Experience

Mel Findley is an award-winning commercial real estate leader with nearly 30 years of hands-on experience guiding domestic and international retail brands through every phase of the U.S. real estate lifecycle.

What began as a summer job during her sophomore year of college evolved into a distinguished career directing complex, high-profile projects for many of the nation’s most iconic retail brands. She has delivered national rollouts and new-market entry for organizations of every scale—from Fortune 10 giants to founder-led concepts, including Home Depot, Kohl’s, Northwest Atlantic–Costco Wholesale, REI, and Philz Coffee.

In senior leadership roles as Assistant Vice President, Vice President, and Director of Real Estate, Mel developed unmatched coast-to-coast market intelligence and consumer-behavior insight. She expertly manages the entire development process—from initial market analysis and site selection, customer demographic and psychographic mapping, lease negotiation and transaction structuring, design coordination, permitting and entitlements, budgeting, and project timelines through grand opening.

In 2019, Mel founded Avason Real Estate, where she serves as a trusted C-suite advisor, overseeing corporate growth strategies from vision to execution. Current and recent clients include Astrid & Miyu, YETI, Rad Power Bikes, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Leveraging her extensive national network of top-tier brokers, landlords, developers, architects, and contractors, she consistently secures optimal sites and deal structures that maximize long-term profitability and brand presence.

Mel specializes in emerging and international brands entering or scaling in the U.S., translating complex North American real estate dynamics into clear, actionable strategies. She guides executive teams on where to locate stores based on national customer market insights, builds disciplined multi-year pipeline growth plans, and educates leadership on the critical pro forma indicators and performance metrics to quantify the investment needed to make confident, data-driven expansion decisions.

In partnership with Avason Real Estate, Segovia Partners has appointed Mel as Managing Director to lead business development and retail advisory services, forging new relationships and driving strategic expansion opportunities for brands across North America.

Education | Family

Mel graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is married to her husband of 12 years, Josh, with whom she shares a son and daughter. In her personal time, she enjoys traveling internationally—particularly to France—with her family, oftentimes eyeing brands worth bringing to the U.S.