Local Perspective with… Walt Ramage

Today’s featured NAI Global professional is Walt Ramage, a partne r and broker with NAI Cascade in central Oregon, for the last (almost) seven years. NAI Cascade – named for the mountain range visible from its headquarters – is situated in Bend, the largest city in the region and the county seat of Deschutes County.

Walt and partners have a vision for NAI Cascade to “lead the commercial real estate industry and regional market by being positively influential, innovative, and authentic”. In addition to being forward-looking and focused on innovation, they are proud of their local roots, with the majority of the staff being born and raised Oregonians.

Award-winning

Walt is licensed in the state of Oregon. In 2020, he was awarded the “Commercial Transaction of the Year” award from the Central Oregon Association of Realtors, for his deal representing Les Schwab in acquiring the perfect location for their new flagship store in their hometown of Bend. This is the second year running that Walt has landed himself this accolade.

Questions & Answers

Q.   What does a typical workday look like for you?
A.   I roll into the office around 7:30 am, and I’m in and out of the office all day, meeting with clients, third-party professionals (other brokers, engineers, architects, contractors, etc.). When I’m in the office, I spend my time working with our team of brokers, my partner, and our director of operations.

Q.   Tell me something you love about your job or your location.
A.   You are always learning in this profession. Even after 15 years, I still learn something new every week which makes me better able to serve my clients. With that said, the relationships I have fostered with my clients is the thing I cherish the most. It is what I have built my career on and is what has been the most fulfilling.

Q.   What CRE trend or change are you keeping an eye on at the moment?
A.   Specifically, in our region, I’m keeping an eye on development land within the Urban Growth Area. There is a lack of development land in Bend, and the majority of developable land inventory is within the areas that are currently being annexed into the city. Since the pandemic, Bend has become a “Zoom Boom” town, which has put an even greater demand on housing, light industrial, and commercial services.

Q.   Where will I find you on a typical Saturday morning?
A.   In the summer, hopefully, fly-fishing with my family on one of the many amazing Cascade lakes, or taking the drift boat down the mighty Deschutes!

Q.   Please tell us a little something about your specialty or a project you’re proud of:
A.   My interest in commercial development is around turning vision into reality. For one of my first development projects, back in 2007, I had the privilege of helping bring the idea of a neighborhood shopping center in SW Bend to life, establishing a 50,000 square feet grocery-anchored shopping center on four acres.

Being the president of the development project, I also gained leadership skills and knowledge of the different facets of ground-up commercial development.

To contact Walt Ramage, email him at wramage@naicascade.com, or visit his NAI Cascade profile page here.