Page 30 —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— July 15-August 4, 2015
Jules Sherwood
joined
Hol-
liday Fenoglio Fowler LP’s
Denver office as a managing
director.
He will concentrate on com-
mercial middle-market invest-
ment sale transactions in the
Rocky Mountain region as
well as providing nationwide
online auction expertise to cli-
ents of the firm.
Sherwood joined HFF from
Rockwood Real Estate Advi-
sors, where he was responsible
for opening the Denver office
of the firm, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Auction.com.
Additionally, he functioned as
the lead broker for the office
and was the broker of record
for more than 20 states and
more than 100 transactions
over a two-year period. Prior
to that, he was the regional
director of real estate for the
Western United States for
Trigild and also held devel-
opment positions at J.F. Shea
Company and KB Home.
Sherwood was a lieutenant
in the U.S. Navy and holds a
Master of Business Adminis-
tration degree from Arizona
State University and a Bach-
elor of Science from Cornell
University.
s
Mike Rhue
recently joined
Prestige Corporate Reloca-
tion
as vice president of com-
mercial business development.
Rhue joined the relocation
firm from Graebel Companies
Inc., where he had worked
since 1999.
He earned a Bachelor of
Science from Colorado State
University.
s
William Small
of Aspen and
Brian Bray
of Grand Junc-
tion were named the newest
partners
of
Rocky
Mountain
Commercial
Brokers,
the state’s
only West-
ern Slope
network of
independent
commercial
real estate
brokers.
Small,
CCIM,
of Zenith
Realty Advi-
sors is an
investment
real estate
adviser with
a Juris Doc-
tor degree
and has 28
years of commercial real estate
experience.
Bray, a CCIM designee, has
more than a decade of com-
mercial experience.
s
NavPoint Real Estate Group
added
Ian Elfner
as the latest
addition to its brokerage ser-
vices team.
Elfner primarily focuses on
sales, leasing
and devel-
opment of
retail proper-
ties along
the Front
Range. He
has 15-plus
years’ experi-
ence, includ-
ing site selec-
tion analysis
and strategic marking plan-
ning for tenants and buyers.
Notable nationally branded
clients include Culver’s, IHOP,
Firehouse Subs, Sprint and The
Joint… the chiropractic place.
He also has experience repre-
senting national, regional and
local landlords, including CNA
Enterprises, Cornerstone Advi-
sors, Pine Tree Commercial and
POB Montgomery.
Prior to joining the commer-
cial real estate services firm,
Elfner worked at Unique Prop-
erties LLC-TCN Worldwide,
Fuller Real Estate and CB Rich-
ard Ellis in Denver. In addition,
he worked for a real estate
investment management firm
based in Denver providing in-
house landlord representation
for several regional and strip
shopping centers throughout
the United States. He also was
the in-house site location spe-
cialist for a franchised Noodles
& Co. operation for the states
of Missouri and Nebraska.
Prior to moving to Colorado,
he worked as a commercial
broker for a CB Richard Ellis
partner office in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin.
s
John W. Madden III
joined
law firm
Coan, Payton &
Payne LLC
as Of Counsel.
Madden has significant expe-
rience with complex real estate
litigation, which will be the
primary focus of his practice at
the firm. He will be working in
the firm’s recently expanded
Denver office.
Madden graduated from the
University of Colorado Law
School after which he joined
the law firm of Davis, Graham
& Stubbs, serving as an associ-
ate in the estate and trust, and
corporate departments. Mad-
den then accepted an appoint-
ment as an assistant U.S. attor-
ney for the District of Colo-
rado. While there, he served in
the major trials section, trying
more than 35 cases, including
securities fraud and income tax
evasion claims.
Thereafter, Madden became
a named partner in the Denver
law firm of Brownstein Hyatt
Farber & Madden for 18 years.
Madden also served as regional
director for the Federal Trade
Commissions’ Denver office.
s
Law firm
Otis, Bedingfield
& Peters LLC
added
Kristi
Knowles
as the firm’s lead
business and transactions para-
legal and primarily supports
attorney Fred
Otis.
Knowles
has 28 years
of transac-
tional and
litigation
experience
in Colorado,
Wyoming
and Arizona,
including
assisting the seller’s counsel
in one of the largest real estate
transaction’s in Arizona’s his-
tory. She also has extensive
experience in civil litigation
and jury trials.
s
Who’s News
Ian Elfner
William Small
Brian Bray
Kristi Knowles
by Jennifer Hayes
Donna Smith admits she
always has been drawn to
male-dominated industries
– not for the challenge of
being one of a small number
of women within them but
the challenge they presented
to her.
