Rick Gropper has over a decade of experience in real estate development throughout the 5 boroughs of NYC. At CPG, Rick focuses on sourcing and structuring transactions using his deep relationships with various partners including investors, lenders, the community and government. Prior to co-founding CPG, Rick was Development Director at L+M Development Partners, one of the largest and most prolific developers of multifamily housing in NYC. At L+M, Rick was responsible for the development and preservation of more than 5,000 units of housing totaling over $1 billion in total capitalization. Prior to joining L+M, Rick worked for a boutique adaptive reuse development firm based in New Haven, CT. He has an undergraduate degree from Connecticut College and an MS in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. Rick serves on the boards of New Yorkers for Parks, NYSAFAH 2G and the CHPC Strategic Impact Fund.

As Managing Director and Head of Residential Development, Stephen is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day efforts for residential/mixed-use projects nationally with involvement in acquisition, finance, construction, and management activities.

Stephen’s experience has been interdisciplinary with contributions to several complex and high-profile projects across a wide variety of asset types. Prior to joining the firm, Stephen worked at the Related Companies across the development platform with involvement in a multitude of ground-up new development, fund investment re-development, asset management, acquisitions, and design/construction oversight efforts in both New York and Boston. Prior to Related Companies, Stephen worked as a Project Architect/Team Lead at Rafael Viñoly Architects on projects including 432 Park Avenue in New York and Marble Arch Park in London. Prior to RVA, Stephen worked with the Mitchell Architectural Group on various professional/academic research, healthcare, and advanced technology projects across New England.

Stephen holds a Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Wentworth Institute of Technology. He has lectured and served as a design critic at various universities, is a licensed architect and private pilot.

Mr. Marshall is a co-founder of BRP Companies, a vertically integrated owner, operator, developer and manager of transit-oriented, mixed-use, multifamily properties in the NY Tri-State area. With over 70 employees and a track record of 1.3 million SF of completed real estate projects, the firm has over $1 billion in transactions currently under development.

Mr. Marshall is responsible for executing BRP’s investment strategy including deal origination, acquisition, finance and development. He has also led the firm’s strategic partnership initiatives such as the firm’s decade long partnership with Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group and BRP’s active relationships with all of the New York City Agencies. Prior to co-founding BRP, Mr. Marshall was a Managing Director at Musa Capital Advisors, an emerging markets private equity and financial advisory firm based in New York City. Musa Capital managed a Separate Account for Kingdom Holding Africa, HRH’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Investment vehicle for Sub-Saharan Africa. At Musa Capital, Mr. Marshall was instrumental in executing cross-border transactions including the $37 million development of a mixed-use office complex and mall in Harare, Zimbabwe. Mr. Marshall also led successful investments in the Telecommunications and Financial Services sectors. Prior to Musa Capital Advisors, Mr. Marshall was a Senior Associate at Wasserstein Perella & Co., an investment banking firm based in New York City. While at Wasserstein, Mr. Marshall was an integral member of the firm’s

Telecommunications and Media, Mergers and Acquisitions practice, where he assisted in transactions exceeding $15 billion.

Mr. Marshall is a Founding Member of the Council of Urban Professionals (CUP), and is a Member of the Executive Board of the New York State Affordable Housing Association (NYSAFAH). Mr. Marshall also proudly serves on the Boards of Enterprise NYC Advisory Board and Citizens Housing and Planning Council since 2018, and is a Trustee of Xavier University of Louisiana.

Mr. Marshall holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Boston University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and International Business from Columbia Business School.

Managing Partner and CEO Jim Simmons serves as head of Asland Capital Partners’ investment committee and runs the day-to-day operations of the firm. With more than two decades of real estate investment experience, Mr. Simmons focuses on sourcing and structuring transactions through his deep relationships across the public and private sectors. Mr. Simmons was most recently a partner at Ares Management, where he ran the $485 million Ares Domestic Emerging Markets Fund, and he was previously a partner at Apollo Real Estate Advisors. Prior to his private equity fund management career, Mr. Simmons was president and CEO of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation. He held previous roles at Bankers Trust and Salomon Smith Barney. Mr. Simmons holds a BS degree from Princeton University, an MS from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Master of Management degree from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Michael A. Tortorici is one of the Founding Members of Ariel Property Advisors. Serving the company as Executive Vice President in the Investment Sales Group, Mr. Tortorici is responsible for originating and executing the sale of commercial real estate transactions throughout the five boroughs.

Since beginning his career in commercial real estate in 2004, Mr. Tortorici has participated in the sale of over 600 transactions worth more than $2 billion in gross consideration.

