ST. LOUIS, MO.—Opus Development Corp. is opening an office in St. Louis, Mo., and has hired Joe Downs as senior director of real estate development.
“We’re thrilled to add Joe to our team of professionals,” Dave Menke, senior vice president and general manager at Opus Development Corporation, said in a statement. “He brings along a great resume of experience that will prove invaluable as he plays a key role in building our business in the St. Louis market, which is seeing renewed activity.”
In his new role, Downs will be responsible for pursuing business opportunities in the St. Louis market across a variety of sectors, including office, industrial, multifamily, retail, higher education and government.
Downs comes to Opus from The Love Companies, where he was a vice president and responsible for pursuing and executing real estate developments, sourcing investment opportunities for Limestone Real Estate Investment Fund and managing Heartland Bank’s real estate assets.
Prior to joining The Love Companies, Downs spent more than eight years at Opus Northwest LLC, where he worked on the design-build side of the business, first as a project manager in Minneapolis and then moving to St. Louis to take on the role of director of construction, general manager. In St. Louis, he was responsible for the office’s business development, design and construction.
A LEED-accredited professional, Downs earned a bachelor’s of science in civil engineering from Marquette University and continued his education at the University of St. Thomas, where he graduated with a master’s in business administration.