Derek Bratrud is a Director on the Hunden Partners team, where he oversees client engagements from initial strategy through final delivery. With over six years of experience at the firm where he has led more than 100 studies, Derek serves as a primary point of contact for a diverse portfolio of clients, guiding communication and progress at every stage of the study and advisory process. Internally, he leads multidisciplinary project teams through market research, data interpretation, and the development of findings and recommendations. He also oversees the firm’s summer internship program, mentoring the next generation of talent at Hunden Partners.
Derek has built a specialized focus on multi-use sports and recreation facilities, downtown mixed-use developments, arenas and entertainment venues, fairgrounds and rodeo projects, and tourism master planning efforts. He has led analytical work on studies across the country and in Canada, including an Economic Impact Study for U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota; a Destination Stewardship Plan for Palm Springs, California; a Market and Financial Feasibility Study for an Arena-Anchored Mixed-Use District along with Development Advisory for Surrey, British Columbia; and a Sports Destination Master Plan for Greensboro, North Carolina. Derek has also led applicant eligibility reviews for KTDA incentives as part of Hunden Partners’ ongoing work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Derek began his career with Hunden as an intern in 2016, advancing to Analyst and then Senior Analyst with the firm from 2017 to 2020. He returned to Hunden in 2024 after gaining appraisal and valuation experience with the Deloitte and Colliers International Real Estate Advisory teams in Chicago, expanding the expertise he brings to his current role.
Derek is a graduate of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance with a Minor in Spanish. While at Kelley, he was a member of the Commercial Real Estate Club, studied abroad for a semester in Barcelona, Spain, and participated in Kelley School of Business Study Tours to India and Costa Rica.
