Lorie Diaz-Liddicoat: Community Focused & Client First

At Liddicoat CRE, Inc., Lorie Diaz-Liddicoat and her team are committed to opening doors for clients looking for industrial and office space. As a third-generation Stocktonian, Lorie has the local knowledge and savvy insight to help deliver strategic results for clients who are expanding, relocating, selling, investing or leasing. Lorie and her team offer a community-driven, client-focused approach to commercial real estate sales and leasing in the Central Valley.

Lorie has forged a niche for herself by being authentic and realistic with her clients while also keeping up with the latest marketing trends and thinking outside of the box. Her passion is helping clients by listening to their needs and assessing their current situation before guiding them through the process to achieve the results they want. “Some of my favorite transactions have been helping nonprofit organizations find a home of their own,” she said from her office on March Lane in Stockton. “Recently, we helped Kay Ruhstaller and her team at Family Resource Center.”

Family Resource Center offers support to families, promotes childhood development and assists with obtaining childcare. “I first met Lorie while serving as president of the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce when Lorie joined the board of directors. Lorie was then invited to join the executive committee for the board and through this service we forged a relationship,” Kay Ruhstaller, president and CEO of Family Resource Center, said. “I appreciated that I could trust Lorie. I also appreciated how closely she worked with me by listening in order to understand what was important in securing a new location.” The nonprofit will be able to consolidate two locations into their new home when they move into the 35,500-square-foot office, and it will be more accessible to their clients while featuring free and ample parking.

Other gratifying transactions include helping Little Manila Rising secure a property on San Joaquin Street. The nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Stockton’s Filipino American community, particularly the remnants of the historic Little Manila neighborhood. “Watching them come into their own and purchase their own property was a real bonus,” Lorie said. She was also able to help Dome of Hope get creative in purchasing the space they were leasing and now they own their own property. The nonprofit is a one-stop resource hub to address food security, employment, housing and community resources with a headquarters and two additional locations. “I understand the nonprofit community and I am able to hold their hand and explain the process,” she said.

Lorie says the local commercial real estate inventory is different from other areas because there are not a lot of Class A office properties such as the A.G. Spanos building in Stockton’s Trinity Parkway. “We have over 2,500 nonprofits in San Joaquin County; we have a lot of small businesses,” she said. “Collaboration with other brokers is so important as is research, experience and keeping up with market trends.”

Lorie and her husband, Rob, have two sons, 16 and 10. As a mom, Lorie said she was looking for a career with flexible hours so she wouldn’t miss any of her children’s activities. “I needed something flexible because I want to be there for my sons so that I could go on their field trips, volunteer in their classrooms and be at every sporting event possible,” she said. Commercial real estate has allowed her a flexible career with more control over her schedule. “Residential real estate is a lot of nights and weekends. It isn’t as family friendly as commercial real estate,” Lorie explained.

Today her business has grown, and she has four agents on her team: Daniel Navarro, Tony Faso, Michael Vilarino and Jodi Delfino as well as an intern, Lucy Faso. Lorie’s marketing background is a boon for her clients and she is able to act quickly while keeping the clients’ best interest in focus. Lorie said the commercial real estate industry is never boring. “Every transaction is different. There is a lot of legality and attention to detail. You always want to make sure to stay on top of keeping your clients’ best interests at heart. If you are a type A personality, there is always work to do, so you have to know when to shut the laptop and rest and take care of yourself.” Lorie believes in working as a team within Liddicoat CRE and within her community and continues to get involved by educating herself on changes, trends and the future of the Central Valley. Her strategic involvement in the community helps her serve clients.

Working in a male-dominated field can be challenging, but Lorie quickly realized that community involvement was key to building both trust and clients. She joined Rotary in 2016 and served as president of the North Stockton Rotary from 2018-2019; she was the Rotary District 5220 membership chair 2020-2023, the Rotary District 5220 Area 4 assistant governor 2023-2025 and is on the Rotary Club of Stockton’s board of directors. She has also been a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards camp counselor for seven years now. She is an alum of Leadership Stockton and the American Leadership Forum Great Valley. She serves on several boards including the Animal Protection League and is vice president of the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce’s executive board.

“When I first got into the commercial real estate industry, I was by myself, and I joined Rotary. It’s kind of like a leadership camp; it brought me out of my shell and helped me become comfortable speaking in front of people,” Lorie said. “You are surrounded by like-minded people who want the best for their community. I’ve met some wonderful women in Rotary who have mentored me, and we need more women in Rotary who can be mentors to young women.”

One of her favorite memories was serving as president of the North Stockton Rotary and strapping the Rotary club meeting bell into her child’s car seat on her way to president-elect training. She snapped a picture that she treasures to this day. “It signifies to me that you can still do things and be a mom. It’s one of my favorite photos,” she said.

She appreciates that her career has given her opportunities to serve her clients, better her community, and be there for her family. She is thankful for Rob’s support. He works for the City of Stockton as a deputy director of the community development department. Next year they will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. Her roots in Stockton run deep. Her 101-year-old grandmother worked for tomato queen Tillie Lewis. “She started on the belt and she was so short she had to stand on a pallet,” Lorie said. “She moved on to be one of three ladies who put the bay leaf in the tomato can.”

As a businesswoman, a leader in the community as well as a working wife and mom, Lorie sees a promising future for Stockton and the surrounding area. Her latest venture is co-founding, New Joaquin with past city council member Jesus Andrade, a community development organization that seeks to create and reimagine existing and new public spaces that can foster the growth of small businesses and community hubs in Stockton that celebrate and center people, culture and art. ®

Lorie Diaz-Liddicoat’s office of Liddicoat CRE, Inc., is located at 2015 W. March Lane, Ste.1, Stockton, California. Call (209) 915-9913, visit liddicoatcre.com or email Lorie@LiddicoatCRE.com for more information.