Oswald Cooke & Associates is a commercial real estate brokerage firm located in Charleston, South Carolina. The firm specializes in four general disciplines:
Edward holds a BS from the Citadel (1995) as well as a Masters of Environmental Management from Duke University (1997). After graduate school, Edward began his career as an environmental consultant working with landowners and developers. For nearly ten years, his consulting work primarily focused on wetland delineations, wetland permitting and wetland mitigation. In 2007, he began his career in real estate and his prior experience in wetland consulting and development entitlement provides a unique skill set which has proven invaluable to his real estate clients.
As the Broker-in-Charge at Oswald Cooke & Associates, Edward plays a pivotal role in overseeing the company’s daily operations, encompassing general brokerage, property management, and the management of in-house development projects. Furthermore, his commitment extends beyond his professional responsibilities, as he serves on several boards and councils, including the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors and the Mason Prep Annual Fund, while also contributing his time and resources to various local charities and volunteering as a coach for the Mount Pleasant Recreation Department.
While not at work, Edward enjoys spending time with his family and being very involved in the lives of his two children, Will and Sarah. Edward enjoys the wonderful Lowcountry outdoors both on land and in the water; he is an avid boater, fisherman, hunter and sports fan/enthusiast. He and his wife, Cameron, and their two children live in Mount Pleasant.
Email: edward.oswald@oswaldcooke.com
Phone: 843-388-5650
Cell: 843-810-3453
Benjy graduated from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina with a degree in Public Relations in 1995. After spending a number of years traveling, he settled into Charleston, his permanent residence since 1998. He and his wife Brandi live in Mount Pleasant with their children Anna Clark (13), Benjamin (10) and Tallulah (8).
With twenty years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, Benjy is a seasoned professional with an exceptional grasp of both the regional and national investment markets. His primary focus on net leased sales and 1031 exchanges has proven invaluable to his clients. Locally, he ardently represents national home builders, multi-family operators, and landowners as they navigate the intricacies of development projects, from entitlement to permitting. Benjy’s commitment to his community extends beyond real estate, as evidenced by his participation in various organizations and committees, including the Realtor Land Institute, South Carolina Association of Realtors, Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, Former Chairman of the Charleston County Parks & Recreation Commission, Former Chairman of the Mount Pleasant Affordable Housing Committee, as well as the Mount Pleasant Comprehensive Plan Committee. Benjy’s dedication and transactional excellence earned him the prestigious title of Costar “Power Broker of the Year” for three consecutive years, firmly establishing him as a driving force in the Charleston commercial real estate arena.
He enjoys spending time traveling with his family, playing golf, tennis and spending time on the water.
Email: benjy.cooke@oswaldcooke.com
Phone: 843-388-5650
Cell: 843-343-1351
Catherine has been helping clients create generational wealth through commercial real estate for the past ten years, specializing in net lease and 1031 exchanges. Prior to working at Oswald Cooke, she was a commercial broker for Birchin Lane Realty Advisors, LLC. She is skilled at risk assessment, budgeting, creative problem solving and tackling time-sensitive projects. She is well versed in stand-alone retail space, grocery anchored retail space and shopping centers. She is licensed in South Carolina but assists her clients in buying and selling net lease properties across the country with a strong network of collaborative brokers and developers.
Prior to working at Oswald & Cooke she was a broker for Birchin Lane Real Estate Advisors. She also served as a Documentation and Project Manager for a large international software company for a decade before becoming a commercial real estate broker. Catherine is also an investment property owner, successfully operating and managing her own rental properties both in-town and long-distance for almost twenty years.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Spanish from Clemson University Honors College. She is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). She and her husband David, reside in Mount Pleasant with their family and attend Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church. She is a volunteer parent at Laing Middle School and Lucy Beckham High School. In her spare time she enjoys teaching spin classes and cheering on the sidelines for her kids’ many sports.
Email: catherine.vaughn@oswaldcooke.com
Phone: 843-388-5650
Cell: 843-437-7310
Blair holds a BS from the College of Charleston in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship, where she graduated in 2016. Blair began working at Oswald Cooke as an intern while at the College, and transitioned to becoming the full time property manager upon graduation. With eight years of management and leasing experience, she now manages and leases over 57 commercial properties including retail, industrial, office and medical office assets. She is a licensed realtor and an active member of the South Carolina Association of Realtors, CREW Charleston, and the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors. She currently serves as the Communications Chair on the Board of Directors for the Commercial Real Estate Women’s Charleston chapter.
She resides in Mount Pleasant with her husband Kyle and their puppy Lolly. In her spare time, she enjoys reading on Sullivans Island, boating on the waterways, and enjoying all of the dining Charleston has to offer.
Email: blair.gearhart@oswaldcooke.com
Phone: 843-388-5650
Cell: 864-616-3616
Katie graduated with a BBA in Real Estate from University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. After graduation Katie spent two years working for a retail development company in Atlanta, GA building, leasing and managing Publix anchored shopping centers and unanchored strip centers. Katie then returned to her home state of South Carolina and has spent 15 years working for both local and national homebuilders in multiple facets of the homebuilding process. She has transacted raw land and production lots in the Charleston, Bluffton, and Savannah markets, and is well versed in the zoning, entitlement and approval platforms in each of those areas.
Katie, her husband Joey and daughters Mallory and Cecelia reside on Hilton Head Island and attend St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. She serves on the Teacher Parent Advisory Committee and the School Improvement Council at Hilton Head Island Early Childhood Center and is a volunteer parent at Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts. Katie is also the founding member of FiA Hilton Head (Females in Action). In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outside with her family enjoying the many waterways of the Lowcountry.
Email: katie.varin@oswaldcooke.com
Cell: 843-200-3248
Ruthie graduated from Lander University in 2007 with a BS in Early Childhood Education. After teaching a short time she started a family with her husband Wade. They now have 3 children, Jackson, Joshua, and Madison Claire. Ruthie has been with Oswald, Cooke & Associates since 2010. She has received training with ESRI in Graphic Information Services and serves as the research analyst for OC&A. She is also a member of the South Carolina Association of Realtors and the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors.
Email: ruthie.godfrey@oswaldcooke.com
Cell: 864-344-1541
Caroline recently graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BS in Marketing and HR Management. She is starting her career in real estate by joining Oswald Cooke’s property management team. She is in the process of obtaining her real estate license and joining the South Carolina Association of Realtors.
Caroline currently resides in Mount Pleasant, SC. She spends her free time cooking, hanging out with family and friends, and cheering on the Gamecocks.
Email: caroline.kornahrens@oswaldcooke.com
Phone: 843-388-5650
With an emphasis in accounting, Tony graduated from Lander University in 2004 with a BS degree in Business Administration. Born and raised in Abbeville, SC, he relocated to the Charleston area in 2006 where he later obtained an MBA degree from Charleston Southern University, graduating in 2012. With accounting experience in both the manufacturing and distribution industries, Tony began his real-estate accounting career in 2017 when he joined one of the largest REITs nationwide, who specialized in owning, operating, acquiring, and developing medical office buildings across the United States. This experience not only provided him with a basic understanding of property accounting, it also provided exposure to lease accounting, construction and development accounting, and an overall understanding of property management. With extensive exposure to tenant ledgers and lease agreements, Tony is fully equipped to assist in the overall understanding of account billings, CAM reconciliations, and general tenant inquiries.
Tony currently resides in Summerville, SC with his wife Allison and three sons, Briggs, Gibson, and Tullis, where they are members of Old Fort Baptist Church. In his spare time he enjoys camping, traveling, visiting the upstate, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Email: tony.bradberry@oswaldcooke.com
Cell: 843-388-5650