Our Leadership Team

EDWARD J. DEBARTOLO, JR

Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. is a successful businessman, real estate investor and developer, championship professional sports team owner and passionate supporter of philanthropic causes. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Mr. DeBartolo Jr. joined the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation in 1971. He served in various executive capacities, including directing the company’s merger with Simon Property Group in 1996.

Mr. DeBartolo Jr. is best known as the legendary owner of the San Francisco 49ers during the winningest two decades in football history (80s and 90s).  During his 23-year ownership, the 49ers won 12 Division titles and an NFL record 5 Super Bowl Championships.

EDWARD M. KOBEL

As President and COO, Edward M. Kobel leads DeBartolo Development’s investment strategy, execution and capitalization. Backed by the DeBartolo family and major capital commitments he secured, DeBartolo Development has underwritten a real estate pipeline of over $4.6 billion since 2003. Prior to overseeing DeBartolo Development, Ed was a partner at Fortis Advisors in Scottsdale, an affiliate company of DeBartolo Property Group, where he managed more than $600 million in real estate projects. Before joining Fortis, he founded Trinity Development with offices in Colorado Springs, Denver, Phoenix and Chicago. Trinity Development was primarily engaged in new retail development as well as value-added shopping center renovation and completed over $300 million in retail development. Throughout his professional career, Ed has devoted his time and leadership to multiple non-profit organizations and was awarded the Outstanding Professional and Community Citizenship award from Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio.

Drew M. Barkett

As Executive Vice President, Drew M. Barkett focuses on creating new opportunities, while enhancing existing assets, and in pipeline developments. Over the course of his 27 years in retail leasing and development, Drew’s relationships have helped him secure over $1 billion in deals. He has represented and leased to best-in-class retailers from small shop, specialty, and entertainment, to the nation’s top big box retailers. Prior to joining DeBartolo, Drew served as a principal at Strategic Retail Advisors and president at Turnberry Associates, after beginning his career at DeBartolo Property Group. During his tenure at Turnberry, he took the lead on development and leasing for projects such as Monroeville Mall, Destin Commons, Town Square Las Vegas, and the Nordstrom expansion at Aventura Mall, just to name a few. Drew values his long-standing relationships with lenders, developers, and the many retailers he’s worked with over the years. He’s passionate about staying on the leading edge of experiential and entertainment retail, and mixed-use developments with residential and retail components. Drew holds a Bachelor of Science in Business with a minor in Economics from Youngstown State University.

Steve Shaw, PE

As Senior Vice President Of Development, Steve Shaw is responsible for site selection, underwriting, capitalization, and execution of large mixed-use development projects. Steve has more than 20 years experience in the real estate development and civil engineering industry and has successfully worked on over 3.4 million square feet of commercial space and over 4,300 residential units. Since joining DeBartolo Development in 2011, he has led several of DeBartolo Development’s most complex mixed-use development projects ranging in value from $30 to $150 million. Steve is a Florida Licensed Professional Engineer, with a Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Florida.

SCOTT WADDINGTON

As Senior Vice President of Capital Markets, Scott Waddington is responsible for sourcing, capitalization, and procurement of multifamily assets nationwide. An accomplished real estate professional of more than 18 years, Scott brings a wealth of experience in the financial services industry, including banking, financial consulting, real estate analytics, and structured finance with a specific interest and expertise in multifamily acquisitions, development, dispositions, strategic planning and project/portfolio capitalization.  Since joining DeBartolo Development, Scott has been directly responsible for the acquisition and development of more than 15,000 multifamily dwelling units valued in excess of $1.5 billion. Prior to joining DeBartolo, he served as Vice President of Loan Originations for Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, where he specialized in originating  multifamily residential debt and equity transactions for Fannie Mae, Freddie  Mac, FHA/HUD and proprietary investment. Scott has a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics from the University of Florida.

MICHAEL WEEMS

Mike Weems works hand-in-hand with the development team to create realistic preliminary construction budgets for potential projects from inception to completion. Once the project is a reality, he oversees the project team, staying involved from due diligence through the turnover phase. Prior to joining DeBartolo Development in 2007, Mr. Weems served as Vice President of Construction for six years with The Morgan Group, Inc., a national multifamily developer. There, he managed a team of construction managers responsible for building or renovating over 5,000 multifamily units in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Colorado and California.