When a new storefront opens, most people see the finished result. For Ashley Abts, the vision starts long before opening day. As a manager of real estate development at Krispy Kreme, Abts helps identify and secure locations where the brand can extend its reach into communities across the country while also managing landlord relationships and communicating portfolio recommendations to company leadership.. Her work helps determine where businesses grow and where communities gain new gathering spaces nationwide. Each site represents a multimillion-dollar investment and a long-term presence in a community, making early decisions critical to both business success and local impact.
“We’re all consumers,” Abts said. “It’s fun to work with brands that people recognize and care about. Being part of bringing something into a community that creates joy is really rewarding.”
Abts was born in the San Francisco area before moving to Wisconsin with her family at a young age. After high school, she initially enrolled at Arizona State University to study interior design, but after a year she realized the path was not quite right.
“I still wanted to be around the world of design and architecture,” she said. “I just realized I didn’t necessarily want to be the one doing the creative work.”
That realization led her to the real estate property management program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Abts immersed herself, joining the Institute of Real Estate Management student club and building connections through industry tours and internships. Faculty members like John Sobota and Fred Prassas and an internship with Weidner Apartment Homes helped students understand the many directions a real estate career can take while encouraging them to explore opportunities beyond the classroom. Those experiences gave her early exposure to the full lifecycle of development and helped her build the professional network that launched her career. Her background in studying property management also gave her a strong foundation in building relationships with landlords, tenants and community partners — skills that continue to play an important role in her work today.
After graduating, Abts moved to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in real estate development. From there, she gained experience working for developers, launching veterinary clinics in new markets and working with global brands including Tiffany & Co., where she supported real estate operations for one of the world’s most recognized luxury retailers.
Today, part of her work at Krispy Kreme focuses on evaluating potential sites and guiding projects from concept to reality. That process involves coordinating with brokers, engineers, city planners and community stakeholders to determine whether a location will support both the company’s goals and the long-term needs of the surrounding area — decisions that ultimately shape whether a project moves forward. Long before construction begins, Abts and her team analyze zoning requirements, traffic patterns, accessibility and neighborhood fit to ensure each project can succeed long-term. Those early insights help prevent costly missteps while ensuring each new location adds value to the community it serves.
In one recent project in Fridley, Minnesota, the team worked toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, reflecting a growing emphasis on sustainability and thoughtful development. This effort required careful planning and collaboration to reduce environmental impact while creating a space that fits naturally within the surrounding neighborhood. The result is a space designed not just for efficiency, but for long-term community benefit.
“We look at things like how employees will get there, how the site fits into the neighborhood, building attributes and what the long-term impact will be,” Abts said. “It’s about making sure the location works for everyone involved.”
Looking back, Abts credits her time at Stout with helping launch a career that allows her to shape how businesses grow and how communities evolve.
“I’m proud of the community I built at Stout,” she said. “The friendships, the connections and everything I learned there helped shape where I am today.”
As she continues helping companies expand into new markets, Abts remains energized by seeing projects come to life. For Abts, the impact is about creating places people return to again and again. “It’s exciting to watch something go from an idea to a real place where people gather,” she said. “Being able to help create those spaces is something I’m really proud of.”
