Jim Mertz
Senior Managing Director, Self Storage
Jim Mertz is the Senior Managing Director, Self Storage with Peterson Companies, one of the largest real estate companies in the Washington, DC, Region with a reputation for developing notable projects like Virginia Gateway, Fair Lakes and National Harbor. Jim joined Peterson Cos in 2014 to lead the development effort for Promenade at Virginia Gateway and the region’s first Cabela’s store in Gainesville, VA. In addition, he is responsible for the development of Topgolf & IFLY at Commonwealth Center and opened Peterson Cos first self-storage facility in Loudoun County, VA. In 2021, Peterson Cos decided to launch a new division focused on self-storage development and Jim was tapped to lead this new division.
Prior to joining Peterson Cos, Jim was an Executive Vice President for Dallas-based Carbon Thompson Development where he worked for 12 years. In his role with Carbon Thompson, Jim opened the Northern Virginia office and completed over $80 million dollars in development activities in Loudoun and Arlington Counties.
Jim is the President of the Virginia Self Storage Association.
Jim graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance. Jim also attended the University of North Texas, where he earned his Master of Business Administration in real estate. He earned the prestigious CPM and CCIM designations and is a licensed real estate broker in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Texas, Florida and North Carolina.
FUN FACT: Jim owns a 2005 Harley Heritage Classic and enjoys riding whenever possible.
FAVORITE PROJECT: Developing the first self-storage project for the Peterson Companies and learning all the ins and outs of self-storage development.