About Me
Jake Woodward is a veteran in the commercial real estate industry and has become a leader in net leased retail site selection, brokerage, and development in the Western half of the U.S. He has a proven track record of unlocking value in sites and translating client visions into reality. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, develop, or invest in commercial real estate, Jake has the experience and platform to render your ideas into reality.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Utah in 2003, his career started as an inhouse store development manager with LoveSac, a mall-based retailer (ticker: NASDAQ: LOVE). Jake eventually chaired the site selection committee for LoveSac and oversaw the opening of over 25 stores across the country.
In 2005, Jake started his own real estate firm where he successfully navigated the growth of his brokerage and development company despite the difficult conditions of the real estate market during the Great Recession.
He earned his Brokers license in 2011 and merged his real estate firm with Wadsworth Development Group (WDG) in 2012. While at WDG Jake served as a project manager and broker where he further developed his craft of being able to assemble deals, get them designed, entitled, financed and constructed. Eventually Jake became the Director of a successful division of the company referred to as the Preferred Development Division. This division was focused on the site selection, acquisition, and ground up development of net leased retail properties in the western United States. Under his stewardship his division was directly responsible for the development of hard corner real estate valued at roughly $100 Million.
Jake has personally been involved in over 100 net leased retail deals where he has done the site selection, assembled the deal, and in many cases been directly involved in the development for tenants like Starbucks, Walgreens, Burger King, Del Taco, Buffalo Wild Wings, and others in locations throughout 7 states in the Western U.S.
In the last five years Jake has developed several commercial projects under the banner of his development company JW Properties. He has completed several ground-up projects for the likes of Del Taco, Banfield, Dutch Bros, and Jack in the Box in addition to completed 6 acres of high-density residential projects in Idaho.
On the brokerage side of Jake’s business, he was a partner in Spartan Partners CRE, a boutique commercial real estate brokerage. Jake has had Starbucks as a client for over 16 years and is about to reach an impressive milestone; opening his 100th store with them. This feat equates to over $200,000,000 in sales for SBUX on an annual basis. He has done site selection and assembled Starbucks deals in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
Jake is well respected in his business dealings; he is a regular contributor on industry panels and has lectured for the MRED program at the University of Utah and other industry trade groups as an expert in retail site selection.
Jake is big on building relationships, he derives his energy for life by being around people. He loves golfing, pickleball, watching his beloved Utah Utes, and serving others, but above all Jake is a family man, he enjoys having a good time, traveling, and building memories with his wife and 4 children.
