

“In the face of immense personal grief following my father’s passing, I spearheaded a transformative rebranding and restructuring of Renaissance Construction,” Porter says. “While deeply attached to my parents’ legacy, I knew the company needed bold changes to thrive. My decisions — though risky and potentially impacting long-term client relations and employee trust — were ultimately driven by the company’s future success. This gamble paid off, not only solidifying our commitment to our team, but also firmly re-establishing Renaissance as a respected legacy player in the industry.”

Learn more: renconco.com

Ed Robson

Founder // Robson Communities

Robson is an Arizona icon in the homebuilding industry. For more than 50 years, he has been redefining retirement living by building resort-style, active adult communities with stunning homes and amenities in Arizona and Texas. Today, more than 50,000 people call a Robson Resort Community home. At the age of 93, he still goes into the office almost every day.

David Sellers

Founding partner // Creation Equity 

As an award-winning developer, Sellers leads Creation’s development platform. He has been a driving force behind the development of many of the Southwest’s most exciting projects including, The Hub, AZRE RED Award winner for Best Industrial Project more than 500,000 square feet 2021; and, The Collab, Best Office Project less than 150,000 square feet 2021.

Laura Shivers

Vice President // Big D Construction Southwest

Shivers’ role includes overseeing the people and clients at Big-D Southwest. She spends a majority of her time securing new business, accelerating growth and ensuring 100% client satisfaction. Throughout her career, Shivers has successfully executed brand transformations, initiated culture-focused processes and driven strategic planning. Her expertise has been vital to growth at three different “ENR Top 400 Contractor” firms.

Nicole Solar

Technology market business development leader // Olsson 

Solar is a market-driven professional with a consistent track record of generating new revenue growth, profits and process improvements. She has an extensive background in business development and a proven track record of success in client development. She has spent several years strategically managing customers in the private development market for real estate and data center companies.

Michael Stafford

President // LGE Design Build 

Stafford is responsible for executing LGE’s short-term and long-term goals, including its continued growth in its primary markets, growth into new markets and expansion into new product offerings. His guiding philosophy for his work and his role at LGE is to constantly put people over profit. He encourages health, wellness and professional excellence from the entire company.

Justin Steltenpohl

Chief operating officer and general counsel // P.B. Bell Companies 

Steltenpohl is responsible for development, acquisition, asset management and operations for P.B. Bell, as well as all legal matters, including corporate governance, joint ventures, purchase and sale agreements, and financing transactions. Prior to joining P.B. Bell, Steltenpohl was a partner with Squire Patton Boggs, heading the financial services group in the firm’s Phoenix office.

Cathy Thuringer

Market leader, senior managing director, executive committee member // Trammell Crow Company

Thuringer has responsibility for the Development and Investment Group for TCC and High Street Residential, TCC’s residential subsidiary, in the state of Arizona. With more than 35 years in the real estate industry, her experience encompasses leading all phases of development and includes more than 10 million square feet of development projects with a market value approaching $2 billion.

Matthew Wedding

Business unit leader // CHASSE Building Team 

Wedding is a former firefighter and now project director and business unit leader at the employee-owned CHASSE Building Team, heading both its Job Order Contracting and Pimmex-CHASSE divisions. CHASSE’s Job Order Contracting division completes 150-plus on-call projects a year with its education and municipal clients. Wedding is also a board member with the Chandler Education Foundation.

Serena Wedlich

Vice president // CBRE

Wedlich specializes in industrial sales and leasing in the Southeast Valley, Scottsdale and Sky Harbor Airport submarkets, representing developers, landlords, tenants, buyers and sellers. She works closely with Evan Koplan, so the two function as one unit. She is involved in all aspects of leasing and marketing the team’s properties. Prior to joining brokerage services, Wedlich served as a real estate manager for CBRE Asset Services. 

Katie Weeks

Transaction manager // Western Retail Advisors 

Weeks joined the team at Western Retail Advisors in January 2018. With her extensive experience as a commercial property manager overseeing office, industrial and retail projects across Arizona, Weeks is an integral part of the Western Retail Advisors’ landlord representation team. Prior to joining WRA, Weeks spent the last 20 years of her career at Opus, Northmarq, Cushman & Wakefield and Zell Commercial.

Todd Weiss

Chief operating officer // ViaWest Group 

Weiss leads, and is responsible for, all operational aspects of the company, including leasing, asset management and dispositions. Additionally, he is involved with acquisitions, financing and joint venture management. Weiss is a member of the company’s investment and senior management committees. Weiss has been involved in the acquisition, financing, leasing, management and disposition of more than $15 billion of commercial real estate.