Phil Cattanach
Senior manager, real estate development at Opus Development Co.
After serving as a company commander for the Army, Phil Cattanach, 37, returned to his hometown of St. Paul, earned an MBA and launched a career in construction. He joined Minnetonka-based Opus Design Build as a business development manager in 2004 and played integral roles in many of Opus' most visible projects. They include the Medtronic cardiac rhythm disease management campus in Mounds View, the Woodbury Lakes Lifestyle Center in Woodbury, several Gander Mountain stores in the southeastern United States and the Shoppes at Dawley Farm retail development in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Cattanach has now moved into development, joining Opus Development Co.'s Minneapolis office as a senior manager, real estate development, and is working on projects throughout the Midwest. His responsibilities include identifying and acquiring land, obtaining governmental approvals and entitlements, coordinating design/construction, and overseeing the marketing and leasing of projects.
Q: How did the Army serve as a good training ground for your career?
A: Initially, I looked at the commonalities between the military and construction as far as having some tangible skills that would transfer over, like time management and organizational and leadership skills. Also, in the military we oftentimes look at what are some of the biggest risks that we'll potentially face on a mission. Oftentimes, that risk mitigation — although it's a different type of risk — certainly applies to development. In many cases, there's a scenario that could potentially disrupt or undermine the ability to successfully complete a project.
Q: Why did you move from construction to development?
A: As time went on, I found an attraction and excitement to the real estate and development side — really being involved upfront and putting together some of the different pieces required to make a deal happen. I just found that exhilarating. Completing my MBA allowed for a great exposure to some of the financial aspects that go into transactions and projects. And blending that with my background on the construction side seemed that I could hit the ground running.
Q: What are you currently working on?
A: We're looking at some land positions in some Twin Cities suburbs that we've identified as strong candidates for development opportunities. I can't be too specific on where they are, because they're in various stages of letters of intent or acceptance from landowners. It's a variety of products — office, industrial — or what we sometimes term as "flex space" [a combination of light manufacturing and office space] — medical office as well as some retail opportunities.
Liz Wolf is a freelance writer in Eagan. She can be reached at wolfliz99@aol.com.
