FORT WORTH, TX – Trademark Property Company (Trademark), a national developer, owner, and operator of mixed-use real estate, today announced the appointment of Kevin Kessinger as its President and Chief Operating Officer. With decades of experience structuring, directing, and managing commercial real estate platforms and operating teams for prestigious companies such as ShopCore Properties and DDR, Kessinger brings bold ideas and growth plans to cement Trademark’s position at the top of the industry.
Kessinger’s priorities include: increasing Trademark’s footprint as an experienced and stable operating partner that can navigate the most complex projects in challenging environments; implementing best practices and systems, along with new operational innovations, such as AI-powered technology; attracting, retaining and developing Trademark’s talented team; and growing and executing the company’s robust pipeline of mixed-use and multifamily projects, as well as its institutional service business, providing best-in-class management, leasing, development, and advisory services to top owners throughout the country.
“We have attracted one of the retail industry’s brightest talents to join and influence our team,” said Terry Montesi, Founder and CEO of Trademark. “Kevin has substantial experience successfully operating large retail and mixed-use platforms for institutional owners, operators, and funds, and he will apply those learnings to bolster our operations, systems, processes, and people.”
Previously, Kessinger served as the Executive Vice President of Asset Management at ShopCore Properties, a Blackstone company. He initially consulted for Blackstone during its due diligence and acquisition of the company and then joined ShopCore full-time to oversee all transactions, asset management, property management, legal, marketing, and sustainability functions. While at ShopCore he also co-founded CoreGiving, a 501(c)(3) organization aimed squarely at tackling hunger and food insecurity for children in the U.S. Kessinger remains an active supporter of CoreGiving, which is on pace to raise more than $3.4 million this year. At Trademark, Kessinger will continue his philanthropic efforts with the company’s Make a Difference Foundation, which is a core part of its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) program.
Prior to his role at ShopCore, Kessinger oversaw the institutional funds portfolios at DDR Corp (now SITE Centers) as the Senior Vice President of Funds Management. He graduated from The University of Akron as the Valedictorian and received his law degree with honors from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He is also an active member of ICSC.
“Trademark has a proven track record of bringing original, creative strategies to both value-add and core assets, consistently growing NOI and creating substantial value in dynamic markets and varying capital cycles,” said Kessinger. “The company’s more than 30-year history in retail and mixed-use real estate gives it a unique advantage in today’s reimagined real estate market. I look forward to working alongside Terry and other leaders to expand the company’s platform as well as scale and empower team members to do their best work. This is an exceptional platform with an opportunity to be superlative.”
Trademark’s mixed-use, retail and institutional services portfolio includes Galleria Dallas, Lincoln Square, Left Bank, WestBend, Waterside, 5000 S Hulen and Alliance Town Center in Dallas-Fort Worth; Market Street – The Woodlands in The Woodlands (Houston); Dunham Pointe in Cypress; La Palmera Mall in Corpus Christi, Texas; Zona Rosa in Kansas City, Missouri; Annapolis Town Center in Annapolis, Maryland; North Point in Alpharetta (Atlanta); and Perkins Rowe in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In addition to the current portfolio, Trademark previously worked on notable projects such as Victory Park and Preston Oaks in Dallas, Watters Creek in Allen (Dallas) and Rice Village in Houston. Additionally, Trademark is well underway with establishing a formidable multifamily platform, with several new developments nearing completion of design and entitlement.