Esselman Joins Develop Indy Team
Catherine Esselman
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowCatherine Esselman has joined the Develop Indy team, the economic development arm of the city of Indianapolis, to attract retail tenants, work with local entrepreneurs, and assist in planning the future of legacy retail locations. She will assume the role of senior project manager, leveraging her expertise in retail and commercial properties as part of Mayor Hogsett’s broader economic development strategy for Marion County.
Esselman previously served as real estate director for Downtown Indy Inc., and was integral to initiatives such as Workforce Week, IN-Fill, Urb Appeal, Indy-Rama, and St’art Up 317, a program that leverages vacant and under-utilized first floor commercial space to create pop-up stores for young brands, startups, artists, and established businesses testing new markets. Before this, she served as a vice president of Penn Real Estate, and as a leasing director for shopping malls and lifestyle centers with SITE Centers of Cleveland, Ohio.
Esselman will continue the St’art Up 317 program in her new role, as well as focus on revitalization projects for struggling retail centers. Additionally, she will develop and manage a database of first floor commercial vacancies in key commercial corridors, and will market opportunities in Indianapolis to investors, developers, and prospective tenants.