ASU alumnus grows Tucson realty firm with marketing know-how and grit

“ASU helped me become the entrepreneur I always wanted to be,” says Bob Collopy, broker and president of Fort Lowell Realty.

Collopy, a 2014 ASU graduate, earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing and was a student at Barrett, The Honors College. For his thesis project, he wrote, published and marketed his own book – an experience that served as a catalyst for his future entrepreneurial success.

“While I did not become a bestseller, I found I was able to directly use everything I had learned to build a new company and a successful marketing campaign within three months of graduating from ASU,” he says.

After earning his degree, Collopy dove into two major projects. First, he joined his parents in expanding their small, Tucson-based property management company, which had fewer than 10 employees at the time. Simultaneously, he began growing a commercial real estate sales and private equity arm in Phoenix.

It was through these efforts Collopy helped build Fort Lowell Realty into one of Arizona’s leading property management firms, offering services ranging from marketing and tenant screening to professional leasing and routine maintenance.

“Our goal is to build a long-term relationship with each client based on trust and the mutual desire to provide you with the best possible Tucson property management,” the company’s website states.

With a strong foundation in marketing from ASU, Collopy created cost-effective yet sophisticated campaigns that helped drive business growth in Tucson.

“I just needed a camera, a rode mic and a ton of sweat equity in building a good site. So, Tucson grew rapidly,” he explains.

In Phoenix, one large private equity venture eventually phased out, so Collopy shifted his focus to growing the branch’s property management, which was staffed by just one part-time manager at the time, along with starting a private equity company of his own.

“I essentially repeated an updated version of what I did in Tucson and applied what I learned from the large private equity firms, and it worked,” he says.

Since its founding in 1981, Fort Lowell Realty has grown significantly. The firm manages nearly 1,000 properties across Tucson and the Phoenix metro area, including Scottsdale, Mesa and Gilbert.

Today, Collopy is a seven-time Sun Devil 100 honoree, a recognition that celebrates the achievements and entrepreneurial spirit of ASU alumni business leaders. For him, this honor represents consistency in growth, which is a quality he values deeply in both life and business.

“I’ve always enjoyed growing things each day,” Collopy says. “The more you grow, the bigger your world becomes – and so do the problems you get to solve, which makes life more interesting.”

Learn more about the Sun Devil 100 and view the official Class of 2025 rankings here.