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Archive for the ‘Executive Interviews’ Category

Daniel R. Brenna, Jr.
Founder & Principal
Capital Real Estate Group

Daniel Brenna is the principal of Capital Real Estate Group, a real estate development and investment firm in Trenton, New Jersey. Daniel is currently focused on Vista Center, a master planned, mixed-use development at the Trenton Transit Center. The project includes a 25 story office tower located adjacent to the station and over 300 residential units.

He received an MS in Real Estate Development and Investments from New York University and a BS in Industrial and Management Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Q: As a company, tell me about the niche you have carved out for yourself and how you feel you are different from the competition. Why do you find this product type more appealing than alternative real estate asset classes?

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Jon A. Cummins
Chief Operating Officer
Amerimar Enterprises, Inc.

Jon Cummins is the Chief Operating Officer of Amerimar Enterprises, Inc., a position he has held since 2001. Amerimar’s focus is on the acquisition of “value added” hotels, apartments, office and retail properties in major urban/suburban markets throughout the United States. Mr. Cummins’ primary responsibilities are the general oversight of Amerimar’s operations as well as the sourcing, acquisition, asset management, property management, financing and disposition of the Company’s hotel and multifamily properties. Before joining Amerimar in 1989, Jon worked in the Real Estate Investment Banking Division at Lehman Brothers in New York where he was involved in the placement of debt and equity financing vehicles and the acquisition of property for the firm’s own account.

Q: As a company, tell me about the niche you have carved out for yourself and how you feel you are different from the competition. Why do you find this product type more appealing than alternative real estate asset classes? Read the rest of this entry »

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Ryan joined Sentry in 2009 bringing a wealth of financial experience to the organization with a special focus in Hospitality Real Estate. As the holding company’s CIO and Principal, Ryan oversees all capital, investment and new business development transactions. In addition, he controls relationships with investment partners, lending institutions, and oversees Finance and Operations for Sentry Centers, the new urban conference center platform of the company. Ryan comes directly to Sentry from Gramercy Capital where he served as a Vice President responsible for the workout and restructuring of Gramercy’s hospitality related assets. Prior to this, he worked for Lehman Brothers within their commercial real estate group. Ryan is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and a graduate of Villanova University.

Q: As a company, tell me about the niche you have carved out for yourself and how you feel you are different from the competition. Why do you find this product type more appealing than alternative real estate asset classes?

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Arlin S. Green is a partner at Argosy Real Estate, a leading source of equity capital for developers and operators. Arlin Green joined Argosy Real Estate in 2004. Previously he created and managed a substantial Real Estate and Venture Capital portfolio for the holding company of Firstrust Bank, a $2 billion commercial bank based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for seven years. For the fourteen years prior, he was involved in Firstrust’s real estate lending among many other responsibilities, eventually rising to the position of Chief Operating Officer

Q: As a company, tell me about the niche you have carved out for yourself and how you feel you are different from the competition. Why do you find this product type more appealing than alternative real estate asset classes? Read the rest of this entry »

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Scott C. Butler is a principal of Kaplin Stewart, a regional law firm focused on real estate development, land use and zoning, bankruptcy/creditor’s rights among many others. Mr. Butler is a member of the Real Estate Transactions and Corporate Law & Business Planning Departments. He has also represented buyers and sellers in complex commercial transactions, including sale and leaseback acquisitions and transfers of equity interests in owners of real estate. Mr. Butler is active in all aspects of real estate transactional work including retail and office leasing, limited partnership and limited liability company agreements, acquisition and sales agreements, brokerage and management agreements, condominiums and planned communities, and construction and permanent loan financings.

Q: As a company, tell me about the niche you have carved out for yourself and how you feel you are different from the competition. Why do you find this product type more appealing than alternative real estate asset classes?

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Jonathan Falik is the CEO and Managing Director of JF Capital Advisors. JF Capital Advisors invests and provides advisory services within the lodging industry. Founded in April 2004 by a former Bear Stearns investment banker, JF Capital believes that a small team of experienced professionals can complete transaction more thoroughly and expeditiously than larger firms. The principals of JF Capital have completed more than $12 billion of M&A and capital markets transactions in the lodging industry in both advisory and principal investor capacities.

Q: As a company, tell me about the niche that you have carved out for yourself and how you feel you are different from the competition. Why do you find this product type more appealing than alternative real estate asset classes?

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Lawrence Bizjak is a Managing Director and co-head of real estate at Garrison Investment Group, where he oversees a team responsible for the origination, acquisition and execution of real estate investments at all levels of the capital structure. Garrison’s is an active originator and a buyer of performing, sub-performing and non-performing mortgages, B-notes and mezzanine debt. The firm invests nationwide in all property types.

During his 20 year career, Mr. Bizjak has held positions at Gramercy Capital Corp. (NYSE:GKK), Goldman Sachs & Co, and E&Y Kenneth Leventhal. Mr. Bizjak graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Urban Design and is a CFA charterholder.

