TEAM
Derek Lawton
Principal & Co-Founder
Derek is a Principal & Co-Founder of North Street Properties, a real estate investment firm founded in 2021 with the goal to capitalize on opportunities in value-added investment, development and management. Derek oversees the firm’s investment strategy, development function and all new business.
Derek began his career as a commercial real estate broker specializing in office, retail & industrial leasing. He worked at Brady Sullivan Properties, one of the largest privately-owned operators of commercial real estate assets in New England with over 4.00 million square feet of commercial space and 5,000 apartments.
Derek is highly involved in the New Hampshire community, an active member of the Real Estate Finance Association (REFA) & on the board of The Jack Trottier Foundation providing quality life grants to individuals living with spinal cord injuries.
He attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree.
Sean Engel
Principal & Co-Founder
Sean is a Principal & Co-Founder of North Street Properties and focuses on Business Development & Acquisitions.
Focused on sourcing & identifying new investment opportunities, developing strategic relationships & capital raising efforts for North Street Properties.
Prior to North Street Properties, Sean worked for the Steele Group. He was an original team lead for their downtown Boston, MA tenant representation team. Representing office, manufacturing & life science companies in over 1.5 million sf of lease transactions, from startups to publicly traded companies.
Sean is an active member of the The Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP)
Mike Bean
Acquisitions Associate
Mike joined the North Street team in October of 2023. As an Associate, his efforts are focused on assisting the
firms acquisition approach, including financial analysis, generating new Commercial Real Estate investment
opportunities, conducting market research and underwriting of our growing commercial portfolio.
Mike is an active member of the Real Estate Finance Association (REFA) and earned a BBA in Finance from
the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
John Azar
Advisor
John is the Founder and Managing Partner of Peak 15 Capital, a capital advisory and syndication firm servicing commercial real estate operators and sponsors in identifying, sourcing, & securing their capital stack. John is also a Managing Member of MACC Venture Partners, a Southeast focus owner/operator of multifamily assets. In his leadership of Peak 15, he directs strategic development, investor and client growth, and new acquisitions and syndications. He also heads the investment committee, capital management and growth. John is also the head of the Peak 15 Coaching program for new syndicators and sponsors.
John is a podcaster and Co-Host of his own podcast called Breaking Resistance as well as being a regular guest speaker in various commercial real estate conferences and Podcasts. John serves on the boards of directors of several non-profit and for-profit organizations. He holds a BA from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte and an MBA from Boston University Questrom School of Business.