Executive Profiles
Executive Managing Director
Evan Gladstone is the founder and Executive Managing Director of Chicago-based NRC Realty & Capital Advisors, LLC. Mr. Gladstone began his real estate career in 1974 at Sheldon Good & Company, and has been a prime mover in the real estate auction and sealed bid venues since then. He began conducting residential real estate auctions in 1982 for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD, then for the FSLIC and FDIC ultimately selling over 4,000 houses by the end of the 1980s.
Established in 1989 as the National Real Estate Clearinghouse, Inc., Mr. Gladstone guided NRC as one of the Resolution Trust Company's major auction and sealed bid contractors selling nearly one billion in commercial and residential real estate from 1990 to 1994. He pioneered the use of sealed bid sales for commercial real estate first for the RTC and then for major banks and corporations including Circle K, K Mart, GE Capital, and BP North America. In 2002 and 2003, he was hired to conduct two landmark bankruptcy liquidations for Swifty Serve Stores and Clark Retail. Using a ‘buy one, some or all’ sealed bid format, he was able to generate nine thousand hard-money bids for the more than 1,200 convenience stores being sold, and close the transactions in under 90 days to 420 individual buyers.
Mr. Gladstone is a licensed real estate broker in multiple states and a member of many industry related organizations including National Association of Realtors, National Auctioneers Association, National Association of Convenience Stores, International Counsel of Shopping Centers, International Franchise Association and the Turnaround Management Association.
Established in 1989 as the National Real Estate Clearinghouse, Inc., Mr. Gladstone guided NRC as one of the Resolution Trust Company's major auction and sealed bid contractors selling nearly one billion in commercial and residential real estate from 1990 to 1994. He pioneered the use of sealed bid sales for commercial real estate first for the RTC and then for major banks and corporations including Circle K, K Mart, GE Capital, and BP North America. In 2002 and 2003, he was hired to conduct two landmark bankruptcy liquidations for Swifty Serve Stores and Clark Retail. Using a ‘buy one, some or all’ sealed bid format, he was able to generate nine thousand hard-money bids for the more than 1,200 convenience stores being sold, and close the transactions in under 90 days to 420 individual buyers.
Mr. Gladstone is a licensed real estate broker in multiple states and a member of many industry related organizations including National Association of Realtors, National Auctioneers Association, National Association of Convenience Stores, International Counsel of Shopping Centers, International Franchise Association and the Turnaround Management Association.
Senior Vice President
Ian Walker joined NRC in 2003 and has over twenty years of experience with a specialization in commercial real estate. Since joining NRC, Mr. Walker has managed the Downstream Energy & Convenience Retail Group and is responsible for all aspects of new business development, company sales, changes in channel of trade and divestitures. Mr. Walker’s focus is on petroleum marketers and convenience store chains and he has advised on engagements for companies including 7-Eleven, Inc., Circle K Stores Inc., Global Partners, LP, Sunoco, Inc., BP America, Inc. and RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc. In addition, he has had a major role in most of NRC’s sell-side M&A transactions, with recent engagements including Lone Star Food Stores, Douglass Distributing, Ltd. and Cox Oil Company, Inc.
Mr. Walker holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College and is a licensed Real Estate Broker.
Mr. Walker holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College and is a licensed Real Estate Broker.
Vice President
Patrick Downey has over 20 years of commercial real estate sales experience. Since joining NRC in 2013, Mr. Downey has collaborated on the negotiation and sale of more than 2,000 operating and closed gasoline stations and convenience stores and other commercial properties for clients including, Sunoco, Inc., 7-Eleven, Inc., Circle K Stores, Inc., Getty Realty Corp., and Global Partners LP.
Mr. Downey began his real estate career in 2005 at American Asset Management Services. His experience at AAMS was in all facets of commercial properties, shopping centers and malls, leasing, sales and marketing, management and contract negotiations. Patrick has a Bachelors Degree in Business Economics from SIUC. He is also a licensed real estate broker and a member of the National Association of Realtors, the Chicago Association of Realtors and the National Association of Convenience Stores.
Mr. Downey began his real estate career in 2005 at American Asset Management Services. His experience at AAMS was in all facets of commercial properties, shopping centers and malls, leasing, sales and marketing, management and contract negotiations. Patrick has a Bachelors Degree in Business Economics from SIUC. He is also a licensed real estate broker and a member of the National Association of Realtors, the Chicago Association of Realtors and the National Association of Convenience Stores.
Managing Director
Jeff Kramer joined NRC in 2014 as a Managing Director, bringing over forty years of experience in petroleum and convenience store retailing, plus extensive experience in refining, wholesaling and distribution. Prior to joining NRC, he served as Managing Member and CEO of Prima Marketing LLC, owner/operator of 89 7-Eleven convenience stores in the Eastern United States. Most of these locations were sold to 7-Eleven in 2012, with the assistance of NRC. Mr. Kramer was previously employed at Total Petroleum, where he served in a number of capacities, including Vice President-Retail (over 500 retail stores), Vice President-Wholesale Sales and Product Distribution, and Vice President-Refining and Marketing Planning. Before that, he served as CEO at Frontier Refining, leading to the successful sale of the company in 1991.
Mr. Kramer has a B.S. Degree in Industrial Engineering from Ohio State University and an M.B.A. in Finance from S.M.U. He is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program and is a certified public accountant. He is a long-standing member of NACS and SIGMA, having served on its Board of Directors.
Mr. Kramer has a B.S. Degree in Industrial Engineering from Ohio State University and an M.B.A. in Finance from S.M.U. He is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program and is a certified public accountant. He is a long-standing member of NACS and SIGMA, having served on its Board of Directors.
