Dennis Eskie

Dennis Eskie formed Eskie + Associates (formerly Dennis J. Eskie + Associates) in 1969 shortly after he received his real estate license to sell residential lots at Lake Perry. Six months later he went to work for MaceRich Development Company as a site location and leasing representative for Arlan’s Department Stores. Through business associates in 1973, Dennis met and went to work with E.N. Maisel & Associates, based in Southfield, Mich., as a site location real estate negotiator. Through his tenure at Maisel & Associates, Dennis became development coordinator for the Midwest. Those duties included finding sites, negotiating land control, retail market analysis, working with government agencies on zoning and land planning, project cost analysis, major tenant negotiations, financing, marketing, leasing, management and all facets of architecture, construction and site development. By 1980, Maisel had built more than 150 Kmart shopping centers, which included opening 24 Kmart shopping centers per year by the late 1970s. Out of those 150 Kmart centers, Dennis was personally responsible for 38 of the developments in the states of Missouri, Kansas, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin.

In early 1980 at the encouragement of Mr. E. E. Wardlow, then President of the Kmart Corporation, Dennis left Maisel to begin working directly with Kmart in their early stages of creating a Self-Development Division under Dennis J. Eskie and Associates. By 1983 Dennis was developing Kmarts for his own account. In 1985, Dennis began developing for Builders Square, a building materials chain owned by Kmart, and in 1990 Dennis also began developing PACE stores, a wholesale membership warehouse chain also owned by Kmart. Since 1980 Dennis has developed build-to-suits for Kmart, Fleming Foods, Builders Square, Dillon Stores, Best Buy, Clubhouse Inn, several fast-food restaurants and other assorted regional and local tenants. Most recently, he developed the award-winning Prairie Trails West Shopping Center located at 151st Street and Black Bob in Olathe, Kansas. He also has been involved in developing residential projects, such as Woodgate Subdivision, the first energy conservation subdivision in Kansas; Redbridge Lakes Apartments in south Kansas City, MO; Tomahawk Creek Estates (Leawood, Kansas); and Rockwood Falls Estates (South Johnson County, Kansas, recognized by the Sierra Club and awarded the 2009 Johnson County Urban Conservation Award). Over the years, Dennis has been involved in urban redevelopment, most recently working with executive, legislative and administrations of city and state officials to develop the Curtis State Office Building, a 280,000 SF office building housing state department offices in Topeka.

Dennis’ strength lies in having a solid wealth of experience that has given him the retail development knowledge to work in the public and private sectors, combined with his creative ability and communication skills in dealing honestly in all facets of commercial, residential and office real estate developments and investments.