Professional Profile

Walt started in commercial real estate with his own firm in 1977 specializing in investment properties, development, syndication and property management.  In 1983 became a Sales Manager of an 18 person firm and grew it to over 40 brokers with annual sales in excess of $100 million.  1990, he became a Sr. Vice President and Principal for a two office firm and enabled it’s growth to be the largest commercial real estate service provider between Chicago and Dallas with 8 offices, 350 brokers and 900 employees.  In 2002 he founded a development company and proceeded to develop two mixed use retail and office projects.  In 2008, he accepted the challenge to start a graduate real estate program at the University of Missouri, Kansas City where he became the Director of the Lewis White Real Estate Center and Associate Professor. This program was fully operational by 2014.  He was then asked to become the CEO/EVP for the CCIM Institute in Chicago an international association with over 13,000 members in 25 countries until 2016.  In 2017, he accepted a position as the President and CEO of a family owned real estate portfolio of over 2 million square feet of industrial and office properties and a staff of 30 people.   Here he grew the portfolio into a $80 million capitalized joint venture.    

He has been a Sr. Instructor since 1980 with the CCIM institute.  Has completed consulting assignments internationally for fortune 500 firms, taught in 9 countries and has served often as an expert witness on real estate related matters.  He is also a CRE (Counselors of Real Estate) and  FRICS (Fellow Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors).  He has a Master’s Degree in Real Estate and Construction Management from the University of Denver.  There have been two scholarships funded in Walt’s name.