Every year, AZ Big Media, which publishes both PTK and AZRE magazines selects Arizona’s top people and projects to showcase in its premier commercial real estate magazine — PTK — from an impressive and competitive nomination pool. Each day we will highlight 20 different categories of People to Know. Here are the Arizona real-estate up & comers to know in Arizona for 2024:
LEARN MORE: Read last year’s edition of PTK magazine
Charlie Crews
Director of business development
McCarthy Building Companies
Crews began her journey with McCarthy Building Companies’ Arizona Commercial Group in September of 2020. After months of dedication and high performance, she was quickly promoted to senior business development manager in December of 2022 and business development director in June of 2023.
Biggest career accomplishment: “Using my role at McCarthy to help our firm, industry associations, and our nonprofit community partners carry their missions forward through my work on various boards and committees. This work has been incredibly fulfilling both personally and professionally.”
Surprising fact: “I started running two years ago to stay healthy and build endurance mentally and physically. It has turned into a passion of mine, and I am continually looking for ways to challenge myself through the sport.”
Trey Davis
Pinal County specialist
Land Advisors Organization
In 2021, Davis joined the Land Advisors Organization Pinal County team and has been involved in more than $435M in industrial sales since then. In 2022, he was named Rookie of the Year by the firm for his role in facilitating more than $220M in closings. Prior to Land Advisors Organization, Davis worked in the site selector department for a real estate company where he gained valuable experience making cold calls, learning about what’s important to landowners and buyers and understanding what gets their attention.
No. 1 on the commercial real estate bucket list: “I’d like to break $5B in sales in a year, and to see the STEM program I am involved with — created for youth in Casa Grande through the Pinal 40 — happen.”
Kristen Hernandez
Digital marketing manager
RED Development
Hernandez has been steadily growing her career within the CRE industry for the past seven years and has been utilizing her creative expertise and collaborative mindset to propel teams and organizations forward to be leaders within their field. Through her involvement in AZCREW, Hernandez has worked tirelessly to showcase and bring to the forefront of the conversation, individuals in the CRE industry who are typically behind the scenes. She wants to highlight individuals whose work is integral to the success of the real estate industry — beyond the dealmakers and brokers.
Surprising fact: “I grew up practicing martial arts and earned my second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 16.”
Katie Rausch
Business development and marketing strategist
Big-D Construction Southwest
Rausch has worked in sales, marketing and business development for 23 years. Originally from Boston, she ran the promotions department at a modeling school and agency for 15 years, transferring to Arizona with the company three years into her tenure to attend ASU for Business. Rausch has dedicated much of the last two years to finding unique and memorable ways to meet peers and clients, develop relationships and build foundational trust with business prospects.
No. 1 on the commercial real estate bucket list: “I would love the opportunity to do an ENR Top 100 tour of award-winning projects, internationally. There is nothing I enjoy more than being able to sneak behind the scenes with our project managers when they go out to visit sites and offer project support.”
Ben Tracy
Associate
Matthews Real Estate Investment Services
Tracy has worked with some of the biggest players in the industry, from private capital to institutional clients. His primary focus is advancing his client’s positions through real estate investment by observing market trends and capitalizing on opportunities. Prior to joining Matthews™, he interned for Insight as a sales establishment intern, a Fortune 500 computer sales company, where he supported the healthcare division in reaching a quarterly goal of more than $1.8M in sales.
Stand-out fact: In 2023, Tracy closed a 586-unit self-storage facility in Albuquerque. The investment features over 74,000 net rentable square feet and 99 percent occupancy.
Surprising fact: “I have a twin sister.”
