Brokers – Drew Smith - NAI Business Propeties

Katie Robertson

Consulting

Office: 406.294.6318
Cell: 406.591.7131
Email: krobertson@rovepartners.com

Katie takes her love for business, real estate, and systems combining them all to run projects smoothly and efficiently. Katie’s education includes degrees in Business Administration and Office Management from Montana Tech and the University of Montana. Katie was born and raised in Montana and has managed her own rental portfolio since 2010. With a background in accounting, property management, and business consulting/marketing she added real estate licensee to her repertoire in 2019. Katie has worked alongside NAI’s Matt Robertson since 2013.

Ben McMaster

Real Estate Analyst

Email: bmcmaster@rovevaluations.com

Elli Petrik

Real Estate Analyst

Email: epetrik@rovevaluations.com

Elli Petrik joined NAI Business Properties in 2021 as a Real Estate Analyst. Elli assists in completing property evaluations throughout the state of Montana. Originally from Michigan, Elli graduated from Concordia University Wisconsin in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and moved to Montana shortly after to begin working at NAI.

Ben Rose

Evaluations Manager

Office: 406.294.6305
Email: brose@rovevaluations.com

Ben Rose joined NAI Business Properties in 2018 as a Real Estate Analyst. Ben works on all aspects of completing property evaluations throughout Montana. Since joining the team, he has completed hundreds of commercial, agricultural, and residential evaluations. Prior to joining NAI, Ben was previously a Commercial Loan Officer administrating SBA loans in many different markets. Ben, a Montana native, is a graduate from Rocky Mountain College.

Amber Wilson

Operations Manager

Office: 406.294.6315
Cell: 406.876.3123
Email: awilson@rovemgmt.com

Stephanie Nelson

Director

Office: 406.294.6330
Cell: 406.671.8264
Email: snelson@rovemgmt.com

As Director at ROVE Management, Stephanie oversees all management portfolio operations and is responsible for the portfolio’s financial performance, budgeting & reporting, project management, and client, tenant and vendor relations. She is passionate about delivering an exceptional experience for owners and tenants alike, all with an eye toward finding opportunities to maximize the value of assets in her care. Prior to joining NAI and ROVE, Stephanie spent over 11 years working for a regional investment and development company in the Puget Sound and has experience in multiple facets of commercial real estate, including investment, development, leasing and operations. Stephanie holds a BA in Business Administration from Linfield University.

Aaron Hefty

Facilities Manager

Office: 406.294.6316
Cell: 406.208.3718
Email: ahefty@rovemgmt.com

Jennifer Smith

Commercial Real Estate Assistant

Office: 406.256.5000
Email: jsmith@naibusinessproperties.com

Jennifer is a Billings native and graduate of both Billings Senior High School and Montana State University-Billings. She joined Matt Robertson’s team in September of 2024 and comes to NAI with 30+ years of leadership experience in the title insurance industry. She was elected by her peers as President of the Montana Land Title Association, served as Board Chair of the Big Sky Economic Development Authority, and numerous other industry roles. Her work in title and escrow provides a significant knowledge base to NAI, having personally closed millions of dollars in commercial real estate transactions. Jennifer is currently assisting Matt Robertson and is looking forward to the challenges ahead.

Andy Megorden, CPA

Accounting Manager

Office: 406.256.5000
Cell: 406.850.4965
Email: finance@naibusinessproperties.com

Andy joined our team in May of 2023. A Montana native, he was born and raised in Billings and earned degrees in Accounting and Finance from Montana State University in Bozeman. He spent 5 years working in public accounting at both the local and international level, specializing in construction and private equity. Andy assists leadership in decision making by providing accurate financials and creating financial forecasts for our team. Outside of work, you’ll find him on the river, camping, or bird hunting all around Montana.

