Darin Ferguson, CCIM, SIOR

President

Darin began his career in real estate in 1994 and was quickly named the top producer for sales and leases at the largest commercial brokerage firm in Iowa. With plans to own his own company, Darin founded Ferguson Commercial Real Estate Services in 1999. Representing both buyers and sellers of commercial real estate assets across all market segments, Darin is involved in conducting complex negotiations, planning growth patterns for expansions, conducting market surveys, and developing targeted marketing plans for properties. In addition to overseeing the brokerage business, Darin has also expanded his expertise to include property management and development.

Education/Designations

  • - University of Northern Iowa, 1994 B.A. in Finance and Real Estate
  • - Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM)
  • - Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR)

Professional Designations & Affiliations

  • - International Council of Shopping Centers
  • - Urban Land Institute
  • - National Association of Realtors
  • - Iowa Association of Realtors
  • - Iowa Commercial Real Estate Association

Community Involvement

  • - Iowa Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's "Man of the Year" for fundraising efforts in 2001 and 2010
  • - Past recipient of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon's Outstanding Business Leader
  • - Member of the Des Moines Business Record's second annual "Forty Under Forty" class

Zane B. Smith, CCIM

Broker Associate

An Iowa real estate broker with over 30 years of experience in commercial and industrial real estate, Zane’s corporate clients praise him for his persistence and understanding of their needs.

Zane is a graduate of McPherson College with a degree in Business. He has numerous designations, including Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), and Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM). Zane is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Za-Ga-Zig Shrine, Royal Order of Jesters, and the local Rotary Club.

Pat Schneider

Vice President

As a native of Des Moines, Pat Schneider’s influence does not simply come from her real estate  brokerage work – instead, Pat is driven by her involvement in the community. She supports several non-profit organizations and impressively, was appointed by Governor Branstad in 2008 to serve on the Board of Directors of Iowa Title Guaranty, which is a division of the Iowa Finance Authority. Prior to her career in real estate, Pat served as the head of the United Way Foundation of Iowa and spent more than 23 years with US West Communications in sales and marketing.

Market Focus

  • - Office
  • - Medical
  • - Retail

Community Involvement

  • - Animal Rescue League
  • - Title Guaranty

Charitable Interests

  • - Proud supporter of the Des Moines Art Center
  • - Des Moines Public Art Foundation
  • - Eyerly Ball Mental Health

Craig Crossland

Senior Property Manager & Vice President

Craig Crossland joined Ferguson Commercial Real Estate Services in 2004 after graduating from the University of Northern Iowa’s real estate program. He has established a solid reputation based on his success in representing buyers, owners, and tenants across all property types in lease and sale transactions. In 2011, Craig assumed the position of Senior Property Manager for Ferguson Property Management Services. Since then, the team’s management portfolio has grown to over 2.3 million square feet across all property types under management.

Market Focus

  • - Property Management
  • - Brokerage
  • - Industrial

Education

  • - University of Northern Iowa, 2004 B.A. Real Estate

Community Involvement

  • - Past President and current Trustee of the West Des Moines Elks Lodge #2752
  • - Board Member of the Housing Corporation Board of Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at UNI
  • - Volunteer Coach for the Johnston Soccer Club

Ben Brackett

Vice President

A Des Moines native, Ben Brackett returned to Ferguson Commercial Real Estate Services in 2014 after working for the State of Iowa’s Department of Administrative Services. His experience, effectively as their corporate real estate representative, included managing a portfolio of 225 primarily office leases comprising of over 12M square feet in over 70 different markets statewide. Additionally, Ben led the Iowa Lottery Authority’s acquisition/disposition process as they transitioned into their new headquarters, and notably, represented the state in the relocation and redevelopment of the historic Norden Hall from the Capitol Complex to the East Village.

Market Focus

  • - Retail
  • - Office
  • - Buyer/Tenant representation

Education

  • - Brown University , 2007 B.A. with a concentration in Public and Private Sector Organizations

Community Involvement

  • - Board Member: Neighborhood Development Corporation
  • - Chair: City of Des Moines' Neighborhood Revitalization Board
  • - Head Coach: Des Moines Menace Academy (2001 Boys)
  • - Volunteer: Special Olympics Adult Soccer

Michael Shindler

Vice President

Michael Shindler, a Des Moines native, joined Ferguson Commercial Real Estate Services in 2014 when he returned home to begin his career in commercial real estate. His knowledge of the Des Moines area has helped him settle in, but more important to his adaptation has been his previous business development experience at a Kansas City venture capital firm. While there, Michael facilitated an investment volume of $50M through projects ranging in focus from multifamily real estate portfolios to pharmaceutical companies.

Market Focus

  • - Retail
  • - Office
  • - Sale-leaseback investments

Target Markets

  • - Des Moines
  • - Minneapolis
  • - Omaha
  • - Kansas City
  • - Austin

Charitable Interests

  • - Child Protection Center
  • - Truman Medical Center
  • - Scope for Hope
  • - Make-A-Wish Foundation

Mitch Phillips

Senior Sales Associate

Mitch joined Ferguson Commercial Real Estate Services in 2017 upon his return from his final semester at the University of Northern Iowa where he completed a double major in Finance and Real Estate.  Mitch first found an interest in commercial real estate through a co-op at Principal Financial Group where he worked in the commercial mortgage underwriting department for the southeast region.  Subsequently, he worked at Situs/Real Estate Research Corporation in the appraisal department appraising commercial properties all over the U.S.  Mitch is excited to experience the brokerage world and leverage his experience analyzing and evaluating investment properties.

Nathan Petsche

Sales Associate

Nathan Petsche began his professional journey at Ferguson Commercial Real Estate Services in 2022, building on three summers of valuable internship experience with the team. A native of Waukee, Iowa, Nathan earned his finance degree from the University of Iowa and quickly secured his real estate salesperson license after graduation. Outside of his career, Nathan enjoys playing golf and is an avid supporter of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Market Focus

  • - Industrial
  • - Retail
  • - Office

Education

  • - University of Iowa, 2022 B.A. Finance

Community Involvement

  • - Meals from the Heartland
  • - Big Brothers & Big Sisters

Roy Jensen

Sales Associate

Roy Jensen, a West Des Moines native, joined Ferguson Commercial Real Estate Services in 2024 after graduating from Wittenberg University with a degree in Entrepreneurship. Roy began his career managing multimillion-dollar homes for a custom home company in the area, gaining valuable experience in high-value property management. After earning his real estate license, he transitioned into commercial real estate, leveraging his expertise in luxury property management and his entrepreneurial mindset to excel in his new role at Ferguson. 

Market Focus

  • Industrial
  • Retail
  • Office

Education

  • Wittenberg University, 2023 B.A. Entrepreneurship

Community Involvement

  • Meals From the Heartland