AZRE FORUM PANELISTS

Derek Flottum

Vice president

Opus Development Company

BACKGROUND: As vice president of real estate development, Flottum provides leadership and expertise to the development team and leads the sourcing and pursuit of new development opportunities, deal structuring and negotiation, development feasibility studies, financial analysis, due diligence and entitlements, while further providing managerial oversight throughout construction and project delivery. Flottum has more than 18 years of real estate experience. Prior to joining Opus in 2022, he served as the market head and vice president of development at Irgens Development, a firm specializing in developing, investing and operating commercial real estate. Flottum also worked for notable firms, including Crown Development, Enterprise Bank and M&I Bank. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. Flottum is a member of Scottsdale Charros; NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association; and former board chair of Homeward Bound.

Charley Freericks

Senior vice president

Catellus Development Corporation

BACKGROUND: Freericks is an experienced C-level organizational leader, known for managing complexity in ownership, joint ventures/partnerships, organizations and teams, through all phases of the development cycle. He has deep experience in large scale community development, including acquisition, entitlement, planning and design, implementation, and operations with an emphasis on commercial/mixed-use environments. Freericks leads Catellus’ development activities in Arizona. Catellus is master developer of the Novus Innovation Corridor, a 355-acre redevelopment of ASU’s Athletic Facilities District. Novus is a mixed-use commercial development integrated into ASU’s Tempe Campus. For nearly two decades, Freericks was an executive with Scottsdale-based DMB Associates, serving as president from 2012 to 2016. Prior to joining DMB in 1997, Freericks served in executive roles in real estate development after starting his career in commercial brokerage. He currently serves as chair of the ULI Arizona District Council Governance Committee and is chairman emeritus of Fighter Country Partnership and Fighter Country Foundation for Luke Air Force Base in Glendale.

Rusty Kennedy

Managing director Stream Realty Partners

BACKGROUND: Kennedy is the managing director and leader of Stream’s Phoenix Industrial division. He 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.

HISTORY: Before joining Stream, Kennedy served as an executive vice president at CBRE in Phoenix, where he has specialized in industrial landlord and tenant representation across the Phoenix market for over 15 years. His ability to engineer and implement integrated real estate solutions to solve the unique needs of real estate owners, businesses, and corporations has established him as one of Arizona’s most respected industrial brokers.

SURPRISING FACT: A native of Phoenix, Kennedy entered commercial real estate after two years competing as a professional golfer on the Gateway and Canadian Tours.

To learn more, contact: Larry Pobuda

602.648.5070