Dean Kissos
Principal

Dean Kissos started his professional career with The Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, one of the premier mall developers in the United States, in 1980. Dean ultimately became a member of the senior management staff at Debartolo. Dean was an integral member of the team that took DeBartolo public in 1994. Debartolo was merged into The Simon Property Group, with a market capitalization of over $20 billion. Dean led much of the financial structuring and a best practice review for the merger transition. In 1996, Dean was recruited by the Pizzuti Companies, a major industrial and office developer in the United States, to restructure the company. Dean secured a substantial institutional equity investment, after the restructure, enabling the company to almost triple its size, increase its competitiveness in existing markets and permitting successful expansion into new markets.

While working at DeBartolo and Pizzuti, Dean reviewed all major capital projects standardizing project presentation, return analysis, and establishing benchmark criteria and hurdle rates based upon a blended cost of capital. Dean was responsible for review and analysis of all developments and potential acquisitions. Dean also managed a staff of financial professionals whose responsibilities included cash management, solicitation and management of lender relationships, and interface with tax and budgeting functions to ensure accurate financial reports to management and shareholders.

In 2003, Dean formed K2 Group with another financial executive. The mission of K2 Group, LLC is to source commercial real estate opportunities for institutional investors, provide sourcing for both debt and equity financing and provide consulting services to commercial real estate clients in meeting development expertise, capital structuring requirements, and executive management needs. Organized in late 2003, the company immediately became involved in various consulting assignments with investment and commercial real estate firms such as TOM Capital, U.S. Properties Group, and Veranda Partners in the U.S. and Canada. During 2004 to further the firm’s business and investment activities, K2 started the Shoppes at River Ridge, a 105,000 square foot lifestyle center in Dublin, Ohio.

Dean has a law degree and masters in business administration from Akron University, BS/BA from Ohio State University. He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association. He has been a guest lecturer at The Fisher College of Business, Wharton School of Business and Akron University. He is a member of and has been a panel speaker at the Urban Land Institute and The International Council of Shopping Centers.