Jeff Berkes

Jeff joined Paragon to lead the expansion of the company’s investment efforts in the Mountain West and West Coast states.  With over 30 years of commercial real estate investment experience, with extensive experience in all open-air retail product types, Jeff has established a track record of leading and developing teams to identify, acquire, improve and capitalize profitable investment opportunities.

 

Prior to joining Paragon in 2026, Jeff was President and Chief Operating Officer of Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:  FRT), a leading open-air retail property REIT, where he was responsible for all real estate functions for Federal’s approximately 27 million square foot portfolio, including its signature mixed-use projects, Santana Row, Assembly Row, Bethesda Row and Pike & Rose. During his 25-year tenure at Federal Realty, Jeff was also President, West Coast and Chief Investment Officer and played a critical role in growing the company’s real estate portfolio from 13 to 27 million square feet and increasing its enterprise value nearly 7-fold.  Throughout his tenure, he was a member of the Investment Committee and the Executive management team.

 

Jeff is an active member of ICSC, Urban Land Institute, and the Advisory Board for UC Berkeley Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics.  Jeff graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in real estate and finance and received an MBA (finance) from The George Washington University.