People on the Move: March 2017

New Western Leadership For WinnResidential

Fresno, Calif.—WinnResidential, the property management arm of multifamily developer and manager WinnCompanies, has announced the appointment of Kevin Grani as senior vice president of its western region.

The former JCM Commercial Properties executive will be in charge of the firm’s Arizona and California properties and will direct a management portfolio that includes 93 properties with approximately 9,300 units run by more than 280 team members.

“Kevin is uniquely qualified to join the WinnResidential leadership team and manage our western operations. His dynamic background includes extensive regional knowledge and a track
record of managing highly engaged employees that deliver exceptional customer service,” said Patrick Appleby, president of WinnResidential, in a prepared statement.

Grani brings more than 27 years of residential management experience to the company. Previously, he headed the residential operations portfolio for JCM Partners, an owner and manager of commercial and multifamily properties in Northern California. He has also held executive leadership positions at Essex Property Trust, BRE Properties and Carmel Partners.

“The West Coast offers significant growth potential for Winn-Residential. I look forward to working with our talented team members to reinforce our stellar reputation in California and Arizona,” added Grani.

With an MBA and bachelor’s degree in business management from Golden Gate University, Grani is a certified property manager as designated by the Institute of Real Estate Management, as well as a licensed real estate salesperson in the state of California. Grani has served as the director of the California Apartment Association’s Tri-County division and on committees for the San Diego County Apartment Association.

Forbes Moves Up the Ladder At FirstService Residential

New York City—FirstService Residential has announced the appointment of Christina Forbes as senior vice president of a new division within the firm’s property management operations. Forbes will oversee several teams that specialize in the management of cooperatives and condominiums throughout New York City.

“Christina has demonstrated the highest levels of customer service satisfaction in regards to financial, administrative and organizational efforts for her New York City clients. Her expertise, combined with her progressive vision, has earned her a steadfast reputation in the industry, as well as the trust of the board members under her care,” said Dan Wurtzel, president of FirstService Residential New York, in prepared remarks.

Forbes joined the company in 2009 as an onsite senior property manager at Lincoln Towers. Three years later, she was promoted to managing director. Prior to her current position, she was named vice president in 2014.

“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to expand my role at FirstService Residential. My time with the company has been one of tremendous personal and professional growth. I’m looking forward to sharing my knowledge and expertise and helping others deliver the exceptional service FirstService Residential is known for,” said Forbes.

Forbes has more than two decades of experience in asset and property management. She specializes in evaluating properties and managing operations in order to maximize service levels.

Mill Creek Residential Hires New CFO

Dallas—Mill Creek Residential has appointed David Linn Reynolds chief financial officer. Reynolds is an industry veteran with approximately 28 years of experience in public accounting and the debt and equity capital markets. In his new role, he will be responsible for accelerating the company’s finance, accounting and reporting infrastructure.

“David brings a measure of experience and exposure to all aspects of the capital markets that will significantly strengthen our position with the investment community,” said
company Chairman & CEO Charles Brindell Jr. in prepared remarks. “His deep knowledge of real estate capital markets will play a substantial role in our growth as an organization in 2017 and beyond.”

Prior to joining Mill Creek, Reynolds worked in real estate private equity for 14 years, most recently at Five Mile Capital Partners. As managing director there for more than 10 years, Reynolds executed 20 value-add investments worth more than $1.9 billion.

Reynolds also spent 14 years in real estate investment banking at UBS Warburg and its predecessor companies, Kidder Peabody and PaineWebber, beginning as an associate and ultimately securing the position of managing director. As an investment banker, he worked on more than 50 lead-managed transactions, including IPOs and common stock, preferred stock and unsecured debt offerings. Additionally, he advised on a dozen merger-and-acquisition transactions and took eight real estate firms through the rating agency process.

Reynolds started his career at Arthur Andersen in its audit division, with a focus on the real estate industry. He has a Master of Business Administration in Real Estate and Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and holds the CFA designation. Additionally, he has a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in commerce with a concentration in accounting from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, where he has been a guest lecturer annually since 2011.

Walker & Dunlop Taps New Senior VP for Multifamily Division

Los Angeles—Walker & Dunlop has hired Levi Brooker as a senior vice president in its multifamily finance group. Working out of the company’s Los Angeles location, Brooker will be in charge of originating multifamily loans through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD.

Prior to joining Walker & Dunlop, Brooker was senior vice president and a loan officer in JLL‘s multifamily lending division. He also worked for Oak Grove Capital from 2004 to 2015, when the company merged with JLL.

