PHOENIX, ARIZ. – Sharon Harper, whose development expertise and leadership have made an indelible mark on the Valley’s commercial real estate and business communities, will be honored with the NAIOP Arizona Award of Excellence.

Harper, President, CEO, and co-founder of The Plaza Companies, is the first woman to win NAIOP Arizona’s Award of Excellence. She will be presented the award at the 2018 Best of NAIOP on March 28 at the Arizona Biltmore.

The award recognizes an individual who has made a significant, positive impact on the commercial real estate industry in Arizona over a period of at least 15 years, along with direct volunteer contributions to the chapter.

“Sharon is a true leader, focusing on growing, and positively shaping our community in all she does,” said NAIOP Arizona Chairman Molly Carson of Ryan Companies US, Inc. “Her commitment to our state runs very deep, and NAIOP Arizona is proud to present her with the Award of Excellence.”

Harper oversees all facets of operations at the Plaza Companies, including the ownership, development, leasing or management of nearly 10 million square feet of medical office properties, senior living facilities, and biotechnology centers. Harper’s forward-thinking commitment to commercial real estate has helped Plaza Companies emerge as one of the premier real estate firms in the Southwest, earning numerous awards and designations under her leadership.

Harper has also been heavily influential in the widespread success of SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center of which Plaza Companies is the master developer. SkySong won two 2015 “Best of NAIOP” awards, including the “Economic Impact Award” for SkySong and an additional office building award specific to its Building 3. SkySong 4 was a Best of NAIOP finalist in 2017 as well.

“I am very pleased to receive this recognition from such a prestigious organization in the commercial real estate field,” Harper said. “NAIOP has defined a standard of excellence in our industry, and Plaza Companies has worked diligently since its founding in 1982 to uphold the highest quality and professionalism in all its developments and projects. On behalf of the Plaza team, I would like to thank NAIOP for this recognition.”

Plaza Companies is also the co-developer of the renovation of the Park Central Mall property into an innovative, modern new office and retail development that will once again serve as a hub for central Phoenix. Notable medical projects include the Banner Estrella Medical Center of Phoenix, a 300,000 SF ambulatory medical campus in the West Valley, and Paradise Valley Medical Plaza. Harper and Plaza Companies also played a prominent role in the development and management of many of Arizona’s premier senior-living facilities, including Vi at Silverstone and Vi at Grayhawk.

Harper’s personal business achievements have earned considerable praise as well. Honors include “Woman of the Year” by Valley Leadership; and she and her husband, Dr. Oliver Harper, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Phoenix Theatre.

She served as Chairman of Gov. Doug Ducey’s successful 2018 re-election campaign and was the Chairman of the Prop. 123 campaign in 2016. She also was the recipient of GPEC’s “Distinguished Service Award” in 2014. She currently serves on the Board of Governors for TGen and is Trustee for Creighton University.

Harper’s commitments extend far beyond business and include a variety of causes, volunteer efforts, and appointments, including service on the Trustees of ASU, Honorary Commander of Luke Air Force Base, and National Finance Chairman for Sen. John McCain during both his 2000 and 2008 presidential runs.

Phoenix, Arizona – ABI Multifamily, the Western US’ leading multifamily brokerage and advisory services firm, is pleased to announce the Company’s continued Tucson Regional Office expansion with the addition of Desiree Palmer as Vice President.

John Kobierowski, Senior Managing Partner, states, “We are delighted to have Desiree join the ABI Multifamily team in Tucson. Desiree’s diverse background and range of experiences bring a breadth of energy and operational flexibility to our operations, and we are certain she will provide multiple benefits across the entire ABI organization.”

Desiree recently moved to Tucson from Huntsville, Ala., where she specialized in multifamily sales in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. She holds an LL.M (Master of Laws) in Finance from the Institute for Law and Finance in Frankfurt, Germany and a J.D. and B.A. from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She has been licensed to practice law in New York State since 2008.

Desiree previously worked in Moscow, Russia as a legal associate for a British law firm in the area of banking and finance, including real estate finance.

Oro Valley, Arizona — Land Advisors Organization (LAO) Closed on $7.721 million in residential land deals in northwest Tucson since the start of 2019.

Pulte Home Company plans to plat for development 45 acres of land in Oro Valley at Rancho Vistoso. The land drew a sale price of $4.9 million ($108,888 per acre) in this all cash transaction. The Seller was a group of private investors doing business as VPII Loan, LLC and ML Manager, LLC of Phoenix.

Pulte plans to plat the parcels for a mixture of production lot sizes.

Will White and John Carroll with Land Advisors Organization (LAO) handled the transaction.

This is the same seller who sold 190 acres in October to a New York-based land investment REIT, JEN Arizona 32, LLC and affiliate TerraWest Communities (Mike Jesberger), Blocks 5H and 5I at Rancho Vistoso Neighborhood 5 in Oro Valley sold for $6.3 million. The transaction was also negotiated by LAO.

“This is a great location in the project. The homebuilder opportunities in Rancho Vistoso have become extremely limited and the production has been extremely strong,” said White. “We don’t expect future lot opportunities to be available for long up there and most are sold before we actually get out to market with them. Vistoso has extremely strong pricing power and demand and that really has been the driver.”

In a separate transaction, Mattamy Homes purchased 26 finished lots from Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, beneficiary of Cottonwood Properties (David Mehl, manager) at Blue Agave II in Dove Mountain. The lots are 70X130 and sold for $108,500 per lot, or $2.821 million.

The lots are contiguous to Mattamy’s current Blue Agave I subdivision with 192 lots purchased in 2016 when finished lot prices were $74,479 per lot.

Will White and John Carroll with Land Advisors Organization (LAO) also handled this transaction

“Dove Mountain continues to offer a great lot delivery program for the master-plan’s builders, allowing them to have a steady stream of lots on time,” White stated.  “The project currently is home to several homebuilders and is experiencing strong activity as we head into 2019. The northwest portion of the community has some of the best golf/desert frontage parcels in the northwest area of Tucson and the amazing views that come with them. We are expecting the coming year to be extremely active in Dove Mountain.”

For more information White and Carroll should be reached at 520.514.7454.

To learn more, see RED Comp #6475 and #6479.