Personal History
Rick DeKam was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He attended Portage Northern High School and Western Michigan University. He has been self-employed for his entire professional career. Prior to his involvement in the commercial real estate industry, Rick operated an asphalt maintenance and paving company and later operated a chain of video rental stores in Michigan and Illinois.
Rick was married in 1982 to a Chicago native, Valerie (Volkman) DeKam. They have three children: Katherine, Andrew and William. They reside in Portage, Michigan, a southern suburb of Kalamazoo. In his spare time, Rick enjoys hiking and camping, golf, motor sports, and organizing outdoor excursions for his church.
Career Path
Rick began his property brokerage career with Preferred Carlson Realtors, a full service commercial real estate brokerage company, in 1988. He has worked in a variety of capacities, but has concentrated his efforts on retail and investment property brokerage. In 1992, Rick took over the company's property management division, Preferred Asset Management, as a partner, and started a new subsidiary, Preferred Property Maintenance. On January 1, 1998, Rick left Preferred Carlson and formed a new real estate firm, Midwest Realty Group, L.L.C., in conjunction with Gary Barton.
Business Concentration
Rick has spent much of his brokerage career working with and studying investment-grade property. Rick is well acquainted with all aspects of investment property brokerage and development, including the valuation process, financial and return analysis, operating audits, value enhancement, workouts and turn-arounds, as well as marketing, leasing and selling. Rick is also very adept with numerous computer software packages, which benefits his clients through detailed financial analyses, audits and advisory services.
Memberships and Designations
ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers) Michigan CIG (Commercial Investment Group) CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) Michigan CCIM Chapter RLI (Realtors Land Institute) NAR (National Association of Realtors) MAR (Michigan Association of Realtors)
