PEOPLE TO KNOW / BROKERS: TEAMS /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Team Eggman
ORION Investment Real Estate Team members (left to right): Jennifer Eggert, senior vice president; Michael Achtman, senior vice president Eggert and Achtman have been working together as a team since 2016. The name “Team Eggman,” which started as an endearing nickname around the office, was eventually in 2020, becoming the team’s official name. Between them, they have 30 years of experience, specializing in everything retail. Together, they have closed more than 200 transactions including retail leases, ground leases, build-to-suits and investment sales. Team’s biggest accomplishment to date: They participated in the entire life cycle of a new development retail project in North Scottsdale, The ART at McDowell Mountain. The team participated in design meetings, handled the lease-up of the property and then the successful sale of the project, completing the circle. Cartoon version of each team member: Jennifer Eggert — “Blossom from the Power Puff Girls. Like Blossom, Eggert is outgoing, intelligent, quick-thinking, logical, analytical and is a natural leader that people look to for guidance.” Michael Achtman — “Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. Like Buzz, Achtman is a leader and has a never-say-die spirit.”
Retail team
Velocity Retail Group Team members (left to right): Darren Pitts, executive vice president, co-founder; Dave Cheatham, president, co-founder Cheatham and Pitts have been partners since 1996, with Cheatham starting in the business in 1984. Beyond their reputation and experience in retail, both Cheatham and Pitts have built a company that is known as a market innovator with personnel who are thought leaders and best practice creators within the CRE industry. Both are nationally recognized in creating performance-based teams while applying technology to manage transactions. Team’s biggest accomplishment to date: Pitts and Cheatham continually shift to where the market demands. At the height of the pandemic, they redirected Velocity’s business practice to focus on business with a broader footprint, resulting in new and innovative business currently in 11 states outside of Arizona. The overall business doubled as a result.
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PEOPLE AND PROJECTS TO KNOW // 2024
Cartoon version of each team member: Darren Pitts — “The Road Runner. The Road Runner is known for his incredible speed and always being a step ahead.” Dave Cheatham —
“Johnny Quest. Brave, courageous, thoughtful and loyal to his friends and family. Johnny is quick on his feet, usually able to think of a plan to get him out of any situation.”