TUCSON (December 22, 2023) - TREND report is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Best-in-Class Broker® Awards for the second year, recognizing professionals who perform at the highest levels in commercial real estate sales in each category.
“Trend Report shares a close association with Real Estate Daily News and RED Comps, the most accurate, independently researched database of commercial real estate sales information available in Southern Arizona, so it is well-positioned to identify the top brokers in each commercial category,” said Karen Schutte, co-founder and CEO of RED Comps and Managing Editor of Trend Report. “Join me in congratulating these exceptional Southern Arizona industry leaders on their achievements.”
RED Comps’ research team verifies and records all commercial real estate sales in Pima County. From that information, Trend Report can present the “no-nonsense” Best-in-Class Broker Awards to those individual brokers who closed the highest overall transaction sales volume in commercial property sales for each market category each year. This year’s awards were calculated from Q4, 2022, to Q3, 2023, for a full year of sales.
Deal volume amounted to just over $1.8 billion for the period. The highest dollar volume was for multifamily, which achieved $515 million - a slump of 60% YOY. Only 659 commercial properties were traded during this period – the fewest since 2013, when RED Comps began tracking. Retail sales brought in the second highest volume, scoring $308 million—down by 56% YOY.
There’s little doubt that commercial real estate saw many hurdles in 2023, making data-powered information more essential than ever to investors’ and broker’s arsenals. Winners of the exclusive Best- in-Class Broker Awards represented approximately 20% of the total commercial sales this year.
Among the winners are representatives from national real estate powerhouses such as Marcus & Millichap, Land Advisors Organization, Cushman & Wakefield, and top brokers from local firms in Southern Arizona. All winners must be based in Southern Arizona. We’ve added a Best-in-Class Award for "Good Works" in the Community this year.
Trend Report’s Best-in-Class Brokers for 2023 are:
- Multifamily Sales (100+ units apartments): Clint Wadlund and Hamid Panahi of Marcus & Millichap (IPA) - Second Year
- Multifamily Sales (<100 units apartments): Allan Mendelsberg and Joey Martinez of Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR - Second Year
- Industrial Sales: Stephen Cohen of Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR
- Office Sales: David Volk of VOLK Company
- Retail Sales: John Yarborough and David Carroll of Romano Real Estate
- Residential Land Sales: Will White and John Carroll of Land Advisors Organization - Second Year
- Industrial Land Sales: Gary Emerson of GRE Partners
- Commercial Land Sales: Pat Welchert, SIOR, of Alpha Commercial Real Estate Services
- Hotel Sales: Rob Lamb of Long Realty
- "Good Works" Developer: Humberto S Lopez, Co-Founder of HSL Properties
All Trend Report’s Best-in-Class Broker Awards are based exclusively on sales volume transaction data from the RED Comps commercial real estate database, the most accurate, independently researched database of commercial real estate property sales information. The "Good Works" Developer Award was based on the most generous acts of time and money to the community.
These brokers will be honored at a Tucson-style happy hour in the new year and can use the Best-in-Class logo in future correspondence. Watch for their personal interviews in the Real Estate Daily News coming soon!
Multifamily 100+ Units Sales Best-in-Class Broker Team
Hamid Panahi • Senior Vice President Investments, Marcus & Millichap
Hamid Panahi is a real estate professional with a quantifiable record of success. One of Hamid’s strong suits is his ability to furnish his clients with precise and accurate information regarding the real estate market, empowering them to make informed decisions that ensure the protection and growth of their real estate assets. Hamid prides himself on his ability to facilitate communication that leads to an accurate understanding of his clients’ business and personal goals. Hamid takes a holistic approach to strategizing a plan to achieve these objectives. Hamid was a 2022 TREND report Best-in-Class winner.
Clint A. Wadlund • Senior Vice President Investments, Marcus & Millichap
Located in Tucson, Arizona, Clint Wadlund is a market leader in acquiring and disposing of multifamily assets. Utilizing his extensive regional knowledge and creative deal execution, Clint brings a unique competitive advantage to his clients, from large institutional investors to complex partnerships. He has contributed billions of dollars worth of successful multifamily transactions across the Southwest. Clint holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona. Clint was a 2022 TREND report Best- in-Class winner.
