Chris Costa, president and CEO of Knapp Properties, has been named the 2026 Commercial Real Estate Professional of the Year by the Business Record. He will be honored at the Business Record’s Commercial Real Estate Forum, scheduled for Thursday, April 23, at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown.
The award is designed to highlight an outstanding CRE professional from Central Iowa for their professional accomplishments and community engagement.
Costa’s impact on the commercial real estate sector is evident in the letters of recommendation from those who supported his nomination for the award.
Gerry Neugent, co-chairman of Knapp Properties, said Costa’s leadership philosophy has helped to “create stability across market cycles, allowing strength in one sector to offset softness in another.”
“Chris led the company with a deliberate diversification strategy across office, retail, multifamily, industrial, and land holdings, supported by in-house property management, brokerage, and development,” Neugent wrote in his letter nominating Costa for the award.
Neugent said Costa’s impact on commercial real estate “extends well beyond individual transactions.”
“He has played a significant role in shaping industry collaboration, infrastructure planning, and long-term economic strategy across Greater Des Moines and the state of Iowa,” Neugent wrote.
He said Costa was instrumental in establishing the Iowa Developers Council, allowing for a unified forum where developers could collaborate, help navigate changing regulatory requirements and elevate professional standards across Iowa.
Neugent also cited Costa’s community involvement in his nomination letter, noting his service on numerous nonprofit and civic boards, including United Way of Central Iowa, Easterseals Iowa, Above and Beyond Cancer, the American Heart Association, the Animal Rescue League, Prairie Meadows and Iowa Confluence Water Trails, among others. This year, he is also serving as chair of the Greater Des Moines Partnership.
“Chris Costa’s commitment to community service is rooted in a belief that leadership carries responsibility beyond business success,” Neugent wrote.
Tiffany Tauscheck, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, said Costa “exemplifies excellence in commercial real estate through his sustained professional success, ethical leadership, and deep commitment to the Central Iowa community.”
“Throughout his career at Knapp Properties, Chris has played a key role in advancing impactful development projects that have strengthened the region’s economic vitality and enhanced the quality of life in Greater Des Moines,” she wrote in a letter supporting Costa’s nomination. “His work reflects both strategic vision and consistent execution, earning him the respect of peers, partners, and clients across the industry.”
“Chris is a thoughtful advocate for smart growth, innovation and partnership-driven development, and he consistently works to elevate the industry as a whole,” Tauscheck wrote.
Learn more about Costa and his views of the Des Moines commercial real estate market and its future in the Business Record’s Annual Real Estate Magazine, which is handed out at the April forum and inserts in the weekly edition of the Business Record.
Previous CRE Professional of the Year recipients include Bill Wright, vice president at CBRE; Justin Lossner, senior managing director at JLL; Kris Saddoris, vice president of development at Hubbell Realty Co.; Gerry Neugent of Knapp Properties; Rick Tollakson of Hubbell Realty Co.; Richard Hurd of Hurd Real Estate Services; Jake Christensen of Christensen Development; Jennifer Cooper of Bankers Trust Co.; Kevin Crowley of NAI Iowa Realty Commercial; Mark Rupprecht of R&R Realty Group; Brad Schoenfelder of Ryan Cos. US Inc.
