Colliers International Promotes Bill Morkes to Senior Vice President
Colliers International|Denver announced the promotion of Bill Morkes to the title of senior vice president, Multifamily Investments.
Mr. Morkes joined Colliers in 2015 and partnered with Mr. Craig Stack to found the Denver multifamily investment sales team. Over the last five years the team has sold more than $570 million in investment sales in Colorado and Wyoming, and in spite of the pandemic, had one of their most active years in 2020.
Colliers Multifamily specializes in the sale of multifamily assets and land suitable for multifamily development across Colorado and in neighboring states. This includes market-rate, affordable/senior, student, and mixed-use assets.
Mr. Morkes graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in electrical engineering and served five years of active duty service in the U.S. Army, including a tour in Iraq, prior to beginning his career in brokerage.
Sage Hospitality Group Promotes Ed Blair
Sage Hospitality Group announced that it has promoted Ed Blair to the position of area general manager overseeing The Crawford Hotel, Denver Union Station, The Oxford Hotel and The Oxford Club, Spa & Salon.
With more than 25 years of hospitality experience, Blair most recently served as the general manager at Denver’s The Curtis – a Doubletree by Hilton. He previously served as the general manager at Sage’s Embassy Suites Denver Downtown, where he was honored with the “Sage Passion Award” for 2017. He also spent almost a decade as the general manager of The Oxford, where he was named “Leader of the Year” in 2012. Under his direction, The Oxford was honored as Sage’s “Hotel of the Year” for 2011, based on its strong financials, market share, guest, employee and audit metrics.
A graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, Blair also previously served as the chief operating officer of the Mile High United Way. He is a founding member of Denver’s Road to Work Business Advisory Council, which provides training and employment opportunities for people suffering from poverty and those with disabilities. He is also involved with the Downtown Denver Partnership, previously serving as chairman of the non-profit’s Business Improvement District board and on the 14th Street General Improvement District board.
“Ed is a highly respected Denver business leader who is dedicated to delivering an elevated & safe experience to all guests, which makes him the ideal candidate to oversee these iconic Denver properties during this difficult time for the hospitality industry,” said Kim Corrigan, a vice president of operations at Sage.
The landmark Denver Union Station re-opened in July 2014 after a $54 million renovation and is home to an eclectic array of Colorado-based restaurants, bars and shops, including the Cooper Lounge, Mercantile Dining & Provision and a Tattered Cover bookstore. The award-winning Crawford Hotel features 112 stately guest rooms, including Loft Rooms offering a modern take on the historic train station’s former unfinished attic space featuring exposed brick and massive wood beams.
Symmetry Builders Announces New President
Symmetry Builders, Inc., a leading commercial general contractor and builder in Colorado, announced the appointment of Andy Wood, current founder & vice president, as the organization’s next president effective January 2021. Wood succeeds Henry Zurbrugg, who is stepping down from his role as founder & president but will become chief executive officer and president of the Board of Directors.
Wood brings over 26 years of construction experience, including founding Symmetry in 2011 and nine years as vice president. Prior to that, Wood worked as a partner and leader in the commercial construction sector local to Colorado. Wood is a graduate of Colorado State University and holds a B.S. degree in Construction Management.
“I am honored to be a part of these organizational changes as we continue to build Symmetry Builders and strive to reach new heights together,” commented Wood.
Additionally, Symmetry welcomes several new members to its executive team including:
• Brad Chope, a current partner, assumes the role of vice president of Estimating & Preconstruction
• CJ McCray, a current partner, assumes the role of vice president of Strategic Growth & Development
• Erin Aitken, a current partner, assumes the role of vice president of Finance & Administration
• Jack Hiett, a current partner, assumes the role of vice president of Field Operations
• Josh Brasseal, a current partner, assumes the role of vice president of Operations
This executive team was developed to emphasize departmental leadership and alignment throughout Symmetry as the company grows into its 10th year of existence.
BMC Investments Names New Partner Jeffrey Stonger as Chief Investment Officer
BMC Investments (BMC), a Denver-based real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of properties across various asset classes and geographies, announced that Jeffrey Stonger will be joining the firm as chief investment officer and partner. Mr. Stonger will be leading the investment process, overseeing acquisitions and strategic growth initiatives in order to grow and scale the company into new markets and strategies. BMC will be adding to its investment team to accommodate the planned growth.
“We have a vision to build an industry-leading real estate investment firm and filling this position is a big step in our growth story,” said Matt Joblon, chief executive officer of BMC Investments. “Jeff’s institutional background and experience coming from two well-respected real estate private equity firms will be invaluable to executing BMC’s growth objectives..”
Mr. Stonger was previously with Ascentris, a Denver-based real estate private equity firm with nearly $2.5 billion in assets under management, where he was responsible for leading strategic initiatives, as well as acquiring and managing investments across property types in the Western U.S. Prior to his role at Ascentris, Mr. Stonger was a managing director at Amstar, a real estate private equity firm, where he spent 10 years serving in multiple roles across both the U.S. and European investment platforms, and was responsible for sourcing and acquisitions, asset management and capital raising.
Mr. Stonger graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business and Real Estate Finance. He also graduated from Harvard Business School (PLDA) with a concentration in General Management and Leadership and is a chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) charterholder. Mr. Stonger previously served four years on the Portfolio Management Committee with the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries. He currently serves as a board trustee for MindsMatter Denver.
“BMC Investments has an exceptional reputation with a very successful track record executing on its workforce housing strategy and urban infill development strategy here in Denver over the last decade,” said Mr. Stonger. “I am thrilled to be joining such a dynamic team and look forward to building on BMC’s track record as we grow and scale the business into new markets throughout the U.S.”
CBRE Announces Four Promotions
CBRE announced that four Colorado-based professionals have achieved title promotions.
Todd Witty with CBRE Industrial & Logistics has been promoted to senior vice president. Based in CBRE’s Denver office, Mr. Witty specializes in representing industrial property owners, users and developers in the acquisition, lease and disposition of industrial real estate in the Denver market. During his 20-year career, Mr. Witty has executed in excess of 15 million square feet of sale and lease transactions for notable clients including Brennan Investment Group, Consolidated Investment Group, Dalfen Industrial, EastGroup Properties, First Industrial, Hyde Development, Invesco, Opus Development, Principal Financial and Prologis.
Jenny Knowlton with CBRE Capital Markets in Denver has been promoted to first vice president. Ms. Knowlton co-leads a nine-person team that specializes in the sale of office, industrial and retail assets throughout the Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region. Her professional experience includes representing some of Denver’s largest institutional owners in the sale and/or recapitalization of over $10 billion in transaction volume, including iconic properties like Larimer Square. She is based in CBRE’s downtown Denver office.
Julius Tabert and Michael Eyer of CBRE’s Advisory & Transaction Services have been promoted to first vice president. Based in CBRE’s Fort Collins office, Mr. Tabert and Mr. Eyer specialize in industrial brokerage across Northern Colorado. Together they have more than 37 years combined commercial real estate experience, closing more than 1,000 transactions, totaling over $1.5 billion.
