February 21, 2023
Continental Realty Corporation Realigns Commercial Division And Promotes Two Executives To Accommodate Unprecedented Growth
Blake Dickinson promoted to Vice President, Anchor and Development Leasing and Kristina O’Keefe elevated to Vice President, Commercial Division
BALTIMORE, MD (February 21, 2023) – Continental Realty Corporation (CRC), a Baltimore-based real estate investment and management company which self-manages a diversified real estate portfolio valued at more than $3.3 billion and is active in 10 states, has announced the realignment of its in-house Commercial Division and the promotion of two key team members. Blake Dickinson has been promoted to Vice President, Anchor and Development Leasing and Kristina O’Keefe has been elevated to Vice President, Commercial Division. These promotions and reconfigurations of assignments are in direct response to the increased complexity of CRC’s real estate projects and transactions, the higher volume of activity being handled by the leasing division and the need to prioritize development and redevelopment opportunities.
“It gives me great pleasure to promote two long-tenured team members to address emerging leasing and development needs and ensure the continued level of outstanding productivity of the Commercial Division,” stated David Donato, CRC’s Chief Operating Officer. “This prepares us for scalability at a time of tremendous growth for Continental. In the last year alone, CRC added nearly 2 million square feet of shopping center space.”
In his expanded role, Blake Dickinson will have direct responsibility for the leasing of anchor locations and pad sites as well as pad site sales. Dickinson, who joined the Commercial Leasing Team in 2008, will also oversee the company’s development and redevelopment initiatives. Dickinson brings more than 15 years of commercial real estate experience to this role. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Dickinson College and a Master of Business Administration from Loyola University Maryland.
In her new position, Kristina O’Keefe will manage all leasing initiatives for a portfolio of commercial properties encompassing more than 7 million square feet spanning nine states. This includes overseeing day-to-day activities of CRC’s team of six in-house leasing professionals, directing the efforts of third-party brokerage firms, supervising negotiations of new leases or lease renewals, and acting as a liaison with the brokerage community. O’Keefe will also have direct responsibilities for CRC’s in-house Commercial Property Management team, to include capital and expense budgeting, management of tenant fit-outs, and participation in due diligence for commercial acquisitions. She began her CRC career in 2009, has more than 18 years of commercial real estate experience, and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from Denison University.
“As CRC continues to acquire multi-faceted and high-profile shopping center assets through our private equity funds, these enhancements to our Commercial Division will help to better leverage the specific strengths of our professional team and make our group increasingly agile and effective,” Donato added. “Blake and Kristina are consummate professionals, widely respected throughout the commercial real estate industry and highly skilled at their craft. They consistently add unquestioned value to our assets and our investors, and bring excellence and integrity to every deal they are involved with.”
Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland and founded in 1960, CRC is a full-service commercial real estate and investment company focused on acquiring and operating retail and multifamily properties. The privately held firm owns and manages a diversified portfolio of retail centers consisting of more than seven million square feet of commercial space and over 9,000 apartment homes across 10 states, with a portfolio value exceeding $3.3 billion.
For additional information, visit www.crcrealty.com.
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