FIRST COMMERCIAL REALTY & DEVELOPMENT - Key Persons
David Brady, Jr. joined FCRD in June of 2021. He began his career in the United States Air Force, enlisting in 1988. He served his country with honor until 1996, when he joined the civilian workforce as a Shipping and Receiving Manager at ISI Robotics. This career path led him to an apprenticeship in manual machining, and a subsequent Journeyman Machinist position in 1998. Brady also received his Michigan Builders License during his time at ISI.
He then moved on to ABC Construction in Lapeer, Michigan, and continued to be active as a Journeyman Carpenter in the Detroit Local #687 Carpenters Union. Following his time at ABC, he became a Traveling Supervisor for the George P Johnson Company. During 2006, Brady transitioned to Traveling Retail Superintendent. He re-entered the commercial construction industry in 2010 as a Retail Construction Project Manager and served in this capacity until 2018. From 2018 until joining First Commercial in 2021, Brady worked as a Senior Project Manager focused on commercial and retail construction.
Brady earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Western Governors University in 2010 and his Master of Business Administration from the same institution in 2012.
Job Titles:
- Lease and Asset Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Director of Asset Management
Job Titles:
- Member of the State Bar of Michigan
- Vice President of Real Estate Operations
Peter Gikas, Esq., is First Commercial's Vice President of Real Estate Operations, and is responsible for managing a portfolio of approximately 2 million square feet of real estate. As a trained attorney, Peter also manages lease negotiations, insurance requirements, premises liability, property related contracts, tenant relations, tax valuation and mortgage financing. His extensive background makes him an integral part of the First Commercial Executive Leadership Team.
Peter has been overseeing First Commercial's third party management operations since its infancy, and -in addition to managing the distinct needs of the various entities represented by First Commercial- he is also responsible for all aspects of the management of the portfolio, including due diligence, day to day administration, risk and crises management, employment, planning, tax and financial analyses, contract negotiations, lease compliance, tenant collections and retention, repair and maintenance, accounting and all legal matters serving as in-house counsel having negotiated in excess of 500 lease transactions.
He has been in the real estate management and investment business for over 30 years. He started his career at Schostak Brothers & Co. where he was actively involved in the management of Class A suburban office and retail space in excess of three million square feet. Prior to joining First Commercial in 1995, he worked as an investment broker at the Deitz Organization, specializing the sale of medical office buildings and shopping centers with transactions over ten million dollars.
Peter is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the International Council of Shopping Centers. He has been an active member of a number of local Downtown Development Authorities, including the DDA's of Royal Oak Township and Inkster. Peter graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Michigan in 1979 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy in 1984.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Executive Vice President of First Commercial Realty & Development Company, Inc
Warren Terrace is the Executive Vice President of First Commercial Realty & Development Company, Inc., co-founding the company with William Watch in 1988. He heads First Commercial's brokerage group and is actively involved with the management, leasing, sale and development of commercial retail properties.
In his over 40 years of real estate experience -specializing in retail tenant representation and urban retail development- Warren has earned a vast wealth of knowledge and strong brokerage skills, and his ability to evaluate property lease requirements and implement successful marketing strategies and programs has enhanced the value of First Commercial's numerous projects throughout Michigan and Ohio. He has built vital, long-lasting tenant/landlord relationships and has represented a number of large corporate clients including Aetna Life Insurance Company, Midland Mutual Insurance Company, Regency Equities, Monroe Bank & Trust; and a multitude of national retailers including Best Buy, Hobby Lobby, Bed Bath & Beyond, Dental Dreams and many others.
Warren's involvement in the Retail Brokers Network links the company with real estate leasing professionals throughout the country. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), member and former Co-Chairman of the Michigan Public-Private Partnership Program, and a member of the ICSC State Board. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and Management in 1976.
He is an active member of Our Lady of Good Council Catholic Church, and chaired the Steering Committee to develop a new church and social hall at Beck and M-14 in Plymouth, Michigan, where he resides with his wife Julie. Warren and Julie have been married for over 35 years and have three adult children: Matt, Shannon and Melissa.
Bill Watch, President, CEO and Principal of First Commercial Realty & Development Co, Inc., founded the Southfield, Michigan, based firm with partner Warren Terrace in 1988. Over the years, the company -which will soon be celebrating its 35 th year in operation- has evolved to become a full service real estate firm offering expertise in the sale, leasing, property management, construction and development of commercial and industrial properties in the Midwest.
First Commercial has been an active participant in real estate development for over 30 years and has developed over 3 million square feet of real estate throughout Michigan and the Midwest. Much of the company's success results from Bill's ability to work with large corporate entities and public/private partnerships to facilitate the development process, including land assemblage, governmental approval and financing. He has undertaken several difficult projects, successfully bringing to life commercial development in many cities. Under his leadership, the company has carved out a niche as an expert in the area of urban development and redevelopment, and has successfully completed a number of urban projects, including the development and redevelopment of shopping centers in Detroit, Highland Park, Inkster and Toledo, Ohio communities.
Bill attended the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor's of Business Administration in 1975, and a Masters of Business Administration with a focus on finance and marketing in 1981. Starting in 1981 and continuing through 1987, Bill worked at Perry Drug Stores in the Real Estate Department. His major responsibilities included managing a team of site selectors and support personnel, locating new stores, renewing or relocating existing stores and market analysis. He eventually rose to the position of Vice President. After leaving Perry, Watch worked briefly for Clothestime, a west coast-based women's ready-to-wear fashion chain, as Midwest Real Estate Representative.
He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), and The Urban Land Institute (ULI), where he served as Chairman of the Michigan District Council from 2010 through 2014, and currently serves on the Advisory Board. He is the former Chairman of the University of Michigan/ ULI Real Estate Forum, an annual educational forum which focuses on current trends and issues in the real estate industry. Bill was actively involved with the creation of the Graduate Level Real Estate Program at the University of Michigan, was a frequent lecturer at the University, and was acknowledged as one of the founding supporters of the U of M Graduate Real Estate Program.
In 2007, Central Michigan University honored him for his work in helping to establish the Undergraduate Real Estate Program at CMU. The M.J. Bowen Real Estate Development Program presented its Annual Leadership Award to Watch for his work with The Urban Land Institute and Central Michigan University. Additionally, he has been honored with the National Council for Urban and Economic Development Silver Award in 1996 for Highland Park Place, the City of Toledo Mayoral Proclamation for the Toledo Town Center shopping center, and the City of Detroit Visionary Award for the Shops at Northeast Village shopping center.
Throughout his life, Bill has had numerous notable interests; he is a certified Visual Flight Rules (VFR) pilot, a certified SCUBA diver, a competitive and recreational skier, a competitive sailor and marathon runner. A lifelong metro-Detroit resident, Bill and his wife, Teryl, currently reside in Troy, Michigan. They have three adult children, Alison, Logan and Brennan.