Garrison Investment Group makes credit and asset-based investments with attractive risk adjusted returns. Their experienced team of 35 professionals enables their investment group to source and execute transactions across corporate, real estate, and financial assets. Garrison  Investment Group invests predominantly in loans, securities and asset purchases, and are actively making investments in the current market environment.

Q: As a company, tell me about the niche you have carved out for yourself and how you feel you are different from the competition. Why do you find this product type more appealing than alternative real estate asset classes?

A: Garrison has three areas of focus – commercial real estate, corporate finance, and financial/consumer assets. We are able to invest in Read the rest of this entry »

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Christopher LaBianca
President
RCG Longview

Christopher LaBianca joined the RCG Longview series of Real Estate Debt Funds in April of 2008 and serves as the President of their current high yield debt fund RCG Longview Debt Fund IV, L.P. His responsibilities include oversight of the origination, underwriting, closing, servicing and asset management of all fund investments.  Since the inception of RCG Longview Debt Fund Series in 1999, the managers, Peter Cohen and Michael Boxer (Ramius Capital Group, LLC),Jeffrey Feil and Jay Anderson (The Feil Organization), Morton Olshan (Mall Properties), and Jon Estreich (Estreich & Company), have originated more than $1.8 billion in real estate mezzanine debt and other related instruments through RCG Longview fund vehicles. The investment strategy of the funds is driven by the collective experience of the managers as owners and operators of real estate. RCG Longview thus differentiates itself from its competition by focusing on opportunities where its experience and operational capabilities add additional value beyond financial structuring.  During its ten years in business, RCG Longview has been active in practically every major US real estate market. It has made more than 350 investments secured by over $9 billion of real estate.

Prior to joining the Fund, Mr. LaBianca spent nearly eight years at Bank of America, most recently serving as a Managing Director and Co-Head of National Originations in the firm’s real Estate Capital Markets group. During his tenure as originations head, the firm consistently ranked among the top three most active contributors to CMBS issues, with total volume in the last four years exceeding $53 billion. Mr. LaBianca was responsible for developing and managing a nationwide network of fully staffed origination offices. Mr. LaBianca personally originated over $8 billion of loans for securitization while at the firm. Prior to Bank of America, Mr. LaBianca spent eight years at the former Chase Manhattan Bank, holding senior management positions in the Real Estate Finance and US Securities divisions.

Mr. LaBianca began his career as an Analyst with The Prudential before receiving his MBA in Finance and Accounting from the Whitman School at Syracuse University.  He is a member of the ICSC and is a past Chairman of the Finance Committee for the Real Estate Board of New York.  He is also a Trustee and the current Treasurer for the Roseland Education Foundation.

Q: As a company, tell me about the niche you have carved out for yourself and how you feel you are different from the competition. Why do you find this product type more appealing than alternative real estate asset classes? Read the rest of this entry »

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Gary Brandeis
Managing Director
f|b Capital Partners

Mr. Brandeis has more than 19 years of commercial real estate experience. His career has included senior level and partnership positions with Lincoln Property Company, Sage Real Estate Group, and Meridian Realty Advisors. Mr. Brandeis’ experience and expertise includes development, finance, acquisitions, dispositions, asset management, and joint ventures. Mr. Brandeis was also the founder and managing partner of PropertyLogic LLC, an innovative real estate technology company that has won numerous awards including the Digital Innovation Award given by the Realcomm Conference. He started his career in public accounting with Price Waterhouse. He is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.S. in Accounting from The Smeal College of Business of The Pennsylvania State University. Mr. Brandeis concentrates on generating and executing new business in the real estate sector.

f|b Capital Partners, L.P. is a Philadelphia-based private investment partnership co-founded by Michael C. Forman, a veteran investment professional with more than 20 years of experience in private equity and real estate.  f|b made its first investment in early 2003 and has since deployed over $500 million.

Q: As a company, tell me about the niche you have carved out for yourself and how you feel you are different from the competition. Why do you find this product type more appealing than alternative real estate asset classes? Read the rest of this entry »

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Alan S. Lindy
Lindy Property Management

Lindy Property Management is a third generation, Philadelphia based, family property management company. The company owns and manages many apartment and office communities, consisting of about 3,500 apartment homes and over 1,500,000 square feet of office, industrial, and hospitality space. They concentrate on repositioning distressed properties, specializing in middle income, non-subsidized communities. After the renovation and lease up of their communities, they are retained as long term investments, which ultimately continue to improve communities, year after year.

Professional background aside, Alan Lindy has had many professional, community service related achievements.  He previously served as President of AAGP (Apartment Association of Greater Philadelphia) and currently sits on the Board of Directors with various organizations, some of which include TAIR (The Agency for Independent Growth), Federation Housing, Jewish Family and Children Services, and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Coalition.

Q: As a company, tell me about the niche you have carved out for yourself and how you feel you are different from the competition. Why do you find this product type more appealing than alternative real estate asset classes? Read the rest of this entry »

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