IREM San Antonio Member Spotlight
The Membership Committee uses the member spotlight to further its mission of uplifting and recognizing our current members. The depth of knowledge within this group is something that we should all be proud of. As an organization, we feel that we can all learn something from each other, but that this can only be done if we share a little bit about ourselves with one another. In an effort to elevate our membership base, IREM San Antonio has created the "Member Spotlight" where each month a chapter member will be spotlighted on our website and social media outlets. This is our chance to highlight you and your success to others in this industry.
We would love to feature you as a member! If you are interested in participating, please fill out the form below and a member of the Membership committee will reach out to you.
IREM San Antonio Member Spotlight - April 2025
Meet Dustin Christensen, CPM
What brought you to the IREM SA chapter?
I was fortunate enough to meet Natalie Smith a few years while she was at The Pearl and a few local shopping center managers were getting together for happy hour. I really only knew about ICSC before, and she opened the door to IREM. My first event was the 2024 panel luncheon she moderated, and I loved hearing about not only retail but all sectors. Then the putt-putt event showed how fun a group IREM SA is.
What hobbies keep you busy?
My current hobby seems to be as an Uber for our 15-year-old son to his early morning and after school ROTC training and then our 12 year old daughters theater, choir, golf, volleyball, UIL and whatever she decides she's going to try tomorrow. I'm also a huge fan of concerts. I have recently seen Journey, Billy Joel, Sting, Weezer and Morgan Wallen and usually go to any big 80's alternative band tours, like The Cure or Depeche Mode.
If received, when did you receive your certification?
February 2025
What is your favorite TV show at the moment?
The White Lotus
Please give us your background journey into real estate: I started as a marketing coordinator for a mall in Utah way back in 2003 after college and did things like organizing sidewalk sales, back to school events and photos with Santa. Worked my way up within that company at malls in Utah and Idaho and left after 4 years as the Marketing Manager over a large mall in Provo, UT where I had the very cool opportunity to negotiate a filming deal for the MTV movie “The American Mall” before leaving. We moved to Ohio for my wife to do her Emergency Medicine residency and it was there I moved into the Property Manager side of the industry. I managed a small mall outside Columbus where I first learned about dealing with snow removal and the importance of working with local government to help lure in larger tenants, as we did with Dick Sporting Goods. I remained there for over 3 years until we started our family and decided to move back here to my hometown of San Antonio to be closer to family. In San Antonio I stayed in malls for several years managing Rolling Oaks Mall and Ingram Park Mall and doing the marketing for North Star Mall and Shops at La Cantera. I left enclosed malls in 2019 and have loved managing large power shopping centers ever since. I was with my previous employer for 4 years and traveled quite often to Dallas, Houston, Austin and Orlando overseeing up to 12 shopping centers at a time, where I really learned to work with my tenants to be my partner and eyes and ears when I wasn’t in town. I left after being presented with the opportunity to take over for an amazing Director of Property Management who oversaw The Forum at Olympia Parkway and decided to retire after over 15 years there. A fun fact about The Forum is that it actually spans over the three cities of Universal City, Live Oak and Selma. I also manage a large shopping center in Columbus, GA that I travel to every few weeks. This company is the first privately owned developer I’ve worked for and much smaller than all the REIT’s I was at before. We don’t have tenant coordinators like my previous companies and so I have taken on a much larger role in the construction side. It’s been a great opportunity to learn so much about that side and really study plans and watch the build outs of projects like Barnes & Noble here at The Forum and then decommissioning the upper level and splitting the lower level of a former Sears in Columbus for a Floor and Décor. My current company also owns multi-family and hotels and while these assets aren’t part of my role yet, the possibility of that happening in the future is really what drew me to IREM and helped push me to finally commit to getting my CPM designation.
Please list society contributions through your job:
Throughout my shopping center career I had the opportunity to work with dozens of nonprofits in Utah, Idaho and San Antonio. We hosted their events or had promotions with nonprofits being the beneficiary. I actually took a break from the industry and worked for The DoSeum and Salvation Army where I did corporate partnerships and planned large events like galas and luncheons.
What is your favorite restaurant?
B Daddy's BBQ
What is the best vacation that you have ever taken?
Going to Negril, Jamaica with my wife for my 40th birthday.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I treat every property like it's my house and so I enjoy working with vendors and tenants who share that type of pride and work ethic to ensure our house looks the best it can.
What is your educational background?
Graduated with a Bachelor's in Public Relations from Weber State University in Ogden, UT.
Are there any fun facts or stories you would like to share about your family/children?
Like most parents, it's crazy how fast they are growing up and I hate Facebook for their constant posting of photos from years ago showing how small they were. Our son is autistic, and it's been amazing seeing his journey and growth thanks to help from organizations like the Brighton Center and Kinetic Kids and such caring teachers and special education staff at Stone Oak Elementary, Bush Middle School and now Reagan. I also can’t believe the acting talent our daughter has and the love for being front stage at her school plays where she stared as Toto in Wizard of Oz and continues to earn larger and larger roles, even winning a UIL medal for having to fill in last minute as the understudy for an actor who got sick the night before the competition.