Aubyn Anderson

Office Manager

Office: 406.256.5000
Cell: 406.861.5688
Email: aanderson@rovepartners.com

Aubyn joined our team in August 2022. Aubyn grew up in Rapid City and came to Billings to pursue her education while playing volleyball at Rocky Mountain College. Aubyn holds a masters in Educational Administration Leadership from RMC. With a background in teaching for the past 5 years, she also has experience in administration and leadership. She comes to our team offering up fun, order, and systems. When not at the office you’ll find her spending time with her husband, Bobby, who teaches and is the head basketball coach at Lockwood High School. You will also find her cuddling her son, Bronson, and two goldendoodles.

Haley Vannatta, CCIM

Broker

Office: 406.294.6317
Cell: 406.672.1443
Email: hvannatta@naibusinessproperties.com
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Haley’s passion is to help move businesses forward by identifying opportunities to maximize their real estate assets and lease negotiations! Haley’s 20-year career in marketing and advertising, with the 13 years as a magazine publisher and business owner, gives her unique insight into the challenges and frustrations business owners face. She loves working people to help them achieve their business goals. Haley specializes in office, but also works on retail property too. Haley has a proven track record of sales and leasing for both tenants/buyers and landlords/sellers.

Brenda McNaney

Certified General Appraiser

Office: 406.894.2639
email: bmcnaney@naibusinessproperties.com

Brenda grew up on a ranch in Eastern Montana and attended Montana State University in Bozeman and Billings. She graduated with a Finance degree in 2008. From 2006 to 2019 Brenda worked in the banking field in various roles including credit analyst, commercial lender, and commercial appraisal specialist. She began her career in commercial property valuation in 2011 where she ordered and reviewed appraisals and evaluations and completed in-house valuations for a local financial institution.

In 2019 Brenda was the first in the state of Montana to attain the AI-GRS designation. This designation is held by professionals who provide reviews of a wide range of property types, including commercial, industrial, agricultural, residential, and vacant land. These individuals possess experience and knowledge to address issues unique to commercial real estate property reviews.

Brenda joined NAI Business Properties in January 2020 as a Real Estate Analyst and has most recently transitioned to the role of Appraiser Trainee. She is currently working on attaining the MAI designation.

Ken Kunkel

Broker

Cell: 406.591.1234
Email: kkunkel@naibusinessproperties.com
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Mr. Kunkel specializes in commercial warehousing/office, land development, and all aspects of commercial sales and leasing, representing owners, investors, tenants, and landlords. His background consists of real estate transactions of both national and local clients.

A native of Billings, Montana, and resident his entire life, except when attending Utah State University, where he obtained a degree in landscape architecture and site planning. Ken was licensed in 1983 and transitioned into commercial real estate in approximately 1990. He joined NAI Business Properties in 2004 as a broker. Ken owns and manages approximately 200,000 sq. ft. of office/warehouse and storage facilities in Billings and has over 38 years of real estate knowledge and experience.

Ethan Kanning

Broker/Principal

Office: 406.294.6314
Cell: 406.672.0435
Email: ekanning@naibusinessproperties.com
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Ethan engages in all areas of commercial brokerage throughout Montana and focuses primarily on industrial, multifamily and investment products and offerings. Majority of time is spent assisting institutional or private money based multifamily or industrial investors with both acquisition and disposition. Additionally, he leads the commercial properties valuation and appraisal segments within NAI along with the data/analytics team.

He brings a decade of experience in professional sales, small business operations, and has worked on/with various local startups. Additionally, Ethan’s lifelong love of analytics, spreadsheets and finance mean that you’ll likely find him enthusiastically preparing a Broker’s Opinion of Value or a capitalization rate & cash on cash analysis for a lender, owner or a prospective buyer.

Katelyn Panella

Commercial Sales Agent

Office: 406.294.6311
Email: kpanella@naibusinessproperties.com
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Katelyn joined NAI Business Properties in 2021. Prior to joining the team, Katelyn was involved in numerous roles in Commercial Real Estate. Starting out in property management in Billings and transitioning to brokerage after moving to Las Vegas to attend school. Working at Cushman & Wakefield Las Vegas for 4+ years, Katelyn was part of a successful retail team. She specialized in working with national and local tenants and landlords in leasing and acquisitions/dispositions. When she is not assisting her clients, you can find Katelyn tending to her “tiny farm,” or at the river with her daughter and fur babies.

