Colton and Stan Sanchez, Walt Jr. and Wally Brown (left to right); photo courtesy of Diversified Partners
For Walt Brown Jr., leadership has never been about having all the answers. It’s about creating an environment where other people can discover theirs.
That philosophy has guided Diversified Partners since its earliest days and continues to shape the Scottsdale-based commercial real estate firm’s growth today. While the company has expanded across development, brokerage and investment sales, Brown believes its greatest success isn’t measured by the projects it delivers but by the people it develops.
“Finding what you love, treating others around you better than you treat yourself and allowing people to grow have always been the basic principles of what we’ve built Diversified Partners on,” Brown says. “When people are passionate about what they do, everything else follows.”
Brown credits his parents with shaping that mindset.
“My mom and dad had an amazing work ethic,” he says. “They taught me how to focus, execute and grow. But more importantly, they taught me to care about the people around me, allowing them to do the work they wanted to do, not just the work they had to do.”
Those lessons became the foundation of his leadership philosophy: helping people discover where they can make the greatest impact, trusting them with meaningful responsibility and creating opportunities for them to grow.
That philosophy influenced one of the most important decisions Brown has made.
He had been recruiting me for years, as a longtime commercial real estate veteran, telling me it wasn’t just my experience he admired but also the way I invested in the people around me – mirroring his belief that developing people is just as important as developing projects.
This is reflected in the strong culture across the company.
“Having Stan beside me [as managing director] makes everything easier,” Brown says. “He’s an amazing mentor, not only to his son and my son, but to everyone in the office. He truly cares and spends so much extra time helping each and every person grow.”
That commitment to mentorship has naturally extended into the next generation.
Brown encouraged his son, Wally, to build his own career before joining the family business. After earning degrees in business management and entrepreneurship, Wally became one of his company’s top-performing technology sales professionals before deciding to join Diversified Partners, bringing a technology-driven perspective to development and brokerage.
At the same time, I encouraged my son, Colton, to return to Arizona after building a career in institutional finance and global investment markets throughout Latin America. I thought his background would be a great addition to what we were building. And I think Colton saw the momentum we had and wanted to be part of it.
Today, Wally Brown and Colton Sanchez work alongside their fathers across brokerage, development and investment sales, contributing to projects that include The Lakefront in Scottsdale and the Ironwood & Ranch mixed-use development in San Tan Valley while supporting an investment sales platform that has brought more than $80 million in single-tenant and shopping-center assets to market.
As Diversified Partners has grown, Brown says his own leadership style has evolved. “I seem to make much smaller and less important decisions because of the people that I have surrounded myself with,” he says. “They’re all so smart that it’s really neat to watch them execute, while I simply hold onto the reins and enjoy the journey.”
That shift has also changed the way Brown mentors others. “I’ve learned to explain why we’re doing something and not just ask for something to be done,” he says. “We talk about what it takes to accomplish the goal, what success looks like and then I get to watch them run with it.”
Working alongside Wally and Colton has reinforced that philosophy. Brown credits the younger generation with bringing fresh perspectives and embracing technology in ways that continue to strengthen the company.
He believes second-generation talent is everywhere, from professional sports to business, although it’s a dynamic people don’t always recognize in commercial real estate. In the cases of our own sons, Wally Brown and Colton Sanchez, CRE was part of life long before Diversified Partners, with deals discussed over meals and on family trips. Now, they’re pairing that lifelong exposure with their strong knowledge of technology, completing in minutes tasks that once took their fathers days.
Finding the right people, however, remains one of Brown’s greatest leadership challenges. “You have to find people with the right personality, the right passion and the desire to accomplish something together,” he says. “I’ve always known our goals and focused on our goals, making sure people truly understood what we were trying to accomplish.”
For Brown, leadership ultimately comes back to helping people discover what motivates them. “I’ve always loved helping others. I’ve always loved to give back, and I’ve always loved trying to find an individual’s love and passion.”
That’s also what he hopes Wally and Colton carry forward. “I simply hope they’re enjoying their lives, learning, growing and having fun along the journey,” Brown says. “My family always worked way too hard to enjoy the journey. I hope they find the balance, the desire and a love for the business because if you can find what you love, the journey gets much better.”
Did You Know: At 12 years old, Walt Brown Jr. spotted something he wanted at Goodwill that cost about $2. When his mother told him they couldn’t afford it that day, he walked the entire shopping center behind his house looking for work and landed a job that same day so he could earn his own money.