Vice President - Real Estate
Donnie Plunkett joined NRC in 2008 as a real estate broker with the task of selling large portfolios of distressed assets from loan servicers and homebuilders following the financial crisis. As the market recovered, he expanded his focus to selling high quality gas stations, convenience stores, excess land and other commercial properties for a variety of clients such as Circle K, RaceTrac Petroleum, CEFCO, Hunt & Sons, Marquette Financial, and Fifth Third Bank.
Previous to NRC, Mr. Plunkett founded and later sold one of the nation's top fee-for-service brokerages. A licensed real estate broker in dozens of states across the U.S., Donnie graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth with a degree in Management and earned his M.B.A. from Rice University in Houston. He achieved the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation in 2009. Donnie also has extensive experience with contract negotiation, easement sales, real estate development, and the acquisition and disposition of net leased retail and industrial properties.
Previous to NRC, Mr. Plunkett founded and later sold one of the nation's top fee-for-service brokerages. A licensed real estate broker in dozens of states across the U.S., Donnie graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth with a degree in Management and earned his M.B.A. from Rice University in Houston. He achieved the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation in 2009. Donnie also has extensive experience with contract negotiation, easement sales, real estate development, and the acquisition and disposition of net leased retail and industrial properties.
Executive Managing Director
Dennis L. Ruben joined NRC in 2004 with over twenty-five years of legal experience with specialization in real estate and financial matters. Prior to joining NRC, Mr. Ruben served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of GE Capital Franchise Finance Corporation, where he supervised all legal matters for this $10 billion business unit, including real estate acquisition, loan origination and the structuring of all major financing transactions. Since joining NRC, Mr. Ruben has managed the Financial Advisory Services group and has had the leading role in over 20 sell-side M&A transactions. In addition, he has assisted NRC clients in obtaining over $500 million in senior debt and sale-leaseback financing.
Mr. Ruben holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Iowa College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Iowa. A member of several state Bars, multiple bar associations and the American Bankruptcy Institute, Mr. Ruben has participated as a past speaker or panelist in many convenience store and petroleum industry conferences and trade shows.
Mr. Ruben holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Iowa College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Iowa. A member of several state Bars, multiple bar associations and the American Bankruptcy Institute, Mr. Ruben has participated as a past speaker or panelist in many convenience store and petroleum industry conferences and trade shows.
Vice President
Dave Shand has over 20 years of commercial real estate sales experience, proficient in single tenant retail and specializing in petroleum industry properties. Since joining NRC in 2003, Mr. Shand has collaborated on the negotiation and sale of more than 2,000 operating and closed gasoline stations and convenience stores, industrial, and other commercial properties for a total of over $2.0 billion for clients such as BP America, Sunoco, Inc., 7-Eleven, Inc., Circle K Stores, Inc. and Getty Realty Corp.
Mr. Shand is expert in portfolio analysis and valuation and is also involved with project development and managing client relations. Over the course of his career, Mr. Shand has been involved in many types of single and multi-asset divestitures by way of sealed-bid sale, M&A transaction, bankruptcy sale, auction, and traditional real estate transactions.
Mr. Shand graduated from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. He is a current member of the Chicago and Illinois Association of Realtors as well as the National Association of Realtors.
Mr. Shand is expert in portfolio analysis and valuation and is also involved with project development and managing client relations. Over the course of his career, Mr. Shand has been involved in many types of single and multi-asset divestitures by way of sealed-bid sale, M&A transaction, bankruptcy sale, auction, and traditional real estate transactions.
Mr. Shand graduated from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. He is a current member of the Chicago and Illinois Association of Realtors as well as the National Association of Realtors.
Vice President
Jake Johnson joined NRC in 2019, bringing more than 15 years of diverse experience in research, analytics, finance and real estate, while driving enterprise value in the banking, insurance, and large-scale retail industries. Prior to joining NRC, Mr. Johnson served as a Real Estate Development Manager for Kum & Go’s expansion into the Denver MSA. Since joining NRC, Mr. Johnson has been a crucial member of the Financial Advisory Services group and has been intimately involved in all aspects of NRC’s M&A practice.
Jake holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Iowa State University, an MBA from the University of Iowa, a Master of Business Analytics degree from Iowa State University and a Master of Real Estate degree from Georgetown University.
Jake holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Iowa State University, an MBA from the University of Iowa, a Master of Business Analytics degree from Iowa State University and a Master of Real Estate degree from Georgetown University.
Senior Advisor
Paul Reuter has over 55 years of experience in retail communications and marketing, with 25 years of deeply involved focus in the convenience store industry. His experience includes Publisher of Chain Store Age Magazine; founder of Retail Insights, a multi-retail industry trade publishing company; founder of the Retail Marketing Group, a New York-based marketing and advertising company specializing in business-to-business communication; founder and CEO of CSP Information Group, a communications company focused globally on the convenience store and petroleum industry whose products include: CSP Magazine, Internet-based CSP MARKETLink, CSP Conferences CSP Today TV Program.
Mr. Reuter was also the founder of the industry’s SOI [now in partnership with NACS] and has served on several retail boards. A frequent speaker at industry events, Reuter has hosted hundreds of industry meetings and events. He is widely viewed as an expert and highly respected throughout the c-store community. Reuter has played a key role in assisting companies realize and define future opportunities within their business, and he has played a crucial role at NRC in advising clients on merger and acquisition activities and growth initiatives.
Mr. Reuter was also the founder of the industry’s SOI [now in partnership with NACS] and has served on several retail boards. A frequent speaker at industry events, Reuter has hosted hundreds of industry meetings and events. He is widely viewed as an expert and highly respected throughout the c-store community. Reuter has played a key role in assisting companies realize and define future opportunities within their business, and he has played a crucial role at NRC in advising clients on merger and acquisition activities and growth initiatives.
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