ZACH MATTHEWS
Director of Real Estate
Zach joined Bluestone in 2022 after devoting 24 years to the convenience industry working for nationally recognized convenience retailers Sheetz, Thorntons, and Pilot/Flying J. During Zach’s tenure in the convenience industry, he held various leadership roles across multiple business functions including Real Estate Development, Operations, and Accounting/Finance. Zach’s cross-functional background creates a rare, well-balanced and guest centric emphasis on strategic real estate site selection and development. Zach also studied accounting and finance at the Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis.
Serving as the Director of Real Estate & Development for Thorntons, Zach oversaw the negotiation of purchase agreements totaling over $42 million in land acquisition costs and ground leases accounting for over $8.3 million in annual rent, resulting in over $125 million in capital investment deployed on new-to-industry convenience stores and fuel centers. In preparation for the Thornton family’s sale of the business, Zach built a robust pipeline of 35 sites in 18 months prior to the acquisition of the business by BP North America in February 2019. Zach led the post-acquisition execution of the development of those sites that ultimately earned the Thornton family $100 million in contingent consideration from the sale of the business. In his combined experience at Thorntons and Sheetz, Zach was directly responsible for all existing store real estate matters relating to more than 830 operating convenience store locations.
As Director of Development for Bluestone Single Tenant Properties, LLC, Zach is responsible for the development of Bluestone’s strategic real estate pipeline, including market planning, site selection, contract negotiation, and tenant placement. Zach manages Bluestone’s network of select local real estate brokers in targeted markets, supports the firm’s efforts in the procurement of land use entitlements, and manages the day-to-day communication with our clients.