Mr. Bartels began his career in real estate as a brokerage intern in the Tacoma, Washington office of Kidder Mathews. In 2003 he took a job with the regional company PGP Valuation (now Colliers) in Vancouver, Washington. With that group he learned the workings of the core asset types and of valuation projects, achieving his Certified General appraisal licenses in both Washington and Oregon.

In 2007 Mr. Bartels joined the Integra Realty Resources (IRR) – Portland office. There, he expanded his general property appraisal and amassed additional experience with litigation support, right-of-way, property tax appeal, and other business lines. In addition, Mr. Bartels’ role expanded to the hiring, training, and oversight of staff, both appraisal and administrative. Over time his role expanded to a principal owner of the office.

In 2018 the IRR – Portland office was acquired by Dallas-based BBG, Inc., a national appraisal and real estate due diligence firm. Mr. Bartels oversaw the transition of his office into that platform. His role was expanded to Senior Managing Director and then Executive Managing Director, with responsibilities throughout the western states. He oversaw not only his traditional appraisal work, but also recruitment of appraisers, acquisitions of appraisal offices, and establishment of specialty practice groups.

In 2024, Owen returned to a focus on addressing clients’ valuation questions with the establishment of his own practice. He remains focused on helping his clients sort through the available data to find real answers to their valuation questions throughout the Pacific Northwest.