OUR TEAM

Tom Walker, Principal & President

Tom Walker brings over 15 years of commercial real estate experience to Village Creek Development. Partnering with Wicker Park Capital Management to launch Village Creek Development, the two joined forces to offer strategic residential, retail, and mixed-use development across the South, enhancing the communities in which they invest. Walker’s development experience, in conjunction with his expertise in placemaking, is what sets the company apart from traditional developers.

Walker has previously led over $100 million in development projects, including the rehabilitation of the historic Pizitz Building and remerchandising of Pepper Place, both located in Birmingham, Alabama. These projects included public-private partnerships that created value for the city, recognized by an increase in both population and entertainment options for the community. Prior to the formation of Village Creek Development, Walker served as Chief Operating Officer at Sloss Real Estate where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company and its real estate holdings.

Walker graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, including a concentration in real estate. He is also a graduate of the Leadership Birmingham class of 2020 and Class I of the Alabama Leadership Initiative. A current resident of Homewood, Walker is an active member of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama and a ULI Alabama management committee member. He serves as a Board Member for Teach for America Alabama, Sidewalk Film Festival and the City Action Partnership, a nonprofit business improvement organization with the mission to create a vibrant, clean, and safe downtown Birmingham.

AFFILIATES

Bringing years of expertise and experience, our affiliates allow us to have a thoughtful hand in every step of the development process.

  • Blake Berg

    PRINCIPAL & BOARD MEMBER

    Blake R. Berg is the Managing Principal of Wicker Park Capital Management and primarily responsible for managing the investment team, sourcing investment opportunities, portfolio management, and investor relations.

    Prior to Wicker Park Capital Management, Berg spent approximately thirteen years working in U.S. real estate acquisitions for J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Global Real Assets. In his most recent role, Blake was a Managing Director responsible for the oversight of all new investments in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions of the United States, made on behalf of J.P. Morgan’s institutional client base. During his tenure at J.P. Morgan, Berg completed over 65 transactions, totaling more than $6 billion, across the office, industrial, retail, multi-family, student housing, and self-storage sectors.

    Berg is a member of the Urban Land Institute and serves as the Chair of itsMulti-Family Blue product council. Berg was a founding member of the National Multi-Family Housing Council’s (“NMHC”) 15-person, Emerging Leader council that reports to NMHC’s Board of Directors. Berg earned a B.A. in Economics and International Studies from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

  • Sam Heide

    PRINCIPAL & BOARD MEMBER

    Sam Heide is a Principal and Chief Operating Officer of Wicker Park Capital Management. He focuses on operations at Wicker Park Capital Management as well as the acquisition, asset management and leasing of retail and mixed-use assets. Heide also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Crawford Square Real Estate Advisors. Crawford Square presently manages and leases an extensive portfolio of commercial real estate all located in the Southeastern United States. Prior to his current roles, Heide spent 10 years as a leader with a retail-focused real estate firm which at its height managed a portfolio of more than eleven million square feet.

    Heide is a graduate of Leadership Birmingham and was named to the Birmingham Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40” in 2014. In 2020, Heide was listed by Chain Store Age as one of real estate’s rising stars and appeared in the national publication’s Top 10 Under 40 list. Heide has served as President of the Board of the American Cancer Society’s Central Alabama Chapter and the President of the Board of Smile-a-Mile, an organization that provides unforgettable recreational and educational experiences for young cancer patients and their families. He also has completed multiple terms as a Board Member of REV Birmingham (a not-for-profit that has been instrumental in the revitalization of downtown Birmingham) and as a member of the Executive Leadership Team of the Birmingham Heart Walk. Currently, Heide is the Vice Chair of the City Action Partnership (CAP), a nonprofit business improvement district whose mission is to create a vibrant, clean and safe downtown Birmingham. Most recently, he was elected to the Board of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.

    Heide holds his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and a Masters of Science in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University.

  • Wood Howell

    DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

    Wood joined Village Creek Development in January 2023. In his current role as Development Manager, he is responsible for identifying and evaluating new development opportunities in the Sunbelt region. His duties include market research and managing the development process from concept to completion. This includes site selection, design, permitting, and construction. He also plays an integral role in VCD’s financial modeling, investor relations, asset management, and dispositions. Prior to joining Village Creek Development, Wood worked with our partner ,Wicker Park Capital Management, for 3 years in Asset Management where he helped oversee a multifamily portfolio in excess of 3,600 units. Wood graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama Honors College where he earned a B.S. in both Finance and Economics.