DMB Associates Inc. has named Brent Herrington company president and CEO, succeeding long-time DMB executive Charley Freericks.
DMB is an Arizona-based real estate investment and development company founded in 1984 by Drew Brown, Mark Sklar and Bennett Dorrance. All three remain active members of the company’s board of directors, along with Susan Bansak and Bennett Dorrance, Jr.
According to DMB Chairman Drew Brown, “The Board is excited about the role Brent will play in shaping the company’s future and is also extremely grateful for the leadership Charley has provided through the years.”
Freericks served as DMB’s president since March 2012 and in a variety of leadership roles prior to that time. Among his many accomplishments were his early leadership of Verrado and DC Ranch, as well as DMB’s commercial development activity. He will remain with the company through a planned transition process.
“Charley led the company through a difficult era as we emerged from the Great Recession and resumed active development on a variety of projects. His strong focus on people, organization and culture have been the hallmarks of his leadership during his tenure as president,” said Brown.
Herrington joined DMB in 1998 and has led several of the company’s flagship projects, including DC Ranch and Silverleaf in North Scottsdale and Kukui`ula on the island of Kaua`i. Most recently, he provided executive oversight for all of DMB’s community development activities, as well as the company’s private club operations. Immediately prior to joining DMB, he served as town manager for Celebration, Florida, an innovative 5,000-acre planned community developed in central Florida by the Walt Disney Company.
“Brent has assumed a leadership role in most of DMB’s major undertakings over the past 17 years. Recognized nationally as a thought leader in the community development industry, he brings a strong focus on strategy and planning, as well as development and operations. He understands our unique culture and is an unwavering champion for DMB’s core values,” said Brown.
Herrington is a long-time member of the Urban Land Institute and past chair of ULI’s Community Development Council. A graduate of the Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate at Harvard University, he has been a pioneer in the field of innovative lifestyles and sound governance for new communities and is a frequent presenter at industry events and conferences. He has served as national trustee for the Community Associations Institute (Alexandria, VA), president of the Foundation for Community Association Research (Falls Church, VA) and as a national task force member for Freddie Mac (McLean, VA) focused on improving opportunities for home ownership for lower income families.
“DMB is an extraordinary company with a diverse mix of projects and a unique culture. The Board is very pleased to once again have an internal candidate with the right skills and experience to meet the company’s leadership needs,” said Brown.
The company will continue to focus on its portfolio of large-scale planned communities, as well as a new generation of infill and mixed-use projects. Its newest master-planned community, Eastmark, located in Mesa, AZ, is currently the top selling planned community in Arizona and the 7th best-selling community in the U.S.
