PHOENIX – Walton, a real estate investment and land asset management company with US$3.4 billion and more than 98,000 acres under management and administration, has further expanded its executive and national team as the company continues to experience significant growth and land transaction activity throughout the U.S.

“We are continuing to think strategically as we bring on new talent to the Walton team to support our rapid business growth in the U.S and our vision for the future,” said Bill Doherty, CEO of Walton. “Each person we have added to our company from the time we relocated our global headquarters to Scottsdale from Calgary in early 2020 is valuable to our success.”

Since 2020, Walton has hired 30 new employees and the organization plans to scale up in the coming months. The new executive team members are located throughout the country with two members positioned at the global headquarters in Scottsdale.

Matt Keister has been named senior vice president, business development on the global leadership team located in Scottsdale. Keister’s primary responsibilities include the expansion and implementation of new initiatives throughout the Walton Group of Companies. He originally joined Walton in 2004 where he established the company’s first U.S. office in Phoenix, Ariz., and was responsible for developing strategic partnerships throughout the country while expanding the operations as chief operating officer and then president of Walton USA. In 2015, Keister moved into a global leadership role where he supported growth within various regions in product development. He left Walton in 2017 to pursue other opportunities and rejoined the organization in May 2021.

Keister’s previous experience led him to Hong Kong and Beijing where he was responsible for the sales and marketing of a regional sports management firm overseeing events throughout Asia. He supported the Chinese National Basketball Association and led the operations for the league which had eight teams throughout China in its inaugural year.

David Peter has been named vice president, special projects overseeing various large and complex land and development assets across the Walton portfolio. Prior to joining Walton, Peter served in key leadership roles as president of two Division of the Republic Family of Companies and as chief operating officer of Geosam Capital U.S., both prolific and diversified private development platforms, where he led complex entitlements, transaction structuring and operations. Most recently, Peter was vice president and chief development officer for WBW Development, a vertically integrated Texas-based finished lot development enterprise, where he helped to dramatically grow the portfolio and pipeline while expanding homebuilder relationships.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from George Washington University and Juris Doctor degree from the Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar and has been involved in a number of advisory and volunteer boards.

Colonel (retired) Jerry Farnsworth has been named the general manager of the state of Florida. Farnsworth is responsible for all activities on the Walton asset management spectrum for Walton’s 7,500 acres in Florida. Prior to joining Walton, he served in numerous assignments spanning across his 30 years of service in the United States Army including the chief of staff for the Office of Army Cemeteries and Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), as well as dual hatting as the superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery.

Prior to the assignment, Farnsworth served as engineer, U.S. Army Central while simultaneously leading the forward deployed Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve as the task force’s lead engineer. He commanded at every level from platoon to battalion and has served in several key staff positions around the United States, Europe, Afghanistan, Iraq and multiple other countries in the Middle East.

Farnsworth graduated from the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He went on to earn a Master of Science degree in environmental engineering from Duke University and then later attended the U.S. Army War College where he earned a Master of Strategic Studies.

Justin Burch was promoted to finance controller. In Burch’s new role, his responsibilities include managing financial planning and analysis, contributing to Walton’s financial strategy, and providing direct support to the chief financial officer. Burch joined Walton as a member of the new finance team formed for the Scottsdale office in March 2020 as accounting manager. He hit the ground running and became an invaluable resource on some of the most complicated projects for the organization. During the past year, Burch became the go-to resource on syndicated development structures, many refinances and international audits while successfully managing Walton’s external relationships. 

Prior to joining Walton, Burch was the real estate account manager for STORE Capital (NYSE: STOR) where he was responsible for the accounting oversight of over $1.5 billion in commercial real estate acquisition per year. He also worked as an auditor for Frost, PLLC where he earned his certified public accountant designation.

Burch earned his Bachelor of Accountancy degree and later his Masters of Accountancy from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.