Executive Team

Building on a tradition of innovation, integrity and imagination, Casto's management team is actively involved in the organization's day-to-day operations and guides the company to continued excellence and growth.

	Frank S. Benson Frank S. Benson, III joined Casto in April, 1975 after graduating from the School of Management of Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Benson is a partner of Casto and his field of expertise and specialization for the organization includes financing and management.
	Don M. Casto Don M. Casto, III is a partner of Casto. He joined the organization in 1971 after practicing law in San Francisco, California. He is a graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Law School and holds a Master's of Law degree in Natural Resource Law from George Washington University. Casto is actively involved in the company's leasing and development activities.
	Stephen E. Dutton Stephen E. Dutton joined Casto in 1995 and is a partner. He has an undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MBA from The Ohio State University. Prior to joining Casto, Dutton was a CPA with the international accounting firm of Haskins & Sells (now Deloitte) and also held executive finance positions with several private businesses. His primary responsibilities at Casto include oversight of operations, asset and liability management, capital sourcing and investment activities.
	Dixon Fleming Dixon Fleming joined Casto as a partner in 2005. He is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and is actively involved in the development and management of our southeast portfolio. Prior to joining Casto, he co-founded Core Point Capital, a private equity firm based in Charlotte that specializes in investments in distressed and turnaround opportunities. In addition to his activities for the fund, he was active in the management of several of the portfolio companies and remains a partner of the firm. Fleming is the former Chairman of Carolina Pottery, a concept and company he co-founded in 1983 and which was recognized as the 83rd fastest-growing private company in America in 1988. He founded Factory Stores of America, a NYSE-traded REIT, and served as its CEO until 1997. Fleming was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 1995 by Inc. Magazine and Ernst & Young. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
	Brett Hutchens Brett Hutchens is the partner in charge of Casto retail development in the southeastern United States. Hutchens received a business degree from Ohio University and law degree from Capital University. He practiced commercial law for several years prior to entering commercial retail development in the mid-1980s. Hutchens has been directly responsible for the development of 5,000,000 square feet of commercial retail properties in seven different states, including 1,000,000 in Florida since joining Casto in 1995.
	Paul Lukeman Paul G. Lukeman, a partner at Casto, heads up retail development. He has been closely involved with the major growth of the firm over the past fifteen years. Lukeman received his bachelor of arts degree from Dartmouth College and his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. He previously practiced law as a partner in the Columbus, Ohio law firm of Chester, Willcox & Saxbe and began his development career with R.J. Solove & Associates, a Columbus-based real estate development firm.
	Anthony A. Martin Anthony A. Martin joined Casto as president of State Street Capital, a division formed in 1995. Martin graduated from the University of Dayton in 1976, then spent three years on the audit staff of a "Big Six" public accounting firm and obtained CPA certification. He entered the investment banking industry as a corporate finance professional for a large regional investment banking firm in Columbus, Ohio specializing in the financing, acquisition, sale and joint venture of retail and multi-family real estate.
	Vadim Nikitine Vadim Nikitine is president of Commercial Centers Management, a company that manages more than 5 million square feet of shopping center, mixed-use and mini-warehouse holdings in Puerto Rico, Florida and the southeastern and midwestern United States. Nikitine first partnered with Casto in 1996 and today is actively involved with the development and management of a portfolio of shopping centers and mixed-use projects throughout the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. He is a graduate of Harvard University where he obtained undergraduate degrees in economic development and sociology and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government. In 2001, Nikitine was recognized in Caribbean Business magazine as one of the 40 people under the age of 40 who have made a significant and positive impact on the Caribbean and in 2003, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in the field of Real Estate, Construction and Hospitality.
	William J. Riat William J. Riat joined Casto in 1995 and is actively involved with the company's downtown and mixed-use development projects. He also heads the company's residential division and directs the development, construction and management of new multi-family projects and future single-family housing projects. Prior to joining Casto, Riat served as president of Newtowne, Inc. and vice president of architecture for Borror Corp. Riat is a 1973 graduate of The Ohio State University School of Architecture.
	Linda Swearingen Linda Swearingen joined the Casto organization as Executive Vice President of its Asset Management Division in May, 2002. Her primary responsibilities include overseeing the management and performance of the organization's retail shopping center portfolio as well as current acquisition and disposition activities. Swearingen's background includes extensive experience in commercial real estate finance, management and retail leasing. Prior to joining Casto, she was Senior Vice President, Finance/Investor Relations for Konover Property Trust based in Cary, North Carolina and Assistant Vice President in the commercial real estate area of Bank One Dayton. She holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Bowling Green University.