VENTUREDFW.COM - Key Persons
In 2014, Amanda Throckmorton Welles began her commercial real estate career at Venture, focusing on landlord representation in the Dallas/Fort Worth market. Amanda grew up in the real estate industry, working for her father's commercial real estate company in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While there, she learned both the brokerage side of the business and property management.
Currently working in partnership with landlords on projects throughout DFW, Amanda uses her bachelor's degree in Markets and Cultures from Southern Methodist University to better understand the economic and cultural complexities that affect today's real estate market.
Amanda is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and The Real Estate Council's Young Guns. She is also a member of the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors.
As a Principal, Amy's specialization is landlord representation. She has always believed in the importance of functioning as a team with her clients, treating their goals and objectives as though they were hers to achieve the best possible outcome for each client. Amy has more than 14 years of retail leasing and sales experience, focusing on new development, redevelopment, and mixed-use projects. Amy's passion for Commercial Real Estate has developed into a broad experience level that includes developing and implementing leasing strategies where she analyzes, negotiates, and executes transactions for her clients. Her Leasing experience consists of a wide variety of urban and suburban geographic markets. Amy has worked with many landlords, including but not limited to ShopCore, Brixmor, KDC, The Kroenke Group, United Commercial Development, Asana Partners, Invesco, Entertainment Properties Group Inc, 42 Real Estate, Crescent Communities, and Provident Realty Advisors.
Amy is currently working on the high-profile Hwy 380 & FM 423 new development project, a premier intersection that will serve the growing residential populations in Frisco and Prosper. Venture was involved in the intersection's growth, starting from the initial land transactions to United Commercial Development/Kroenke Group. Amy is involved in many aspects of the project, from merchandising and marketing to prospective shop tenants, pad users, anchors, and junior anchors, assisting with Pro-forma/budget projections and site planning. The intersection will be home to approximately 1 million square feet of retail space at full build-out.
Amy also worked on the redevelopment of Deep Ellum from 2013-2020 and has completed over 50 transactions by embracing Deep Ellum's natural charm and culture. Amy leased space to unique tenants in food and beverage, entertainment, and boutique retail, adding charm and character to the colorful neighborhood. Adding dynamic, relevant retail brands helped elevate values by multiples in the first five years of leasing in Deep Ellum. When Venture took on the redevelopment assignment, rents were in the single digit to low teens. Today rents range from $35-45 psf, with some tenants' sales volumes exceeding $1000 psf.
Anson Switzer primarily focuses on Investment Sales, in both acquisitions and dispositions, and Project Leasing / Landlord Representation. With his in-depth market knowledge, he can guide his clients through all phases of the sales and leasing processes. Anson also actively sources new property options for his clients to purchase as an investment or an owner-user. Anson works on both existing properties and new developments. He also represents tenants in their location searches.
Prior to joining Venture, Anson worked in the Retail Division at Henry S. Miller. Before beginning his career in real estate, Anson worked for big banks, managing multiple teams and project management. He also worked in the healthcare industry as a Vice President, where his responsibilities included operations, contract negotiations, investor reporting, and compliance.
Chris began his career in commercial real estate in 2002. His first job out of college was working with a developer, where he focused on site feasibility and acquisition, construction, lease-up, and eventual disposition. A maverick by nature, when the market changed in 2008, and commercial real estate professionals were exiting the business, Chris doubled down on the industry and obtained his brokerage license to get on the transactional side of the company. In 2015, he founded Logic Commercial Real Estate, a boutique real estate firm based in Las Vegas, NV, with partners. He joined Venture in 2022. He currently does work in Texas and Nevada.
From 2008 through the present, Chris has risen to position himself as a market leader. He has enjoyed great success with a focused business plan that included investment sales, landlord representation, tenant representation, and land acquisition. He grew his direct team from two partners to managing a handful of real estate "young guns." Chris' mission and guiding light have always been to foster long-term relationships and create meaningful win/win outcomes on every deal.
Chris was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, and is a NAIOP Developing Leaders Institute graduate and pinned with the CCIM designation in 2011. He is consistently recognized as a power broker in his industry. Notable clients include Rialto Capital, Blackstone, EQ Office, Newcastle Properties, Ovation Development, Sport Clips, Broken Yolk Café, Banfield, and others. He has had the pleasure of assisting in retail brand rollouts in new markets and as well as advising on new locations.
Craig was previously with the John T. Evans Company for 23 years. Prior, he was a Certified Public Accountant with a Big 8 accounting firm and Chief Financial Officer for a private restaurant and real estate company. Craig brings a business background and understanding to add value to the real estate clients he serves.