Multifamily <100 Units Sales Best-In-Class Broker Team
Allan Mendelsberg • Principal—Apartment & Investment Sales, Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR
Allan joined Cushman & Wakefield |PICOR in October of 2009. Allan concentrates in multi-family investments but also helps clients with manufactured housing and triple net (NNN) investments. Clients range from small private investor to large REITS. He attributes his success to being a client-first broker that looks one step ahead in the transaction process. Allan’s real estate career has earned him high praise from his clients, and he is known for his work ethic, strong communication and negotiation skills, and relationships in the real estate and banking (mortgage) industries. Allan continues to rank as one of Southern Arizona’s most active multi-family brokers. He has been involved with over $700,000,000 of transactions since starting his career. Allan previously worked for Marcus & Millichap for three years before joining PICOR. Allan is a principal for Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR. Allan was a 2022 TREND report Best-in-Class winner.
Joey Martinez • Apartment & Investment Properties, Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR
Joey Martinez joined Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR’s multifamily brokerage team in October 2019. Martinez is a graduate of New Mexico State University with a major in marketing and a minor in the PGA of America Professional Golf Management Program. His three-year golf career included playing professionally in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and competing in over 80 professional events. Martinez enjoys spending time with family and friends boating, hiking and volunteering at the First Tee of Tucson and the Community Food Bank of Arizona. Joey was a 2022 TREND report Best-in-Class winner.
Industrial Sales Best-In-Class Broker
Stephen D. Cohen • Principal, Industrial Properties, Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Steve became a Tucson resident in 1983. He Joined PICOR and became a principal in 1995 after 12 years with Grubb & Ellis Company. Steve was formerly a partner in ADM Commercial Developers, Muncie, IN (1977 – 1983). His areas of specialization are Industrial, corporate site selection, industrial investment property analysis and marketing, and industrial development opportunity analysis and marketing.
Office Sales Best-In-Class Broker
Dave Volk • Designated Broker, VOLK Company
Dave has been in commercial real estate since 1986, specializing in offce and medical buildings and investment sales. He enjoys taking on complex transactions, troubled properties, and the renovation of existing projects. He is coming off an especially busy year, recently selling 12 offce buildings for a combined $25.6 million, in addition to completing numerous leases. Dave joined CBRE in 1986, where he was one of their top producers before moving to the Volk Company in 2021. Clients range from the Fortune 50 to local non-profits, and he is heavily involved in the non-profit and behavioral health sectors. He’s won the CCIM Forecast Competition on several occasions, he has achieved his SIOR designation, and served on several local non-profit Boards.
Retail Sales Best-In-Class Broker Team
John Yarborough • Vice President, Romano Real Estate
John has lived in Tucson since 1974. In 1990 he graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Arizona where he double majored in Real Estate and Finance. John started his real estate career immediately out of college with Tucson Realty & Trust Company and became a top producer within three years. He joined Romano Real Estate Corporation in 1996 to head its Commercial Brokerage division. As Vice President of Commercial Brokerage, he has focused his efforts on the sales and leasing of office, retail and investment properties while working with investors, developers, landlords, owner-users and tenants. Since joining Romano Real Estate Corporation his production has exceeded $370,000,000. When he is not working or leading worship at his church, John enjoys golfing, morning walks with his dogs, and spending time with his wife Joy, their two sons & their daughters-in-law.
David Carroll • Associate Broker, Romano Real Estate
David has been in the commercial real estate market since 2000, specializing in retail, offce, and investment property. David prides himself on always placing the client first and delivering results that set him apart. David has enjoyed working in Tucson and Phoenix, representing property owners in both markets. David has consistently been a Costar Power Broker over the years and most recently became an Associate Broker with Romano Real Estate. Most importantly, David has been married to his wife Tanya for 22 years, and they are the proud parents of Jonathan, Joshua, and Caroline.
Residential Land Sales Best-In-Class Team
Will White • Senior Manager, Land Advisors Organization, Tucson Office
Will White has led the Tucson office of Land Advisors Organization for over 22 years. Under his leadership, the Tucson office has been recognized as the leading land brokerage company in Tucson by volume for over a decade. Will specializes in the representation of the Tucson area’s top master-planned communities and large scale-residential projects. His work with Southern Arizona’s homebuilders is well documented and the office has been responsible for Tucson’s most high-profile land transactions and assignments. Will currently represents Tucson projects with a lot inventory exceeding 22,000 future lots. Will was a 2022 TREND report Best-in-Class winner.
John Carroll • Director, Land Advisors Organization, Tucson Office
Pima County Specialist focusing on the sales and marketing of residential land and investment properties throughout Southern Arizona. In addition to being a fifth-generation Tucsonan, John utilizes his vast knowledge to provide clients with nuanced market insights. He joined the Land Advisors Organization Tucson office in 2012 and his affiliations include SAHBA (Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association) and ULI (Urban Land Institute). Having long alumni ties to the University of Arizona, John continued the family tradition by graduating from its Eller College of Management with a degree in marketing. Recent acknowledgments include Tucson CoStar Power Broker (2021), Inaugural TREND “Best in Class” Land Winner (2022), and Southwest’s 2022 Next Generation Award winners by Connect Commercial Real Estate (2022). John was a 2022 TREND report Best-in-Class winner.
