Dickson Flake, Colliers International co-founder and Arkansas commercial real estate icon, dies on June 30
July 13-19, 2020
By Daily Record Staff
L. Dickson Flake, the Arkansas real estate icon who co-founded one of the state’s largest commercial real estate firms and inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame on 2011, died on June 30 in Little Rock.
Flake, age 81, began his career in commercial real estate in 1965 after earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Distinction and a Master of Business Administration with High Distinction from the University of Michigan.
In 1971, Dickson co-founded Barnes, Quinn, Flake & Anderson Inc., where he was a managing partner and shareholder until 2002. After later changing its name to Colliers International in February 2008, Flake continued to work for the state’s largest commercial real estate firm as an advisor and consultant with the firm until his death.
Over the course of his 55-year career, Dickson played a role in several of Little Rock’s major developments including the 30-story Regions tower, J.B. Hunt headquarters in Lowell, Ark., Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield’s downtown Little Rock offices, USAble Corporate Center, Breckenridge Village, and Systematics headquarters that now house the FIS and Windstream corporate offices.
The longtime real estate counselor was also instrumental in commercial real estate deals involving the Arkansas Department of Human Services downtown Little Rock headquarters, the Jones Eye Institute at UAMS and Alltel Arena, which is now Simmons Arena.
Among his long list of professional accomplishments, Flake was named the Arkansas Real Estate Association Realtor of the Year in 1971 and invited in 1974 to membership in the exclusive American Society of Real Estate Counselors – the youngest person to be invited at that time. In 1989, he served as the national president of the 1,000-member real estate society.
In addition, he was awarded the Clinton B. Snyder trophy from the Marketing Institute of the National Association of Realtors in 1982 for a complex exchange transaction involving a series of four parcels of land, 13 deeds and 10 parties. As noted, he was inducted into the 13th class of the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2011 and was honored last month by Little Rock Rotary Club 99 as the 2020 Business & Professional Leader of the Year.
“Dickson was an Arkansas business legend, a service-oriented leader who gave his time to family, our firm and our community,” Kevin Huchingson, chairman and CEO of Colliers Arkansas said. “Dickson hired me out of graduate school in 1993 and has been my mentor and close friend ever since. He taught many of us the principles of real estate and established the foundation and core values of our firm. It will be hard to find a man with more integrity or character.”
In his 55-year career in Arkansas, Flake pioneered the concept of development management and set the standard in commercial real estate through strong leadership and a high level of integrity. Throughout his career, he developed more than two million square feet of real estate.
Outside of the real estate industry, he was a director for Little Rock branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. As a champion of education, Flake served on the University of Arkansas Little Rock Board of Visitors, as a trustee for Lyon College, and as an advisory board member for Mount Saint Mary Academy.
In recent years, Dickson was of one the founding directors of the Little Rock Technology Park Authority, serving as treasurer until his death. His 72-year old brother, John Flake, was the other half of the dynamic Arkansas commercial real estate duo. The younger Flake recently announced May 7 he was leaving the flagship commercial real estate firm Flake & Kelley that he started 41 years ago to join his daughter’s newly formed Flake & Company in Little Rock’s River Market district.
Congressman French Hill R-Little Rock, released the following statement after the passing of Flake:
“With the passing of Dickson Flake, Martha and I lost a good friend. Like many in central Arkansas, I lost a wise counselor. Our region lost one of its most tireless workers and builders for a better community. In this time of thanks and reflection, Martha and I extend our condolences and prayers to the Flake family,” said Hill
The elder Flake was preceded in death one year ago to the day by his wife of 59 years, Linda Blaine Flake. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.