Mr. Tortorici has represented many institutional and non-profit clients, including The Catholic Archdiocese of New York, The Watchtower, L+M Partners and Two Trees. He serves as a regular source for various publications, such as The New York Times, The Commercial Observer, The Real Deal, Real Estate Weekly and the New York Daily News.

The Commercial Observer named Mr. Tortorici one of Commercial Observer’s 30 Under 30, which recognizes emerging commercial real estate professionals, and the Real Estate Forum has identified him as one of Tomorrow’s Leaders: New York, as well as naming him and his partners Top NY Brokers in 2013 and 2014.

Mr. Tortorici is involved in various non-profit initiatives, including The Inner City Scholarship Fund and The Futures in Education Program, both of which support educational measures for K-12 students throughout New York City.

He is an active member of industry organizations such as the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and Bronx-Manhattan North Association of Realtors (BMAR).

Prior to forming Ariel Property Advisors, Mr. Tortorici spent seven years at Massey Knakal Realty Services, now Cushman & Wakefield. Mr. Tortorici graduated with honors from New York University’s Stern School of Business, where he earned a B.S. in economics and management.

Originally from Franklin Square, New York, he currently resides in Brooklyn. He can be reached at 212.544.9500 ext. 13 or via email at mtortorici@arielpa.com.

Yuri Geylik is the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Residential Incentives at MGNY Consulting - a leading property tax advisory firm.

Yuri pioneered MGNY’s trademark all-around system of qualifying large development projects for Affordable New York Housing program (also known as the “new 421-a”) by combining affordable housing marketing expertise with skilled navigation of the 35-year tax exemption qualification process. Yuri has represented developers of all sizes throughout the five boroughs in qualifying for tax exemptions and abatements, such as J-51, 421a, coop/condo abatement, not-for-profit exemption and others. He also oversees the Affordable Housing department responsible for managing the HPD lottery as well as marketing and lease-up for hundreds of income-restricted units.

Sergey Rybak is the founder and principal of RYBAK Development. Since 2007, Sergey has been responsible for $1.6 billion assets under management — successfully completing a current total of 28 new ground-up developments and 1,600 residential units (condominiums and rentals) in the New York City area.

He has extensive experience in concrete foundations, concrete core and shell construction, and value-engineering. His proven track record with institutional lenders is recognized and validated by his ability to consistently deliver lucrative projects. His effective approach to controlling hard costs is executed by strategic property acquisition and an in-house development and construction management team. Sergey’s main objective for Rybak Development is to execute its property owners’ and partners’ real estate ambitions with efficiency and optimal profitability.

Ashley Doukas is a Partner and Chair of Adler & Stachenfeld's ("A&S") Land Use & Zoning Practice and Co-Chair of the New York City Development Practice.

Ms. Doukas represents clients in a broad range of real estate development matters with an emphasis on land use, zoning, and related environmental issues. Her practice focuses on guiding developers, investors, and property owners through the intricacies of New York City's evolving zoning policies.

Ms. Doukas has specialized in land use and zoning in New York City for nearly a decade and has successfully led some of the largest private land use applications presented to the City in the past five years. She has experience preparing and presenting applications before the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals, the New York City Department of City Planning, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. She is well-informed on city-wide land use initiatives, such as City of Yes, and works closely with clients in analyzing sites for new developments, conversions, lot assemblages, and entitlements, and analyzing and interpreting the New York City Zoning Resolution, the New York City Building Code, the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law, and other administrative agencies’ rules and regulations.

Mr. Doukas frequently speaks on topics related to urban development and serves as a trusted resource for developers and investors seeking to capitalize on the City's latest opportunities.

Before joining Adler & Stachenfeld, Ms. Doukas was at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in their land use and zoning practice group. She is admitted to practice in New York.

During the summers, Ms. Doukas and her family can be found at Rockaway Beach where they surf, bike the boardwalk, and volunteer with beach clean-ups.

Sherry Wang is a Partner at The Vistria Group in Real Estate. Prior to joining Vistria, Sherry was a managing director and co-head of the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs. Under her leadership, UIG invested $12 billion in public-private partnerships to create equitable economic development across the United States. Prior to joining the Urban Investment Group, Sherry worked in the Investment Banking division at Goldman Sachs.

Sherry received a B.A. in Economics & Mathematics from Yale University, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Sherry serves on the New York Advisory Board of Enterprise Community Partners, where she co-chairs the policy committee. She is on the Board of Directors of the Center for an Urban Future. She is a Salzburg Global Fellow and was recognized on the 2023 Power 100 list by Commercial Observer.