Industrial Land Sales Best-In-Class Broker
Gary Emerson • Industrial Services Group, GRE Partners, LLC
A graduate of Arizona State University, Gary has brokered industrial buildings and investment properties in Southern Arizona since 1984. He was one of the top producers at CB Richard Ellis, Grubb & Ellis and Bourn Partners before forming GRE Partners, LLC in 2010. Gary has negotiated many complex multi- million-dollar transactions for national and international corporations. These transactions included large lease, existing building and development deals. Gary is married and has two daughters. He and his family enjoy the authentic Tucson lifestyle on their eastside horse property. Gary is on the Advisory Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters and is one of the top Masters competitive swimmers in Arizona.
Commercial Land Sales Best-In-Class Broker
Pat Welchert, SIOR • Alpha Commercial Real Estate Service
Pat is the founder of Alpha Commercial Real Estate Service, a full-service commercial real estate firm specializing in industrial real estate and land sales in the Tucson market. Services provided include sales, leasing, tenant representation, landlord representation, investment consulting and sales, purchase analysis and comparison for land and improved property, negotiation for lease execution, property development and build-to-suit, and sales for vacant and entitled land. He graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Finance and Real Estate Graduate and became a licensed real estate agent in 1984.
Hotel / Motel Sales Best-In-Class Broker
Rob Lamb • Realtor® Specialized in Commercial Properties, Long Realty
With over 30 years of real estate experience in Tucson, Rob Lamb specializes in many facets of commercial real estate. His strong work ethic, positive win-win attitude, and creative out-of-the- box solutions have allowed him to successfully represent over 3,500 clients. Rob and his team are committed to constantly innovating, adding new systems and strategies to stay ahead of market trends, and selling the standard for others to follow. Their enthusiasm for real estate is contagious and their dedication to their clients shows through their personalized attention and eagerness to always go above and beyond to service their client’s needs. Rob’s extensive experience in real estate enables him to provide valuable guidance and support to his clients, helping them make informed decisions and achieve their goals—including developing apartment complexes, hotels, warehouses, gas stations, and land. Rob prides himself in his ability to always be available, providing one-on-one attention to every single client, and always answering his phone.
Best-In-Class "Good Works" Developer
Humberto S Lopez • Co-Founder HSL Properties
A University of Arizona graduate and a member of the American Institute of CPA’s. Since 1975, he has formed over 100 partnerships, acquiring and developing over 25,000 apartments and other commercial RE totaling over $1 billion. Bert and his wife have donated millions to various programs at the University of Arizona. In 2023, they gave a $10 million gift to name the HSLopez School of Business Analytics at the Eller College of Management. In 2004, Bert and Czarina created The H.S. Lopez Family Foundation. In 2018, they bought a 301-room hotel in Tucson that they converted into a homeless shelter named The H.S. Lopez Family Foundation Center of Opportunity. Of all the millions Bert and Czarina have given to charities, they are most proud of the gift that created The Center of Opportunity.
Bert has served on the board of Capital Bancorp, Bank of Tucson, Sunrise Capital Bancorp, and as Chairman of Tucson Savings and Loan. Served as the chairman of the UA Foundation and the Sarver Heart Center and is currently a member of the National Board of Advisors for Eller College, other Chairmanships have included the United Way of Southern Arizona, 88 Crime, the Tucson Festival Society and the Metropolitan YMCA, and a member of many other non-profit boards. Currently a member of the UA President’s Club, the Tucson Airport Authority, and the Dioceses of Tucson Finance Council. Past appointments include the Tucson Downtown Redevelopment Committee, the Downtown Tucson Advisory Committee, the Arizona Office of Tourism, the Arizona Urban Lands Advisory Committee, and the Arizona Small Business. A past member of the Young Presidents Organization and currently a member of the World Presidents Organization. Other awards and accolades include The Man of the Year for the Tucson Chamber in 2007, the UA Hispanic Alumni Association in 2006, the Hispanic Chamber in 2003, the City of Hope in 1987, and the 2007 Rodeo Grand Marshal.
Bert continues to demonstrate his hard-working attitude to this day. “I still put in 70 to 80 hours a week,” he says. “Success is not defined by becoming wealthy. You find success once you find your passion, and once you find your passion, you’ll never work a day in your life.”