Joe Denker
Joe comes from a broad background in land acquisitions, entitlements, development, asset management, and finance, straddling multifamily, office, industrial, and retail real estate. Joe worked in acquisitions and development for Richmond American Homes, a national homebuilder, as well as Maverik Inc., a regional retail owner-operator. In those capacities, Joe was responsible for sourcing, underwriting negotiating, and closing land purchases and leases. He also worked on a national portfolio for Property Reserve Inc., conducting financial and market analysis for annual strategy assessments, capital improvement projects, and lease/portfolio management.
Prior to Defy Co.labs, Joe came from the structured finance team at Bridge Investment Group, one of the largest family of Opportunity Zone Funds in the country, where he secured over $1.3B of mixed-use OZ development financing nationwide. He also serviced a $1.1B+ national portfolio of value-add commercial real estate.
In addition to his passion for real estate, Joe is deeply passionate about education - childhood education as well as higher education. He enjoys connecting with students, professors, and peers to promote diverse, positive thinking.
Joe graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in Construction and Facilities Management. He also obtained a master’s degree in Real Estate Development and an Urban Planning Certificate from the University of Utah.
Les Essig
Les is a born entrepreneur from a family with generations of real estate development history. Prior to Defy, he spent 20 years building a real estate portfolio and brokerage with a special focus on urban and suburban infill properties. During that time, he owned and managed multiple real estate development projects including single-family phased lot communities, multi-family and townhome projects, and mixed-use office warehouse conversions. Les is a third-generation real estate developer. He spent his childhood landscaping projects, his college years assisting in land acquisitions, and his post-college years entitling properties.
He is a market expert on the front lines of putting properties and projects together. His brokerage slogan is “We MAKE It Happen.” The brokerage is built on applying systems and training with technology tools, a model that maximizes individual output and assists acquisition agents in being more successful. This method has closed over 1,900 transactions over the past 10 years.
Les graduated with a dual degree in Finance and Economics from Utah State University, where he also served as student body president. He values the daily activities and routines that bring about success. Les is a service-oriented individual who enjoys assisting individuals to grow and succeed in their real estate careers.
Todd Charlton
Todd brings to the team a broad range of architecture and construction experience. With over 20 years in the design industry, he has worked on a variety of projects from One World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City, NY to international projects with retailers IKEA, Nordstrom, Williams-Sonoma, and others. His design experience spans both commercial (including office, retail, and public buildings) and residential (including single-family and multifamily). He has worked for an international firm (CallisonRTKL), a regional firm (LMN Architects), and most recently for Method Studios in Salt Lake, prior to Defy Design.
Notable projects in Todd’s portfolio include One World Trade Center (New York City, NY) and the first LEED Gold sports arena in North America (Showare Center, Kent, WA). Locally, Todd has worked on the Scott C. Keller Building at Utah Valley University and theOlive Apartments in downtown Salt Lake City, among others.
Acquisitions Team
Mike DeRosa, Cheery Mata, Hayden Hixson