Brian McDonald

Broker/Principal

Office: 406.294.6303
Cell: 406.860.1567
Email: bmcdonald@naibusinessproperties.com
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In 2002 Brian joined NAI Business Properties LLC where he specializes in Warehousing, Industrial Land, 1031 Exchanges, Multi-Family properties and office leasing.

Significant Transactions: Major clients and tenant representation have included ADH, Austin Leheman Adventures, Bridger Steel, Wesco Distributing Inc. and Citi Financial.

Matt Robertson, SIOR

Broker/Principal

Office: 406.294.6308
Cell: 406.671.1158
Email: mrobertson@naibusinessproperties.com
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Matt’s process driven approach and keen market insight has assisted clients in consistently capturing unseen revenue for their assets. Investors, owners, and buyers appreciate Matt’s passion for the industry and personal approach, which has helped him develop long-term relationships as a trusted advisor and consultant. Matt joined NAI Business Properties in September 2009 and became an owner in June of 2012. Prior to joining NAI, Matt brokered commercial transactions since 2004. Matt has taken the lead in developing a strong presence in the office, industrial and investment market as well as pioneering a commercial management and valuation division.

Drew Smith, CCIM

Broker/Principal

Office: 406.294.6306
Cell: 406.672.2698
Email: dsmith@naibusinessproperties.com
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Drew grew up in in Upstate New York and graduated from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College with a degree in Accounting in 1993. He worked for a large accounting firm for a few years before heading West to Colorado where he spent almost 10 years as the general manager and part owner of a regional transportation company. Family brought him North to Montana in 2004, and at that time he joined NAI Business Properties and has been a partner in the firm since 2012.

During his tenure with this firm, he has represented both tenants and landlords in all aspects of leasing and brokerage. His clients range from large Midwestern manufacturers to West Coast distributors to Fortune 500 office users to local and national retailers. He has represented several national and regional companies including Exxon Mobil, Fiserv, Eide Bailly, Valley Federal Credit Union, Conoco Phillips, Jimmy John’s, RBC, Stockman Bank, Merrill Lynch, American Medical Response, Anvil Corp, PayneWest Insurance, and City Brew Coffee. He appreciates these and other relationships and looks forward to challenges ahead.

In recent years, investment property has become the driver of Drew’s projects and pipeline both locally and nationally, dealing in both traditional financing and 1031 exchanges ranging from $800k to over $8M. Drew earned his Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation in 2018. The CCIM designation denotes that the broker has completed advanced coursework in financial and market analysis, and demonstrated extensive experience in the commercial real estate industry. CCIM designees are recognized as leading experts in commercial investment real estate.

Michael L. Walker

Broker/Principal

Office: 406.294.6304
Cell: 406.690.2320
Email: mwalker@naibusinessproperties.com
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Mr. Walker specializes in representing both Tenants and Landlords in all aspects of retail leasing, development, as well as shopping center sales. His background consists of real estate transaction needs of both national and local corporate clients concerning acquisition and disposition. He has represented a number of national and regional companies including ShopKo, Kmart, Big Lots, Smith’s, Albertson’s, Dollar Tree, David’s Bridal, McDonalds, Starbucks, Chipotle, Petco, Jo-Ann, First Interstate Bank, Scheels, T Mobile, Taco Bell, Walmart, and US Bank. Shopping Centers sold include West Park Plaza in Billings, MT, Rimrock Plaza and Lockwood Square, all in Billings, MT. Westwood Mall in Great Falls, MT. Helena Retail Center in Helena, MT. Bozeman Shopping Center in Bozeman, MT

