Transwestern expands logistics group; Ryan picks regional leaders; Portman hire to pursue multifamily

Carl DeLuca joined Transwestern Development Co. as managing partner in the firm’s national logistics group, based in the firm's Houston office. DeLuca is a 20-year industry veteran who most recently led real estate development and investment for the Americas at DHL Supply Chain. Before that, he worked at Duke Realty for 16 years, serving in senior roles in capital markets, acquisitions, dispositions and national development.

At Transwestern, the firm said DeLuca will oversee its industrial development pipeline and manage regional teams across several key U.S. logistics regions. He succeeds John Thomas, who is retiring from the logistics leadership role after seven years in the post. The development company is among four divisions of Houston-based real estate services firm Transwestern.

Developer Ryan Cos. made leadership appointments in two major U.S. business regions. The company said Patrick Chesser joined the firm as Southeast regional president, succeeding Doug Dieck, who is retiring. Chesser is a 30-year industry veteran who will lead operations for Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and the Carolinas from the firm’s Atlanta office. He worked most recently as senior managing director in the Atlanta office of multifamily developer Mill Creek and previously held roles at South City Partners and Ackerman & Co.

The company also promoted 20-year industry veterans Maureen Michalski and Jason Gabrick to be co-leaders of its Minneapolis-based North region office that encompasses Minnesota, the Dakotas and the Northeastern U.S. Now regional senior vice president of development, Michalski joined Ryan in 2020 and has led the firm’s mixed-use and specialty developments. Gabrick, who joined Ryan in 2003, is now regional senior vice president of operations and will lead the firm’s construction team with expanded duties in business development.

National development firm Portman Holdings said it hired Katie Tolson as vice president of development to focus on Texas multifamily and mixed-use projects. Based in the firm’s Austin, Texas, office, Tolson is an 18-year industry veteran who has handled land development, entitlements, design and construction management for projects throughout Texas and Colorado.

Tolson began her career as a civil engineer and served most recently as vice president at Cypress Invest in Austin. Atlanta-based Portman has 28 multifamily and mixed-use projects in various stages of development across nine U.S. regions.

Berkadia added Senior Managing Director Bart Wickard and Managing Director Matt Wideman to its investment sales team in Dallas. The real estate services company said Wickard and Wideman will focus primarily on private-capital multifamily sales in Dallas and other regions of northern Texas. They have a combined 30 years of experience, with both having served most recently on Newmark's Dallas investment brokerage team. Their work at Newmark included client development, research, valuation and sales.

Wickard and Wideman will report to Mike Miner, co-head of investment sales and production operations at Berkadia, the firm said. New York-based Berkadia is a joint venture between Berkshire Hathaway and Jefferies Financial Group.

Bryan Kunze joined Matthews Real Estate Investment Services as a first vice president based in the Chicago office, as the firm expands its multifamily services in the region.

Kunze has more than a decade of industry experience. He's worked in multifamily and student housing investment sales throughout the Midwest and completed more than $450 million in transactions.

Kunze worked most recently in the national multifamily housing group at brokerage Marcus & Millichap. Before that, he held roles at firms including Modus eDiscovery and CoStar Group, publisher of CoStar News. Matthews, based in Nashville, Tennessee, employs about 1,000 people in more than 25 offices nationwide.