Meet Dave Strachan

Meet my friend Dave! I met Dave a few years ago after a City Council meeting. Dave was making a presentation on behalf of the residents that live near the golf course. I was very impressed with his knowledge of the area and his passion for Barstow. October 1, 2007 I appointed him to the Sun Cal project committee. Below is a recent artice of an interview published by Nuwire Investment.

Upon completion of his military service in the latter part of 2004, Dave Strachan obtained his real estate broker’s license and is currently serving as a broker associate/land and mines specialist at Elite Realty in Helendale, Calif. Strachan also serves as the manager of Real Estate Acquisitions and Sales for his family’s company, Strachan Enterprises. Strachan, an Eagle Scout, graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a dual major in Government and History in 1998. Upon graduation, Strachan was commissioned as an Army Medical Service Corps officer, and served as a Medical Platoon Leader and Hospital CIO. In 2003, Strachan volunteered for, and was deployed to Kuwait in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he assisted in the creation of the medical communications network for the entire Iraqi theatre. Shortly after that deployment, Strachan was granted a very rare branch transfer to the Armor branch, where he served as an Assistant Operations Officer in an Armored Cavalry Squadron. In 2004, he completed his military service and went on to become a real estate broker in Barstow, Calif. Strachan now lives with his wife, Megan, and their four children in Barstow, where they are active members of First Baptist Church

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NuWire: What is it in particular about the Barstow market...that you think should be exciting for investors across the U.S.?

Strachan: I think there's a tremendous amount of opportunity. Barstow, just like the rest of California and the California high desert, has experienced just an unprecedented amount of investor interest and growth in the last few years. The thing about Barstow is that it's located strategically right at the crossroads of the I-15...Interstate 40, Highway 58 and the rail hub that's located here is I think the biggest this side of the Mississippi, so there's a lot of people that come through here, and...there's a lot of interest that that's brought to the area. Barstow right now is currently in the process of trying to secure a dual Indian gaming casino/resort out in the Lenwood outlet center area. Barstow was also recently designated as a California Enterprise Zone, which provides a lot of tax incentives to companies and businesses that locate out here. Home Depot recently opened their doors here to take direct advantage of the Enterprise Zone. And Wal-Mart has also announced that they're planning on building an 8,000 square foot distribution center that'll service the super Wal-Marts in the region, and they're planning on doing that out in the Lenwood area as well. Hopefully, I think through the proper marketing and utilization of the California Enterprise Zone, what it'll do in the long run is attract more companies...and better paying jobs to this area....If the jobs are here, the rooftops will follow. Another major development that's going on in the area is the SunCal Companies' Waterman Junction development; they're planning a 20,000 to 25,000 home master planned community right along the I-15....There's a number of other pending and proposed developments in the area as well, whether they be residential or commercial. There's a number of things that are happening in the area that bode well for the future.

NuWire: How has the Barstow market changed over the last few years, and how do you see it changing over the next five years and beyond, particularly in real estate?

Strachan: I think the biggest thing is the interest level has really...risen dramatically, with the interest that's been brought by those developments that I mentioned, and...those things going on, there's really been a rise in the property value and...developers that are willing to take a second look at Barstow and I think that they're coming to really like what they see....I think that they see that Barstow is positioned well for a tremendous amount of growth, that there's a lot of potential here, and...I think they see that there's an opportunity here...to get land, commercial or residential at really bargain prices when compared to the rest of California, southern California in particular....The slowdown has affected the nation and it's certainly been felt here in Barstow but because we didn't rise as dramatically as some of the other areas such as...San Diego or L.A. or Orange County, the correction has been less dramatic here. (Read more)