“It’s always been an envi-
ronment I’ve been comfort-
able in and a world that
suits me, so I don’t even
think about being one of the
only women,” said Smith,
vice president of business
development at The Neenan
Co., who as a self-admitted
tomboy grew up working
in the garage at her father’s
Chevrolet dealership.
“I’ve always been bent on
a male-dominated career,”
laughed Smith.
An East Coast native,
Smith visited Colorado as
a junior in high school and
fell in love with the ecol-
ogy of the Rocky Mountains
– so much so she decided
to attend Colorado State
University to study forestry
before switching her major
and graduating with a bach-
elor’s degree in agriculture
and a minor in economics,
and a master’s degree in
land use economics.
It was during this time she
found a passion – economic
development – and after col-
lege, a profession that not
only offered her a good job
but also the opportunity to
do good work.
In her 17 years in eco-
nomic development, Smith
worked for a variety of
municipalities and coun-
ties in Colorado, including
Adams County, Broomfield,
Brighton and Loveland. It
was also during this time she
met and became friends with
Ray Pigg, vice president of
business development at
Neenan, who insisted she
should try the construction
industry.
“He always said I should
do this and I kept on saying
that I don’t know anything
about construction,” recalled
Smith, who, in 2004, took the
plunge and embarked on a
career in construction with
Neenan. “But really, what I
still do, is work with busi-
nesses and economic devel-
opment, just from the private
side.
“It has been fantastic for
me,” added Smith, who
relishes the chance to find
a physical solution to help
companies support their
business goals.
“It’s all about supporting
their business, them hiring
more people, paying a bet-
ter wage. It all starts with a
plan. I love that side,” said
Smith.
“My favorite days are the
days we do work sessions
with clients, when we flesh
out things; the energy and
interactions we get to be a
part of,” she continued. “I
love that we help clients fig-
ure out and see how a build-
ing can help achieve their
goals.”
It is these work sessions,
Smith admits, that are some
of the most challenging
aspects of her role at Neen-
an, in being open and honest
with clients and their wish
lists. “These sessions are
most like economic develop-
ment in that you don’t want
to provide incentives, in
other words build their proj-
ect, if it’s not going to suc-
ceed, and ultimately, be the
demise of the business.”
Smith’s honest approach
to clients comes from her
father’s lessons of teaching
her not to sweat the small
stuff, she noted.
“He taught me to control
what you can, treat oth-
ers the way you want to be
treated and everyone can
teach you; you just have to
be open to that kind of learn-
ing. You never know it all,
no matter how successful
you are,” she added.
Over her career, Smith has
worked on a variety of proj-
ects and multiple situations
from meeting with 15 attor-
neys from Kmart during her
economic development days
to at Neenan helping trans-
form the YMCA of the Rock-
ies to the development of the
LEED Platinum Powerhouse
Energy Institute at CSU.
Her two careers also have
afforded Smith the introduc-
tion to “the best individuals
in the business,” whom she
considers family, including
Holli Riebel, Becky Hogan
and Debbie Tuttle of the eco-
nomic development world
as well as her mentor, David
Shigekane of Neenan.
“David has been an amaz-
ing picture of leadership. He
supports you, is very patient,
thoughtful and honest. He is
a great leader by example.”
Smith also hopes to expand
her leadership role at Neen-
an, to support and mentor
the youth of the company.
But she doesn’t plan on mak-
ing a third career switch.
“I just love what I do,”
said Smith.
Smith also relishes the
“work” she does outside the
office, including participat-
ing with Habitat for Human-
ity, Humane Society, United
Way, American Cancer Soci-
ety, NAIOP, Downtown Den-
ver Partnership and Denver
Chamber of Commerce.
Like the dichotomy of
being a woman in a male-
dominated industry, her
hobbies too reflect a similar
contrast. Smith enjoys mak-
ing jewelry as well as being
a DIY’er handling tile and
plumbing projects. She also
enjoys hiking, camping, bik-
ing, traveling, spending time
with her family, friends and
yellow lab.
s
Profile
Donna Smith
‘My favorite
days are the days
we do work
sessions with
clients, when we
flesh out things;
the energy and
interactions we get
to be a part of.
I love that we
help clients
figure out and see
how a building
can help achieve
their goals.’