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
A native Montanan and a resident of Billings since 1987, Michael entered the commercial real estate arena in 1994 when he left the Principal Financial Group to join NAI Business Properties, the first and only full service commercial real estate firm in the state of Montana. NAI Business Properties was formed in June of 1994 by the two original partners, and Mr. Walker was the first associate of the company. In August of 2000, Mr. Walker was elevated to partner of NAI Business Properties. Mr. Walker has represented landlords such as Washington Corp. in Missoula, Bridger Peaks Town Center and The Kroenke Group in Bozeman and Butte Plaza Mall in Butte. He has handled dispositions for corporate clients throughout the state such as Scheels, ShopKo, Smith’s, Albertson’s, Kmart, CSK Auto, and Realty Income. Mr. Walker is well versed in shopping center leasing and tenant representation, as well as investment property sales. He has completed retail transactions and shopping center leasing in all major markets in Montana, and continues to work in these markets representing various retailers, shopping center owners, and developers. He has worked on behalf of Starbucks, City Brew, T Mobile, Lowe’s, Petco, Dollar Tree, Starbucks, Chipotle, McDonalds, and Taco Bell. He has also worked with several developers on “ground up” developments and land transactions in the Billings, Bozeman, Missoula, Helena, Kalispell, and Great Falls markets.

Tyler Samson

Commercial Sales Agent

Office: 406.294.6309
Cell: 406.671.8257
Email: tsamson@naibusinessproperties.com
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Tyler is well known for his constant work ethics, client satisfaction, and perseverance to meet his clients’ needs. On his first day with the firm, he negotiated a lease in a retail space downtown, which only gave him the confidence to open many doors and perform several transactions in no time. The personal attention Tyler gives to his clients has given him an exceptional reputation within the real estate industry in his short time thus far with NAI. His personable and professional character allows him to build and maintain solid relationships. He is always trying to find ways to give back in his community, and is a very active supporter for the Lupus Foundation of America and former member of the Billings Rotary Club.

Tyler grew up around the Billings area enjoying everything Montana has to offer. He can often be found on the ski slopes around Montana or casting his fly rod in one of the beautiful rivers. At an early age, Tyler understood the importance of real estate investments, and in college he understood the importance of helping people reach their business goals. Tyler has owned multiple successful restaurants and currently owns and operates the Billings staple, Enzo – Bistro & Wine Bar, thus giving him a competitive advantage when listing and selling restaurants across Montana. He specializes in the sales and acquisitions of restaurants, bars casinos, and liquor licenses.

Tyler has represented several clients including Rawhide Engineering, Volunteers of America, United States Postal Service, Bridge Creek Back Country Kitchen and Wine Bar, Edgar Bar, Curt’s Saloon, The Dash Inn, The Round Towne Tavern and Casino, Simply Wine and The Barrel Room Casino, Foster and Logan’s Pub, Staggering Ox, and Grains of Montana.

Todd Gainan

Commercial Sales Agent

Office: 406.294.6313
Email: tgainan@naibusinessproperties.com
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Todd was born and raised in Montana and graduated from the University of Montana in 1993 with a degree in Business Management. After graduating he was recruited to work in the family business to fill a “part-time” void and ultimately remained there until 2011. During that tenure he worked in all facets of the business and acquired a great understanding of real-world business. In the time between selling the family business and starting with NAI, he worked with a group that helped business owners prep their businesses for sale and gave those owner’s realistic expectation of the potential value.

Al Koelzer

Broker

Office: 406.294.6302
Cell: 406.591.4815
Email: koelzer@naibusinessproperties.com
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Eve Harris

Marketing Coordinator

Office: 406.294.6301
Email: eharris@naibusinessproperties.com

Eve was born and raised in Montana and graduated from Montana State University Billings with a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and Management. With her previous experience working in marketing, event coordinating, and administrative assistance, Eve made an effortless transition when she joined the NAI Business Properties team in 2019 as Marketing Coordinator.

Drew Smith, CCIM

BROKER/PRINCIPAL