Craig's responsibilities and expertise include locating sites for a wide variety of users such as hotels, restaurants, automotive and gymnastics clients. Craig has assisted clients in the acquisition and sale of retail land with particular emphasis on entitlement issues. In addition, Craig focuses on vacant asset leasing and disposition for a wide variety of clients, including large national institutions to local real property owners.
Derek Schuster is a Senior Vice President, and he focuses on asset-based representation specializing in investment sales and value-add leasing in the DFW market. Derek began his career in commercial real estate at Weitzman in 2017.
Previously, Derek served as a golf professional for multiple country clubs on the east coast after graduating from Penn State's Professional Golf Management program. His time spent serving club members imprinted the value of customer service. Derek brings that level of customer service to his clients to provide valuable market knowledge and guidance to help to make well-informed real estate decisions.
Easley B. Waggoner, Jr., Partner with Venture Commercial, specializes in landlord representation. His 28+ years of creating value for his clients, by identifying and bringing an optimal mix of both boutique and national retailers to a project, has earned Easley a stellar reputation. In addition to leasing, Easley's sense of creativity enables him to visualize a property's greatest potential, allowing him the ability to best advise his clients regarding property enhancements and improvements. Taking great pride in the attention and dedication he gives each project, Easley constantly strives to provide excellent service and achieve maximum results for his clients.
Prior to joining Venture in 2004, Easley worked for 11 years as the sole leasing agent for Maclay Properties Company in Dallas. Easley has been named a CoStar Power Broker, D CEO Power Broker and is ranked as one of the Dallas Business Journal's Heavy Hitters. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate With Venture Commercial
Eric Rothbart, Associate with Venture Commercial, focuses on tenant representation exemplifying a team approach and striving for trustworthy relationships. Eric seeks out sites that foster a sense of confidence for the client. His passion for Dallas and determination to ensure the satisfaction of his clients combine to create lasting relationships.
Eric was a summer intern at Venture and after the experience, he fell in love with Venture's culture and team environment. Eric was born in Chicago but called Dallas home as he has lived in Texas most of his life.
Job Titles:
- Broker Relations Director
In 2018, Ian began his commercial real estate career with Venture as a Transaction Manager focusing on Landlord Representation and Investment Sales. Before relocating to Dallas and starting at Venture, Ian graduated from the University of Vermont with bachelor's degrees in Economics and Political Science and worked in residential real estate in Boston.
Ian joined Victory Group in 2019 and returned to Venture in 2020 with a focus n Project Leasing and Investment Sales. During 2023, Ian moved into the role of Broker Relations Director and works closely with Mike Geisler on acquiring and leasing purchased assets. Ian also works with 3rd party clients on Project Leasing, Tenant Representation, and property sales.
Ian is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, The Real Estate Council, and the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors.
Jared joined Venture in January of 2023 and he is involved in a variety of transactions ranging from pad sites, ground leases, investment sales, shop leases, and development projects. He focuses on client needs and delivers outstanding service for clients.
Jared is a graduate from Texas A&M with a degree in BA in International Policy and Diplomacy from the Bush School of Government, with a minor in Spanish. Jared earned an ROTC scholarship and was in the Corps of Cadets (E-1 Company). The program teaches leadership, organizational, and discipline skills.
John is a Senior Vice President with Venture Commercial. His experience covers more than twenty years of commercial real estate and includes Tenant, Landlord, Seller, Buyer Representation, and Property Management.
John worked with his father, Jim, in the family real estate business. In that time, John worked with the City of Dallas on property that was replatted, rezoned, and sold to Wal-Mart. John grew his career and worked with McDonald's as a Real Estate Representative for thirteen years. He implemented a five-year development plan in Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties through East Texas. John won company awards for selling excess properties and the number of new deals signed and opened. Also, he was part of a team that won the national "Development Team of The Year" three times.
John is a lifetime member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church and served on the Parish Council in various capacities. John is married and has two sons.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President
- Member of the Investment Sales Team
Joseph is a member of the Investment Sales Team and specializes in single-tenant net leased retail assets. He has successfully sold net leased retail across six states. His advisory services cater to a diverse clientele, including high-net-worth individuals, family offices, developers, private equity firms, and REITs.
Prior to joining Venture, Joseph began his real estate career at Marcus and Millichap. He was an analyst, underwriting hundreds of properties and contributing to market reporting and operational efficiency improvements before transitioning to an advisory role.
Joseph has a Finance Degree from Saint Louis University's Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, where he was awarded the SIOR Midwest Commercial Real Estate Award.