Sara Myerson serves as Vice President for Suffolk Ventures. She joined Suffolk Ventures in March 2019 and brings a strong background in real estate, finance and policy, along with expertise in neighborhood redevelopment and public private partnerships. Prior to her work at Suffolk Ventures, Ms. Myerson served as the Director of Planning at the Boston Planning and Development Agency, where she oversaw the agency’s work related to planning, urban design and zoning. She began her career at Goldman Sachs, where she spent time in the Urban Investment Group and the Investment Banking Division.

Sara holds a Master in Urban Planning from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College.

Chris Mitchell is a Senior Vice President and Senior Banking Officer for Northern Trust's Northeast banking

practice. Chris joined Northern Trust in 2023 and sits in New York City.

Chris has over 15 years of banking experience in working with high-net-worth individuals. Chris specializes in

tailoring credit products to meet their personal, business and family needs. Financing purposes include

personal/business working capital, real estate acquisition/construction, equipment acquisition, aircraft/yacht/art

purchases, insurance premiums, and private equity fund support. Prior to joining Northern Trust, Chris was

a Senior Vice President at Bank of America Private Bank and held senior roles at TD Bank.

Chris earned his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Information Management from Syracuse University and his

Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in International Management from Fordham

University. He also holds his Series 7 and Series 66 Securities Licenses.

Chris and his Wife have one young son and reside in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is an avid practitioner of

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with the current rank of 2nd degree black belt. He also enjoys playing golf, reading, traveling

and spending time with his family.

Justin R. Piasecki is President of George Smith Partners, focusing on Debt, Joint Venture, Structured Finance & Loan Sales for commercial real estate investors, developers, and financial institutions.

His area of expertise includes debt and equity capital raises, the sale of performing/non-performing loan portfolios and securing lines of credit/A-note financing for commercial real estate bridge lenders/private equity lenders. Piasecki draws upon his contacts and background from over 19 years of Capital Markets experience.

Prior to joining George Smith Partners, Mr. Piasecki was the Managing Partner at Lev, Inc., a Financial Technology Platform that focuses on digitizing commercial mortgage transactions. Piasecki closed over $1.3B of Financings in his 2 years at the firm as well as assisted in Lev raising $110MM of Venture backed funding through their Seed, Series A and Series B fundraising rounds.

Mr. Piasecki previously spent 9 years as a Principal in Avison Young’s New York City based Debt, Joint Venture & Structured Finance group where he focused on raising LP Equity, Preferred Equity, Mezzanine and First Mortgage Financing as well as selling loans for Investors, Developers, banks and funds. Mr. Piasecki was top producer globally for the firm and was a multiple time recipient of Avison Young’s Circle of Excellence.

Prior to joining Avison Young, Mr. Piasecki was a Senior Vice President for 6 years at The Carlton Group, a global real estate investment banking firm, where he was a top producer and dealmaker. Before that, he was a national direct private equity lender at Zurich Mortgage Solutions, where he served as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President. He handled operations for a company with annual originations of over $150 million. Mr. Piasecki began his career at Triple Crown Properties, a luxury home developer and real estate company in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was promoted to Vice President of Operations before joining United Appraisal Network, and led it to become the number two residential appraisal company in Florida.

Mr. Piasecki has been recognized in the industry with various awards: Avison Young’s Circle of Excellence 2013-2020, Globest.com 2019 50 Under 40: Rising Young Professionals in Commercial Real Estate, Dallas CEO Magazine 2017 Best Commercial Property Sale/Financing, 2017 Dallas Business Journal Best Deal of the Year, New York: The New Players of Commercial Real Estate and CRE Finance for the Commercial Observer (November 2015), Mortgage Observer’s 20 under 35 (October 2013), “The Real Deal Magazine” as one of the Top 35 under 35, Up and Coming Real Estate Moguls in NYC (April 2011) and to Real Estate Forum Magazine Top 40 under 40 in Commercial Real Estate (October 2011). Mr. Piasecki is a graduate of Rutgers University where he received a BS in Political Science and was a four-year letter winner on the men’s basketball team. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute, Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), Rutgers University Men’s Basketball Board of Advisors, Rutgers Business School Center for Real Estate Emerging Leaders Council, New York Real Estate Salesperson License. Mr. Piasecki and his wife Rebecca have 4 children and reside in Rumson, NJ.

