No one can say Robert “Bob” Landis doesn't know what it's like on site. In his first job in the multifamily industry, he worked as a property manager for a luxury high-rise in the Washington area. “The challenges were diverse, and it required a lot of stamina to persistently deal with the management issues at the property,” he says. “I remember being exhausted after my first day on the job!”
Now he has a new job. In February, Landis, became president of Lane Management, a subsidiary of Lane Co. in Atlanta. Among his goals: achieving operational excellence and growing Lane's management portfolio. Landis has a bachelor's from the University of Delaware (where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and a master's in city planning from the University of Virginia.
Q: What appealed to you about this job?
A: The reputation of Lane Co. and its leaders, its progressive thinking, and the fact that it's a fully diversified multifamily real estate company.
Q: After the economy, what's the big challenge for the industry in 2005?
A: We must emerge from a concession-driven focus in many markets to growing the revenue stream more consistently.
Michael Falcone
Q: What are the big opportunities?
A: Multifamily firms must leverage the value from their capital investments in technology and systems.
Q: What do you enjoy about working in the multifamily industry?
A: I like the people and building teams. I also like the service aspect of the business.
Q: What would you change if you could?
I'd like to accelerate the adoption of best practices from other industries.
Q: How would you describe the industry in terms of career opportunities?
A: As the business has become more professional, it has attracted some high-caliber individuals. There are ample opportunities for a wide variety of talents and backgrounds to thrive in this industry. We need to do a better job getting the word out about what our industry has to offer.
Q: What's the best advice you've had about the multifamily industry?
A: A favorite mentor once said: “You will never get in trouble at your property if you remember the words, ‘Go and see.'”
Prudential Mortgage Capital has named Dana Colucci southern regional manager for Prudential Huntoon Paige, where she will oversee all FHA-insured multifamily loans originated in the South. Colucci, who previously served as managing director and head of FHA-insured multifamily lending for Collateral Mortgage Capital, has more than 17 years of experience in the mortgage banking industry.
Jerry Anderson
CB Richard Ellis has promoted Michael D. Westfall to oversee CB Richard Ellis' investment sales activities throughout the eastern and central United States. Westfall, who joined CBRE in 1999, manages more than 90 sales professionals and has completed assignments valued at more than $6 billion. His expertise is in coordinating and facilitating the sales process, while servicing and maintaining relationships with institutional investors regionally, nationally, and internationally.
L&M Design, an architecture, planning, and urban design firm, has hired Kevin Grady to serve as architectural designer for the firm's multi-family and mixed-used projects. The Radnor, Pa.-based firm has also added Louis W. Voigt to serve as project manager for the firm's multifamily and mixed-used projects.
Minneapolis-based KKE Architects has named Douglas Ahlstrom (who works in the firm's Las Vegas office) senior associate and director of housing for the company's Western region. He has more than 30 years of architectural and planning experience in single-family and multifamily housing, including active adult, senior-related, and mixed-use projects.
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice has hired Kevin Pigott as an associate in its Washington, D.C., office, where he will work in the law firm's real estate development practice group.
Joe Andranian
Primary Capital Advisors has promoted Todd F. Cohen to director of its Florida office. He financed a number of deals in 2004 for the Atlanta-based real estate finance company, including condo conversions.
Michael SchallEssex Property Trust has made some changes to its senior management team. Michael Schall, formerly chief financial officer for the public REIT, has been named chief operating officer and senior executive vice president. Michael T. Dance will take over the CFO spot. The company also announced that Mark J. Mikl has been appointed first vice president of asset management and that Jo Ann Petrie had been named vice president and division manager for Essex properties in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.
Andriola, left, and Dunn, right
Doug VeseyNational Church Residences has named Doug Vesey as its new vice president and treasurer. Vesey, who previously worked as the firm's controller, started working at the nonprofit firm in 1994. The company also announced that A. Kenneth Pierce has been named chairman of the board of directors. Pierce has served on National Church Residences' board for more than three decades.
A. Kenneth Pierce
David Brackett
The Bozzuto Group has made a number of new hires and promotions. Matt Horn, who previously worked as design/sales project manager for Watson Nursery in North Carolina, has joined the Bozzuto Landscaping Co. as an enhancement manager. His primary responsible responsibilities will include securing landscape enhancement contracts in and around Fayetteville, N.C., as well as supervising existing enhancement contracts, including the Fort Bragg military installation. Steve Strazzella has been promoted to vice president of Bozzuto Development Co., where he will expand on his responsibility for sourcing deals, seeking land entitlements, and executing a variety of multi-family development opportunities. Strazzella's recent projects have included Summerfield at Brambleton Apartments in Ashburn, Va., and Oak Grove Townhomes in Sterling, Va. On the management side, Steve Enslow has joined Bozzuto Management Co. as vice president of commercial property management. He will oversee the management of Bozzuto's commercial portfolio, currently consisting of more than 1 million square feet of property, and lead the company's expansion into the commercial market. The company also has hired Doreen Trongone-Ciezki as a regional property manager. Trongone-Ciezki, previously worked as a regional property manager for Forest City Residential, will oversee Bozzuto's Northeastern communities. Bozzuto Homes hired Mark Taylor as regional operations manager for the company's Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., region. He will manage the development, sales, and construction of a variety of condominium, townhome, and single-family home communities.
Robert J. LukenHome Properties has promoted Robert J. Luken to the new position of chief accounting officer. Luken, who joined Home in 1996, will retain his senior vice president and treasurer titles.
Christopher Rio
Graham Downes Architecture has named Tom Philippi as senior project manager. He will handle project management and design for mixed-use, urban, retail, and hospitality projects done by the San Diego-based firm.
Peter J. MarinoL.J. Melody & Co., the real estate investment banking arm of C B Richard Ellis, has promoted Peter J. Marino to vice president. Since joining the firm in 1999, Marino's transaction history includes financings for office, industrial, retail, multifamily, and condominium properties.
Vince Chupka has been named regional director of Humphreys & Partners Architects' Irvine, Calif., office. Chupka, who previously worked for McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners, specializes in multifamily and mixed-use projects.
Registry-SafeRent has hired two key sales managers: Mike Rosol has joined the company as vice president of Western regional sales, and George Lisenbe has been named manager of the Midwest region.
First Housing, a Florida and Texas firm that provides financing for building and rehabilitating multifamily rental housing, recently hired William Metler as senior credit underwriter. Previously, he served as the multifamily mortgage revenue bond manager at the Florida Housing Finance Corp. First Housing also named a new senior vice president: Lynn Coovert, who will oversee the company's closing and servicing department. She is a former senior vice president with MMA Financial.
John Rimbach
Richard Tolentino has been promoted to president of MCR Property Management, which oversees operations of the real estate assets for Connecticut-based Belfonti Associates' $200 million portfolio. Tolentino has more than 30 years of executive-level experience in real estate management, investment, and development.
CALEX Realty Group has hired a new regional manager. Kate Mansfield, who has 10 years of property management experience, will oversee the company's southwest Florida portfolio, which includes conventional, tax credit, and luxury condo conversion communities.