Brooker has extensive experience in structuring complex transactions, including construction loans and loans with low-income-housing tax credits and tax-exempt bonds. Throughout his career, he has assisted in financing more than $1 billion worth of multifamily transactions. He also has a background in financing loans for a wide array of multifamily property types, including affordable, senior, student and manufactured housing.

“With Freddie Mac’s recent estimates for growth in total multifamily loan originations from $282 billion in 2016 up to $315 billion in 2018, it is vital that Walker & Dunlop continue adding talented originators like Levi in order to gain market share,” said Donald King, executive vice president & chief production officer at Walker & Dunlop. “Levi’s unique experience structuring a wide variety of loan types will add significant value to the … team.”

Pinnacle Announces New Regional Property Manager in Dallas

Dallas—Pinnacle has announced the promotion of Valery Carter to regional property manager. In her new role, she will oversee six apartment communities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, reporting to Regional Vice President Toni Rials.

Carter has 17 years of experience with apartment, condo and retail space. She joined Pinnacle in 2015 as a property manager for one of the company’s largest communities in Dallas, where she handled interactions with stakeholders, developing teams, driving revenues and providing consistent resolution for community residents. Carter developed her property management skills at Gaines Investment Trust, The Lund Co. and The Richdale Group.

“Valery has proven herself to be a strong leader, mentor and operator,” said Rials in a statement. “I am so excited to watch her career grow and know she will benefit the entire Dallas team with her operational expertise, strong customer service skills and in depth understanding of Pinnacle’s operating platform.”

The new regional property manager holds a bachelor’s degree from Peru State College with an emphasis on business administration, management and real estate. She is working to become a Certified Apartment Manager through the National Apartment Association.

Kettler Hires Industry Veteran as Senior VP

Washington, D.C.—Kettler Management named David Ohlrich senior vice president of property management operations. Ohlrich joined the development and property management company in January, reporting to President Cindy Clare.

“He will lead the effort to ensure our apartment management portfolio continues to operate at exceptional levels,” Clare said in a prepared statement.

Prior to joining the company, Ohlrich worked at Federal Capital Partners, where he held the positions of vice president of portfolio management & senior vice president. He also held leadership positions with NVR, Equity Residential and NHP Inc., bringing to Kettler nearly 30 years of expertise in the industry.

Ohlrich holds bachelor’s degrees in architecture and engineering and a master’s in business administration from the University of Michigan.

“Dave’s expertise in real estate and property management operations make him an excellent addition to our team as we expand in key growth areas of the country,” noted Chairman & CEO Robert Kettler.

Smitha Seshadri Returns to BRIDGE Housing

San Francisco—Smitha Seshadri has rejoined BRIDGE Housing in a new role as vice president, effective mid-January 2017. Seshadri oversees construction and design standards, policies and procedures across BRIDGE’s real estate development footprint from San Diego to Seattle; she has also taken on a number of development projects. BRIDGE is a leading nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing.

Seshadri comes to BRIDGE from Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, where she has served as vice president of real estate since April 2015. At Habitat, she was deeply involved in building the organization’s infrastructure, leading real estate development and construction teams, planning for strategic growth, and implementing processes and procedures to track increasingly complex budgets and managing financial risk.

Prior to Habitat, Seshadri worked for BRIDGE for nine years, as a senior project manager and then director of development. During her tenure, she delivered $175 million worth of projects, including the resyndication of the Carquinez Apartments, Ironhorse at Central Station, 474 Natoma and St. Joseph’s in Oakland, which won a 2015 ULI Global Award for Excellence. At BRIDGE, she supervised a team of project managers, guided feasibility analysis for projects in predevelopment, and negotiated with market-rate partners on structuring a $360 million joint venture development with inclusionary housing.

Her earlier experience includes positions with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara, the Emergency Housing Consortium, Bent Severin and Associates International Architects, and Corlett, Skaer and Devoto Architects. Seshadri holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, an M.A. in Architecture from Kansas State University and a B.A. in Architecture from Mangalore University.

“I’m delighted to welcome Smitha back to BRIDGE,” Cynthia Parker, BRIDGE Housing president & CEO, said in prepared remarks. “She brings a great deal of talent to the table, with depth and breadth of experience that will help us deliver high-quality and much-needed affordability to people and neighborhoods.”

Originally appearing in the March 2017 issue of MHN.