In September 2007, Richard Ward joined Zimmer Real Estate Services of Kansas City and has opened a new office for the firm in St. Louis.  Ward’s principal areas of focus include:  shaping and advising public/private ventures and partnerships, developer selection, site selection and acquisition strategies, structuring incentive agreements between local governments and private investors, litigation support and expert testimony, and representing Zimmer as master developer for complex multi-developer projects.

Richard has been frequently retained as an advisor and expert witness in legal proceedings.  Most often these relate to questions of highest and best use of real estate and issues associated with land use controls or use of the eminent domain power.  In addition, he has assisted various communities and public private partnerships relative to strategic planning for economic development, including the cities of Tulsa (OK), Charlotte (NC), and West Des Moines (IA), the St. Louis County Economic Council, and the Greater St. Louis Economic Development Council.

He has served on ten Urban Land Institute advisory panels throughout the U.S. and Europe, including, most recently, Saarbrucken, Germany and South Bend, Indiana.  He is a frequent speaker/panelist at diverse professional and civic organization meetings and conferences, both local and national.  Richard is a regular contributor to a variety of professional publications, including those of the International Economic Development Council, the Urban Land Institute, the Real Estate Counselors, and the American Planning Association.