Department: Retail Leasing

Mary Ehrenberger

As Retail Leasing & Activation Specialist at Kane Realty, Mary assists with specialty leasing in new developments such as North Hills Innovation District, West End, Park City South, and Downtown South.

Prior to becoming a licensed NC real estate broker, Mary began her career with Kane Realty in residential property management, working on different portfolio assets including Smoky Hollow’s The Line and Peace Raleigh Apartments. She is also a Notary Public.

Although Mary has lived in several states, she graduated from Millbrook High School and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and considers Raleigh home.  She currently resides in East Raleigh with her husband, Brandon, and their two pets, Juno and Finley.  In her free time, Mary enjoys volunteering as a cuddler in the UNC REX NICU, spending time with friends and family, and eating her way through Raleigh’s growing restaurant scene.

Wendi Wood Howell

Wendi is the retail Senior Leasing Representative for Kane Realty. With more than 36 years in the commercial real estate industry, she has worked as a retail broker for more than 28 years having previous experience in property management. Her expertise includes the leasing of a variety of retail projects including grocery-anchored neighborhood centers, specialty lifestyle centers, and outdoor mixed-use developments. She has leased a number of new construction projects as well as existing retail centers.

Wendi is a long-standing member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and holds both the Certified Leasing Specialist (CLS) and Certified Shopping Center Manager (CSM) designations from this organization. She holds a North Carolina Real Estate Broker License and is a member of the Triangle Commercial Association of Realtors. She has been recognized by the Triangle Business Journal for production of significant lease transactions and has been named a member of the Million Dollar Retail Leasing Club for several years by the Triangle Commercial Association of Realtors.

Wendi is a magna cum laude graduate of East Carolina University and is a former member of the East Carolina University Board of Visitors. In her spare time, she and her husband enjoy spending time with friends and family, hiking and traveling.

Sara Blackshear-Ponder

Sara Blackshear-Ponder is the Retail Leasing Assistant at Kane Realty Corporation. She brings over fifteen years of experience in customer service, administrative, accounting, planning and management.

Sara has worked in several interesting places prior to joining Kane Realty, including Georgetown University, the Cosmos Club of Washington DC and JBG Properties.

Sara enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, reading, and planning special events.

Steve Brown

Steve is the Senior Vice President and Director of Retail Leasing for Kane Realty. He primarily supervises all the company’s retail leasing activities. In addition, he is responsible for the direct execution of specific projects.

With more than 40 years as a real estate broker, 38 of which were exclusively in retail properties, Steve has experience with all types of shopping center projects, having leased properties ranging from small, unanchored specialty centers to multi-anchored regional malls to outdoor, mixed-use developments. His experience includes the leasing of new centers from the ground up as well as re-merchandising existing properties under redevelopment.

Prior to Kane Realty, Steve had associations with Rubin Strouse Retail in Philadelphia and North Hills, Inc. in Raleigh, where his focus was on traditional enclosed regional malls as well as distressed properties. Steve has been recognized numerous times by the Triangle Business Journal for the execution of significant retail leases. He was noted for the Triangle market’s largest retail lease for 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011 and 2014 in addition to being recognized for the Top Retail Lease Transaction of the Decade in 2010. He was also honored with the Lease Transaction of the Year Award for 2012 by the Triangle Commercial Association of Realtors and has been a member of their Million Dollar Retail Leasing Club for many years.

Steve has earned the prestigious Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation from the CCIM Institute and both the Certified Leasing Specialist (CLS) and Certified Retail Property Executive (CRX) designations from ICSC. In addition to North Carolina, he also holds a Real Estate Broker License from the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a member of ICSC, the Triangle Commercial Association of Realtors, the North Carolina CCIM Chapter and National Commercial Investment Member Institute (CCIM Institute).

Steve is a graduate of East Carolina University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a concentration in real estate. An active alumnus, Steve is an emeritus member of the East Carolina University Board of Visitors, having served as Chair of the Board from July 2011 through June 2013. He is also a member of the East Carolina University Educational Foundation, the College of Business Commerce Club and a Life Member of the Alumni Association.

Steve resides in Raleigh with his wife, Joanne. They have two grown daughters and three granddaughters. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time at the North Carolina coast.