TUCSON, Arizona — Larsen Baker LLC, one of Tucson’s largest commercial real estate management, development and brokerage firms, is announcing three employees have been named as executive officers and co-owners of the company.

Melissa Lal, CCIM, has been named President of Larsen Baker and co-managing partner. She brings twelve years of real estate and development experience to the position, most recently as Larsen Baker’s Director of Real Estate.

Andy Seleznov, CCIM, has been named Executive Vice President and partner. He brings sixteen years of real estate and development experience to the position, most recently as Larsen Baker’s Director of Leasing and Operations.

Jennifer Raimondi has been named Vice President/Treasurer and partner. As a fifteen-year employee, she most recently served as the Office Manager and Director of Administration.

“I am excited to let the new generation of leaders guide Larsen Baker and manage our property portfolio,” said co-founder George Larsen.  “Under Melissa’s leadership, this new executive team has the potential to take Larsen Baker to the next level, expanding in ways that my co-founder Don Baker and I never imagined, when we started the company twenty-five years ago.”

Larsen is an Illinois-boy who went to ASU on a GI Bill, after graduating he landed his first job with Rodney Glassman’s father’s land sales company that brought him to Tucson in 1970. The story as he tells it, is he and Don Baker met in 1993 as “two broke real estate developers left over from the Recession” and decided it would be better if they could starve together at least.

The rest is real estate history that legends are made from in Tucson. Larsen Baker went on to become the largest privately held retail property owner in Southern Arizona, re-developing, remodeling, now owning and managing over 2.5-million-square-feet of Tucson / Southern Arizona commercial properties. The company is a leader in the preservation and re-positioning of many of Tucson’s most prominent shopping centers and office complexes, such as Crossroads Festival at Swan and Grant, Circle Plaza at Kolb and Broadway, and Tucson Place Super Center at First and Wetmore.

George Larsen will continue to be active in the company as co-founder and acting mentor to the new executive team. Something Larsen is well experienced at is mentoring.  In 1986, Larsen started the Southern Arizona CCIM Chapter where he has mentored many, if not all the CCIM members on the finer points of CCIM commercial real estate practices.

Larsen believes that ‘when you spread your knowledge, it comes back to you expanded’. He says, “Rather than keeping secrets to yourself in a closed circuit, expanded knowledge is like a bigger dessert, with more for everyone to share.” Something he says he learned from his own personal mentors, his parents, growing up.

Larsen says he was pleased to see Melissa, Andy and Jennifer wanting the company to continue after Don’s sudden passing two years ago. Larsen says he will continue to invest and advise the crew, and plans to stay involved, just off stage.

“I have always liked working….didn’t matter if it was as a laborer or as an executive,” Larsen pointed out. “I guess its from my upbringing. So, I can’t really retire. I have got too much work to do, annoying Melissa and the crew. I will be very good at that!”

For more information, Lal, Seleznov and Raimondi should be reached at 520.296.0200; for additional information on the company visit www.larsenbaker.com.

The following commercial leases were reported to the Real Estate Daily News for the Tucson Lease Report from April 2-6, 2018.

RETAIL – Twin Peaks & Silverbell, Shoppes at Continental Ranch, Marana
Go Wireless, Inc., dba Verizon Wireless has signed a lease for a new store in a new freestanding PAD building to be constructed at Shoppes at Continental Ranch, at the southeast corner of Twin Peaks and Silverbell Roads in the Continental Ranch master planned Community in Marana, Arizona. The new store will be 2,200-square-feet and is expected to open in November 2018. Craig Finfrock and Zach Morgan of Commercial Retail Advisors, LLC represented the landlord, Shoppes at Continental Ranch, LLC, and the tenant was represented by Bonnie Arlia and Brian Gast of Velocity Retail Group. Commercial Retail Advisors, founded in 2001, specializes in the leasing and sales of shopping centers and retailer tenant representation throughout southern Arizona. [mepr-show rules=”58038″]Asking lease rate: $22 – $26 / SF / NNN[/mepr-show]

RETAIL – 5420 East Broadway, Ste 234, Tucson, AZ
Bayleaf Foods, LLC has leased 1,253-square-feet at 5420 East Broadway Boulevard, Suite 234, located within the Plaza at Williams Centre. The tenant plans to open Fruitshack Smoothies and Yogurt in the space. Andy Seleznov, Melissa Lal, and George Larsen of Larsen Baker represented the landlord.  Jeramy Price of Volk Company represented the tenant.

