Flake & Company and ARK Commercial & Investment Real Estate Collaborate in Merger

LITTLE ROCK, AR (October 5, 2023) - Little Rock commercial real estate firms, Flake & Company and ARK Commercial & Investment Real Estate, have announced their merger and collaboration. The combined company will operate under the Flake & Company namebeginning November 1.

Jessica Flake Dearnley, founder of Flake & Company, says she and her father, John Flake, are looking forward to partnering with Jeff Yates of ARK.

“I’m ecstatic to work alongside Jeff because he, like my father, is a legend in our industry,” Dearnley said. “Jeff’s experience and expertise is unparalleled. Our combined skillsets are unmatched in this market. This is my dream team.”

Yates founded ARK Commercial in 2013 and the company has a strong track record of success. He has three decades in assisting clients, large and small, with commercial real estate needs and has numerous longstanding national tenant representation assignments.

“Partnering with Jessica and working alongside John again is an exciting opportunity,” said Yates. “The experience, creativity, and dedication coming together in this endeavor will yield tremendous results for our clients.”

Iconic commercial real estate leader John Flake said it will be a privilege to work with Yates, with whom he has a 30-year professional relationship.

“Jeff is clearly one of the leaders in Arkansas’ commercial real estate sector because he has invested in building long-term trusted relationships with his clients,” said Flake. “I’m looking forward to what we, together, can accomplish.”

Yates is a community leader having served on the Little Rock Planning Commission and the Little Rock Board of Adjustment. He has also served in various industry leadership roles for organizations such as the Commercial Real Estate Council of Metro Little Rock (CREC), of which he is founder, Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), and the Little Rock REALTORS Association. He has also been a member of the Board of Director for Habitat Humanity of Central Arkansas since 2006.

Dearnley is the only female in Arkansas to head up a major commercial real estate firm with a focus on the investment side of commercial real estate. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder (CFA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and Certified Commercial Investment Manager (CCIM).

Flake & Company is a highly focused, full service, boutique real estate firm and manages over a million square feet of commercial space.