Joseph is an active member of NTCAR and ICSC.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Acquisitions & Dispositions
Josh's focus on the Investment Sales team is the underwriting and valuation of current income-producing properties. Josh provides potential buyers and sellers with forecasts for their property and future returns. He also assists in providing capital markets guidance as it relates to debt and equity. Also, he conducts market research and prepares the financial aspects of the team's offering memorandums.
Josh began a structured finance career for Exeter Finance Corp. His main focus was the structuring and executing asset-backed securitizations and funding of the business's operations through a conduit credit facility. Later, Josh moved to Goldman Sachs with a similar focus in the residential mortgage sector of structured finance and portfolio management.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Venture Commercial in 2019 As Assistant Vice President
Josh Cohn joined Venture Commercial in 2019 as Assistant Vice President working with Venture's Investment Sales team. Josh's primary focus is buyer representation for different single-tenant and multi-tenant assets.
Josh started his commercial real estate career in 2016. He has worked and closed a vast range of transactions that include minor automotive repair, automotive dealerships, car washes, multi-family, land and retail centers. Josh is the fourth generation in his family to undergo a commercial real estate career.
Josh's responsibilities include locating on and off-market deals for clients with different needs, as well as site selection for developers, both in single tenant and multi-tenant properties.
Josh studied marketing with a sales focus at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Assistant Vice President With Venture Commercial
Lawrence Wilson is an Assistant Vice President with Venture Commercial, focusing on investment sales and tenant representation. In addition, he has experience working with clients on big box dispositions, project leasing and pad site sales. Tenants include LA Fitness and Verizon Wireless.
As part of the Investment Sales team, Lawrence assists in brokering the sale of several single-tenant and multi-tenant properties. Some of the most notable transactions he has been involved with include the sale of Las Colinas Village in Irving, Texas; LA Fitness Signature Club in Cedar Park, Texas; Heritage Marketplace at Alliance Town Center in Fort Worth, Texas; Starbucks Multi-Tenant Building in Euless, Texas; Chick-fil-A Ground Lease in Arlington, Texas; Cinco Ranch in Katy, Texas and McAlister Square in Burleson, Texas
Lawrence is a graduate of Princeton University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and was a member of the Princeton football team.
McGregor brings three decades of real estate expertise to his clients. Specializing in land acquisitions and sales, McGregor has experience in site selection and parcel assemblage for retail tenants, shopping centers, mixed-use, and multi-family developments. With a background that includes asset sales and acquisitions, McGregor can see all sides of the deal and bring insight his clients need to make the right real estate decisions.
Before joining Venture, McGregor founded and served as president of City Venture Group, a Dallas-based brokerage firm specializing in commercial real estate acquisitions for retailers, developers, and investors. He is the former director of real estate for Payless Shoe Source and Central Park Development's vice president.
McGregor brokered the original North Texas rollout of free-standing corner stores for Eckerd Drugs. He handled the original rollout for CVS Pharmacy's entry into North Texas. McGregor's numerous retail and development transactions have been located throughout Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico. He has completed over 150 drug store sites for tenants in North Texas.
Mia works side by side with Amy Pjetrovic, a Principal at the firm and a consistent top producer. As a Transaction Manager, Mia is involved in a wide variety of transactions ranging from shop leasing, pad site sales, ground leases, and anchor transactions.
Before joining Venture, Mia worked at Weitzman on the Joint Venture team, gaining knowledge and insight into the commercial real estate industry. Mia has developed a broad range of experience, including Landlord and Tenant representation. Mia graduated from The University of Oklahoma with a BBA in Energy Management. She is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors.
Michael Kaplan joined Venture in 2022 after moving to Dallas with a primary focus on Investment Sales and Project Leasing.
Michael began his career in commercial real estate in February of 2020 after an 18-year career in the hospitality and restaurant industry, most recently as the Director of Food & Beverage at the iconic Hotel Del Coronado, a Hilton Curio Collection property. Shortly after joining the industry in Las Vegas, NV, at Logic Commercial Real Estate, Michael began a strategic implementation of growing his book of business with an initial focus on Project Leasing. At a given time, Michael had upwards of 24 Landlords that he was working intimately with to secure new Tenant's and stabilize their properties. In year two with Logic, Michael began to expand his business model to work within the Investment Sales segment of commercial real estate. During that time, Michael worked diligently with his clients in both the disposition and acquisition of commercial assets ranging from retail, office, and land, while still maintaining a flourishing book of Project Leasing.
