Shay Stevenson

Acquisitions Specialist & Commercial Leasing Specialist, Agent (DJR Realty, Inc.)

Working primarily as a Site Acquisition and Commercial Leasing Specialist, Shay’s role is to conduct property acquisition and transaction management for DJR Realty, Inc.’s existing commercial clients, as well as negotiate win-win commercial lease transactions.

A Texas native, Shay grew up in Denton, TX with his 4 siblings, mother, and father until leaving home to attend college at the University of Colorado in Boulder.  Shay graduated in four years with a Finance degree. From there, Shay took a more adventurous turn through his younger career and decided to see the world from a different perspective.

Six years of Shay’s life were dedicated to one goal – traveling the world by sea and land to gain life experience in the most intuitive way possible – first hand.  Shay took on the enduring and humbling challenge of sailing 50,000 plus miles around the globe visiting 55 countries along the way while opening himself up to the infinite benefits of experiencing a multitude of different cultures, customs, and people of all backgrounds.  This unique experience opened Shay’s eyes to a deep exposure into everyday life of common beliefs and practices around the globe and also provided a thorough foundation of life experience which Shay would use to jumpstart his career when he returned home six years later.

Shay quickly realized his experience in the boating industry on the performance side gained him invaluable experience for the sales side of the industry.  Shay thus began his career in sales with West Coast Sales, a leading Manufacturer’s Rep. Firm and worked as a sales & marketing account manager in the marine/boating industry. This taught Shay a keen ability to develop long lasting relationships and effectively manage a multitude of OEM, distribution, and dealer accounts across four states.

Shay developed an entrepreneur’s heart along the way as well. When an opportunity arose in 2015 with a colleague to franchise new Sola Salon Studios, Shay dove head first at it and his team began construction on their first salon.  Today, Shay’s team operates 3 Sola Salon franchises with a 4th opening in 2019 with over 90% occupancy in 100+ studios.  Shay’s group has future development plans for more markets in CA and strive to be the most dynamic, customer-service-focused salon brand in their market.

Shay’s personal real estate pursuits started shortly after he returned from traveling when he bought a duplex near TCU in TX which he still owns 12 years later.  Shay then bought and sold 3 investement properties over the course of the next few years until founding Mountain High Ventures with a close friend and super-talented contractor in 2017.  MHV went on to buy/rehab/sell four properties in 14 months overseeing the transactions, design, contract work, staging, and everything else involved in a major renovation. Thus, he developed some on-the-job project management skills while learning to risk his own capital.

Wanting to pursue a commerical route with a foundation in development, Shay was happy to meet DJR Companies in 2018 and qucikly found a home with Drew and his father Andy.  Shay’s business and life experience have been a good fit in this highly specialized, yet divesified real estate company.  Working primarily as a Site Acquisition Specialist for commercial clients, Shay’s role is to conduct property acquisition and transaction management for DJR Realty, Inc.’s existing clients, while performing business development for a fast-growing customer base.

Shay’s commercial leasing specialty is stems from his experience as a general manager for the Orange County region of Sola Salon Studios. In other words, when he has experience as both tenant and landlord, directly attributing to his ability to negotiate win-win lease transactions.

As a way to give back to his local community, Shay co-founded and currently oversees an annual 100% non-profit 5K run/walk event that has raised $120,000 over the last five years for The Children’s Heart Foundation which provides research and funding for children with congenital heart defects; whilst overseeing a team of more than 50 volunteers, vendors and staff each year.