Andrew Steiker-Epstein is the Chief Data Officer and Brokerage President for Charney Companies. As an experienced real estate agent and investor, with a specific focus on value-add property and ground-up projects, Andrew delivers an important skill-set to his role in development. With a keen ability to identify value, underwrite transactions, and optimize sales strategy, he's established himself as an excellent complement to his colleagues. Formerly a real estate agent with Compass, one of the largest and fastest-growing brokerages in New York City, Andrew helped close over $50,000,000 in gross sales during a two-year span. He also holds the position of board president in a Brooklyn condo and co-op respectively where he manages building finances and maintenance while maximizing value for owners. Andrew holds a bachelor's degree from Bates College and studied real estate finance at Baruch College. He is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York.

Rebecca brings to her work a commitment to design excellence in

connecting the interior and exterior experience. Her strength lies in her

passion and ability to develop projects that are both functional and beautiful.

Rebecca’s meticulous attention to detail enhances her designs through a

process that translates the aspirations of the client and KPF’s values into

the built environment. She celebrates the collaborative relationships created

throughout the process, from conception to construction, revealing well-

crafted and creative solutions. Demonstrating this approach at a range of

scales, Rebecca has been integral in the success of one of KPF’s smallest

projects, the boutique luxury residential condominium 500 W 21 st St, as well

as the firm’s largest infrastructure project, Changi Airport Terminal 5.

Overseeing KPF’s residential and hotel planning projects, Rebecca brings

more than a two-decade history of work in the US, Asia, and Europe, and

the accompanying sensitivities of their specific geographic location and the

international trends that transform neighborhoods. In London, a city less

known for high-rise residential living, she led the planning of the 500-unit 40

Charter Street. She applied lessons from her extensive luxury residential

planning in New York City to create a new form of neighborhood with a

range of unit types and robust indoor and outdoor amenities within a single

building in London. In Beijing, she led WF Central, a luxury retail and

hospitality destination adjacent to the Forbidden City. Modern in its offering

and experience, the project is sensitive to the traditional and historical

neighborhood in which it stands.

Rebecca has served as a part-time faculty member at Parsons School of

Design; a guest critic at Columbia University’s Graduate School of

Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and NYIT’s School of Architecture

and Design; and a lecturer at Yale School of Architecture. Rebecca is a

former term member of The Council of Foreign Relations. She is a

registered architect in the State of New York.

Jaime Sanmiguel is a Vice President in FirstService Residential’s Multifamily Rental Division.

In this role, Jaime oversees a mix of new and young rental properties, steady-state assets,

luxury amenitized properties, and multi-building complexes with a commercial overlay. His

management portfolio includes roughly 3,000 units, supported by a team of dedicated

management professionals who specialize in complex building operations, risk mitigation, and

compliance with emergent local laws and housing regulations.

With over 15 years of experience, Jaime has cultivated strong relationships with some of New

York’s most prominent multifamily building and portfolio owners. As a consultant, he helps

these clients differentiate their properties from competing assets, maximize ROI, reduce

operating costs, and elevate building staff performance through quality coaching and

certification programs.

Prior to his role as Managing Director, he served as General Manager of New York by Gehry, an

iconic architectural masterpiece in Downtown Manhattan with more than 900 apartments.

MARTIN J. HEISTEIN became a Partner of the firm in 1992. He is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Administrative Law Department.

Mr. Heistein is involved in diverse proceedings before the New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), including MCI, J-51 and 421-a applications, the NYC Environmental Control Board (ECB) and the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB). He practices administrative law, representing property owners of rent regulated housing and developers of 421-a new construction, hotel stabilization and single room occupancy issues and Certificates of Non-Harassment. His major concentration is the representation of many buyers/sellers of rent regulated housing in connection with rent regulatory due diligence issues. He also provides advice and representation in connection with affordable housing issues.

Mr. Heistein was the former General Counsel to the Rent Stabilization Association of N.Y.C., Inc., New York City’s largest real estate trade association whose 25,000 members own or manage over 900,000 housing units. Mr. Heistein served as General Counsel for seven years.

He is very knowledgeable in the Rent Stabilization Code, having been responsible for analyzing the Code on behalf of property owners while at RSA. Mr. Heistein was formerly responsible for drafting legislation in the State Legislature and the City Council and continues to specialize in governmental relations. Mr. Heistein has also been a member of New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Owner Advisory Council. He works very closely with real estate industry groups, such as RSA, SPONY and CHIP, where he is a member of the Advisory Board.

Mr. Heistein is a member of the Landlord and Tenant Committee of the New York State Bar Association He has also served as a member of the Committee on the Housing Court of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He has written numerous articles in the areas of housing and rent stabilization and has lectured at seminars sponsored by the Rent Stabilization Association, Associated Builders and Owners and at the Small Property Owners of New York, Marcus and Millichap and the Massey Knakal Multi-Family Summit.