In 2000, Founding Principal | Managing Partner Michael E. ("Mike") Geisler opened Venture Commercial Real Estate. Mike is a managing director for a team of 30± real estate brokers and salespersons while continuing to grow his personal brokerage businesses. Mike's goal when opening the doors at Venture: Create a customer-centric, values-driven brokerage firm held in high regard by the community as a whole.
Mike draws on more than 35 years of experience as one of Dallas/Fort Worth's top real estate brokers and more than 30 years spent leasing specialty and lifestyle centers, including The Plaza at Preston Center, Park Place, and Berkshire Court. His work ethic, expertise, strong industry reputation, and ethics-driven approach to retail brokerage services have earned respect and praise from clients - as well as superior returns.
Mike began his career at Henry S. Miller/Grubb & Ellis. There, he was consistently named one of the company's top brokers and was promoted to Vice President. He joined The Weitzman Group in 1990 as a Senior Vice President and supervisor and was honored multiple times as a Top 10 Producer.
He is the 2021 winner and a three-time finalist of the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors' Stemmons Service Award regarded by many as one of the most respected awards in commercial real estate brokerage.
Natalia Singer joined Venture in February 2020 as an Associate focusing on landlord and tenant representation, and land acquisitions. With her intimate knowledge of Denton and Collin counties, she has successfully pre-leased numerous ground-up developments and assisted her clients in land acquisitions for future retail and office developments. She has guided her landlords through all the phases of retail development from working extensively with City officials, civil engineers, and construction teams. Natalia is determined to maximize the value of her client's real estate projects through her expertise and tireless work ethic.
Prior to joining Venture, Natalia was Vice President of Leasing at Henry S. Miller. She also worked for Victory Real Estate Group, focusing on pre-leasing new development projects.
Nick Hoover, Vice President, focuses on representing property owners and negotiating off-market acquisitions in the urban core and suburban markets. Nick is constantly talking with property owners and potential sellers, keeping them informed on market news and trends, and helping them maximize the value of their real estate. Nick is a firm believer in the Golden Rule and is happy to share valuable information if he thinks it can help a buyer or landlord. Whether he's assisting landlords to price, market, sell or lease their real estate, Nick keeps the best interests of the property owners in his areas as his number one priority. He combines this with his love for the city of Dallas to help sellers find buyers that will not only be able to deliver quality offers but provide uses that will elevate the surrounding area as a whole.
Nick was born and raised in Dallas. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing basketball, golfing, and camping. He is a proud Highland Park United Methodist Church member.
Nick joined Venture in 2021 to work directly with Principal, John Zikos, specializing in investment sales, client representation, project leasing, and retail real estate disposition.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President
- Associate
Paul, is an associate and active in urban land, landlord representation, working with Venture's Urban Core Division, and leasing in urban and suburban markets. His unique combination of urban real estate knowledge, zoning expertise, and community connections allows him not just to see the potential of a property but actively change it to make deals happen.
Before joining Venture, Paul was a student at the University of North Texas, and he majored in Finance. In his spare time between classes, Paul worked to improve public works projects that impacted urban real estate. He was heavily involved with the $666 million-dollar Southern Gateway project, working with TxDOT and stakeholders to make substantial changes, including helping to secure over $40 million in public funding to construct a new park.
Reiss kickstarted his career with an internship at Beau Box Commercial Real Estate in 2016 and quickly immersed himself in the retail scene by focusing on landlord and tenant representation, sales and leasing, and off market prospecting. Reiss was crucial in growing Take 5's car wash footprint in Louisiana. He used data to select off-market sites, understood complex deals to ensure smooth transactions, and offered trusted advice for significant decisions to benefit the client and community.
In 2022, Reiss relocated to Dallas to handle site selection and acquisition management for a developer specializing in single tenant properties. During his time in the private development world, he enhanced his expertise in retail real estate needs and overcame challenges in new store development leading to successful store launches. Reiss values a strong client relationship.
When Reiss is not in the office or on the road searching for sites, you will find him playing soccer or cheering on his alma mater the LSU Fighting Tigers.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President
- Assistant Vice President With Venture Commercial
Samara Janowski is an Assistant Vice President with Venture Commercial and is a graduate from the University of Texas at Arlington, where she received her BBA in Real Estate. While in school, Samara's efforts earned her the designation of Goolsby Leadership Academy Scholar. Entrepreneurship continues to be a major influence throughout her life and allows her to contribute novel ideas. As a Dallas/Fort Worth native, she is eager to see how the community will evolve during her career in commercial real estate.