RETAIL – 6781 N Thornydale Rd., Ste 229, Marana
Kevin Volk and Jeramy Price of Volk Company handled a lease for 1,200-square-feet between SCG-Northpointe, LLC and Ken Sprague and Jessica Sprague, dba Stained Purity Tattoo, at 6781 North Thornydale Road, Suite 229. The space is located within Northpointe Shopping Center, which is located at Thorndyale Road and Costco Drive near Costco and Home Depot. [mepr-show rules=”58038″]Asking lease rate: $18 / SF / NNN[/mepr-show]

RETAIL- 4514 E Broadway Blvd., Tucson
Goddess Lashes, LLC, leased a 1,200-square-foot space at 4514 East Broadway Boulevard. The space is located within Midstar Plaza. The landlord, Midstar Partners, L.L.C., was represented by Nancy McClure of CBRE and Kevin Volk of Volk Company represented the tenant.[mepr-show rules=”58038″] Tenant phone: 520.561.3118.[/mepr-show]

Submit sales and leases to REDailyNews@Outlook.com.

TUCSON, ARIZONA — Si Schorr was inducted into the CCIM Tucson Real Estate Legends Tuesday at the CCIM Annual Forecast Meeting. The induction takes place each year to honor those “legends” who have built the commercial real estate community in Tucson from its early beginnings.

The following presentation was read at the induction, presented by Jim Marian, CCIM, of Chapman Lindsey Commercial Real Estate and George Larsen, CCIM, of Larsen Baker:

Si Schorr is in top story telling form.  The story starts with a lettuce farmer named Bud Antle who once owned Peppertree Farms in Marana.  Dow Chemical Company was the property owner.  Then came Lew McGinnis, a storied real estate genius.  Charlie Keating got involved.  Tucson real estate legend Robert Sarver got into the act.

But it was Si Schorr who choreographed the property that is now the centerpiece of the Town of Marana.  You see, the lettuce farmer owned the land that became Cortaro Farms/Continental Ranch.  It is quite a story, and you will hear more about it from our 2018 real estate Legend … Si Schorr.

Not many of us knew Tucson in 1957.  That is when Si and his bride Eleanor moved to Tucson from New York City.  They came to Tucson for its healthy climate.  Their introduction to our town in 1956 was via the Benson Highway in a Ford convertible.  It was some honeymoon trip!

Si was a newly minted lawyer in 1957, and in those days, young lawyers were mentored by the likes of Roy Drachman and Evo DeConcini.  They told Si to get involved and help mold Tucson’s future. 

Si took their advice to heart.  He served on the City Planning and Zoning Commission, then later he was Tucson’s Assistant City Manager, and then Urban Renewal Director.  Later, he was the City’s Special Counsel for Urban Renewal. He helped bring us the Tucson Convention Center and a myriad of downtown buildings.

He was also a founding board member of Pima Community College and helped buy their west campus land (for $2.50/acre!).  He was chairman of the State Transportation Board and was a founding Board Member of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council.

There’s more ….  Si was Building Chair of the Tucson Jewish Community Center and the first Chairperson of the Regional Transportation Authority.  He served on the Tucson Airport Authority and the Tucson Parks and Recreation Commission.

All the while, Si was a practicing lawyer representing the who’s who of Tucson’s commercial real estate developers (most of them also Legends alumni).  Si was long ago recognized by his peers as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” for his land use/zoning law expertise.

And of course, Si played Father knows Best to his lovely wife Eleanor and his four children, two of whom are his law partners.  Quite a busy, happy, and purposeful life!

And oh the stories Si call tell!  He was here for Tucson’s highlights (IBM’s relocation to Tucson in 1976) and for its low lights (the Motorola fiasco in the late 1970s).  He was the go to lawyer for GAC, the largest land developer in the world.  He represented the land owner for the largest rezoning case ever in Pima County.  He figured out how to get Williams Centre built.  He’ll tell us some of these stories about Tucson’s past.

Si worked alongside of Tucson Legends like Roy Drachman, Bill Estes, Peter Herder, Joe Kivel, and Bert Lopez.  He helped guide Tucson’s growth and prosperity over the past sixty years, as it evolved from a small town to a big city.  Si is still contributing to our city today and, in his 8^th decade, is still practicing law as a senior partner in Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie.

Tucson CCIM Real Estate Legends welcomes Si Schorr and thanks him for getting involved and helping to mold Tucson.