Samara Janowski joined Venture Commercial in 2019 as an intern. Samara now works on tenant representation and project leasing in the Dallas/Fort Worth market and beyond, focusing on restaurant real estate. Research is at the heart of the site selection process for her clients and is the key to identifying sites for long-term success. Samara uses lifestyle segmentation mapping, which allows for a strategic approach to growth and is instrumental in determining a unique scope of work. This analysis is coupled with tracking second generation restaurant spaces and a tenacity to find off-market deals.
Scott Espensen is a Partner at Venture Commercial Real Estate specializing in Land Transactions and Tenant Representation.
Scott is a native Texan having grown up in San Antonio and graduating from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. After graduating TCU in 2005 he began his career as a leasing associate at Venture Commercial in Dallas, TX.
In his 2nd year in the business, Scott began work for the 2nd largest sporting goods retailer in the US (Academy Sports + Outdoors) as the broker for the state of Texas. In 2008 he completed the largest retail lease of the year in DFW when he represented Academy Sports in McKinney, TX (88,051 SF). As a result of his hard work and dedication, in 2009 Academy awarded Scott with the roll out of a new territory for the company - the entire state of North Carolina.
In 2010 Scott joined his father in San Antonio to form Espensen Commercial Realty, Inc. During his time in San Antonio Scott helped create and implement a strategic market expansion for Walmart and Sam's Club for south Texas and continued representing Academy Sports throughout Texas and North Carolina.
Over his 18-year career Scott has done whatever is necessary to deliver for his clients including speaking on their behalf at town hall meetings, implementing market strategies, spearheading rezoning efforts and coordinating engineers and attorneys to assure project completion. The results of which have been long lasting relationships and over 100+ completed anchor and land transactions.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner With Venture Commercial
Tim Henson, Partner with Venture Commercial, has spent over 25 years in the commercial real estate market, servicing both landlords and tenants with multiple product types including power centers, malls, urban retail, factory outlets and lifestyle centers. Tim has worked in 23 states and Puerto Rico and has leased over five million square feet of retail space. He offers valuable experience and retail knowledge to his clients every day.
Tim has been responsible for development and leasing of a portfolio that exceeded five million square feet and understands the challenges and opportunities in both public and private companies. In addition, he has provided asset management, leasing and strategic guidance as part of his services. He will not only represent the landlord's interest, but will become part of the ownership's team.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Land Division Associate
Thomas joined Venture in 2024 specializing in land transactions. Before joining Venture, Thomas established and successfully managed Interactive Youth Transport, a thriving business venture that he eventually divested in 2023. Prior to his entrepreneurial journey, Thomas honed his skills in sales while pursuing his college education.
A driven entrepreneur and seasoned salesman with a self-starter mentality, Thomas is eager to leverage his expertise in the realm of real estate. He is deeply enthused about the organizational culture at Venture and is enthusiastic to contribute his talents to the team.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Venture Commercial Senior Vice President
Venture Commercial Senior Vice President Tonya Hagood proudly states that project leasing and tenant representation have been an exciting part of her life for 30 years. She believes in the importance of functioning as a team with her clients, treating their goals and objectives as though they are her own.
Tonya's long-term business relationships are based on trust and exceeding the clients' expectations. Tonya's keen ability to learn the goals and objectives of her clients by listening closely to them enables her to create a plan to achieve their goals in a timely manner. She consistently puts her clients' needs first.
Tonya has over 30 years of experience in retail real estate. Prior to joining Venture, Tonya was senior vice president with the Christon Company, a retail real estate brokerage and development company. She leased existing retail redevelopments and new developments. Additionally, Tonya was senior vice president at Leon and Associates, the first commercial real estate firm in DFW to specialize in tenant representation. Beginning her sales career with IBM, she was awarded state and regional sales leader status and achieved the 100% Club (annual sales quota) yearly.
Job Titles:
- Senior Investment Analyst
As Senior Financial Analyst for Venture Commercial, Will participates in all aspects of both the Investment Sales and Acquisitions Team. These include underwriting and evaluating new acquisitions as well as evaluating dispositions for our clients. Will also contributes to asset management duties such as leasing strategy and financial reporting. In addition, Will conducts market research and prepares all aspects of the team's offering memorandums.
Will is a Dallas, TX native. He attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Economics. After graduating in 2015 Will moved back to Dallas and began working in the commercial real estate industry. His first position was as a property manager at Hopkins Commercial where he oversaw a portfolio of shopping centers. Will then spent four years as an analyst at STRIVE, a commercial real estate brokerage. At STRIVE Will oversaw underwriting of both single and multi-tenant shopping centers as well as doing market research and analysis. He also oversaw the internship program. Will recently graduated with his MBA in Real Estate from Southern Methodist University.