Connecticut State of the Market

As CEO of Veitas Engineers, Jonathan Bayreuther is humbled to guide the next generation of structural engineers dedicated to multifamily housing. Under his leadership, the more than 65-year legacy of the Veitas family lives on in a pragmatic approach to constructable, efficient buildings. Jonathan has spent his career building a reputation as a engineer that views the structural design as only one, albeit important, element of any project, and that ultimately a successful building is about the people that design, build, and eventually live in it. His focus on people applies both to buildings and developing a strong, resilient Veitas team, using lessons from his time developing mentoring programs at a previous firm and as chair of a National Engagement and Equity Summit for NCSEA. Prior to joining Veitas Engineers, Jonathan became a devotee of LEAN design methods and collaborative modeling with experience designing award-winning hospitals, labs, class-A offices, university housing and classroom buildings. A firm believer that work and life are not separate, he strives to balance shepherding his work team with being a father to four active kids and supporting his wife who homeschools them in southern NH.

Eric is the founding Principal of ZDS and a lead contributor to the firm’s continuing success. He carries over two decades of project management experience in the hospitality industry. Eric’s keen ability to direct his staff of talented architects and designers through the successful completion of all of the firm’s projects produces outstanding results for the assignments in which the firm is engaged. Eric is impassioned with providing stellar design solutions that are lucrative for the entire project team. His hands-on, learned and enthusiastic approach from the onset of a project instills a perpetual forward motion, affording immediate results. Eric has led the design and project management of numerous luxury hotels and mixed use properties through the United States, Middle East, China, and Southeast Asia. Some of his greatest works include luxury hotels for clients and major operators in India, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh. His veteran work experience in both the domestic and international markets equip him with the ability to foresee a myriad of practical and innovative design and business solutions. A strong business sense paired with his innate design talent makes certain for solid project success. After 15 years as a Principal, Director of Operations, and Lead Project Manager at his previous firm, Eric pivoted his focus to building his firm that threads those international experiences into the more regionalized fabric of the United States. Eric’s daily quest for a successful balance between creative thinking, exceptional design, and efficient execution, reinforces his passion for the design industry and his persistent desire to provide his clients with profitable and successful properties. Eric is a mentor for young architects and designers in the industry. Eric frequents universities offering his skillful knowledge in portfolio reviews and is a champion of ensuring an optimistic future for the next generation of architects and designers. He received his B.Arch from Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. He is licensed to practice architecture in multiple states, is NCARB certified, and is LEED accredited. Eric also served as Past President on the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Rhode Island Board of Directors in 2018/19. He was born and still a proud resident of the State of Rhode Island.

Lisa L. Feinberg is co-leader of Carmody’s Real Estate & Land Use team and practices primarily in the area of land use law with a focus on representing developers, institutions, property owners and tenants in connection with obtaining municipal and state permits for large scale development projects and real estate transactions. Lisa has advised on many significant development projects in Stamford and the surrounding Fairfield County communities. She has developed strong relationships in the community that enable her to efficiently guide her clients through the land use approval process. Lisa’s clients credit her responsiveness, attention to detail and reliable follow-up in connection with complicated development projects.

Jake has been involved in over $500M of development encompassing over 1,000 residential units and 550,000 SF of commercial space spanning Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Jake has experience in different asset classes including mixed income multi-family, R&D/life sciences, and commercial. Jake holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance, Cum Laude, from the Sykes College of Business at The University of Tampa.

Andrew is the CEO of Dansker Capital Group, a national mortgage brokerage firm with offices in New York, Connecticut, South Carolina, and Florida. Andrew oversees a team of 30 that originates commercial mortgage debt for all asset types, with a specialization in retail and multifamily assets. The team’s work is primarily with bank and credit union loans; however, it has also extended to agency, CMBS, life company and bridge loans as the situation requires. The team has placed well over $2,000,000,000 in loans since its establishment as an independent company. Andrew is a published author with his commentary on the real estate lending market having been published in The Commercial Observer, Real Estate Weekly, and New York Real Estate Journal. Andrew has more than fifteen years of experience in the real estate industry. Prior to Dansker Capital Group, Andrew was a First Vice President of Finance at Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation and a mortgage broker at Cooper-Horowitz Inc. He also served as the Managing Director of Matrix Realty Group, was a summer associate in the offices of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson LLP and worked with Intervest National Bank in New York. Andrew earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Chicago and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.

Christopher T. Arnold Senior Vice President, Department Head Commercial Real Estate Lending Chris has over 40 years’ experience as CRE Manager/Lender. Chris joined Liberty Bank as Head of Commercial Real Estate Lending in 2008. Prior to Liberty, Chris’s career spanned 23 years at People’s United Bank, primarily in the role of Regional Manager Commercial Real Estate Group. Chris holds a B.S. from UConn with a degree in Finance /Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies. He’s been a featured speaker at industry events held by the Mortgage Bankers Association, CCIM, the Construction Institute, Hartford Business Journal, Real Estate Finance Association, Home Builders Association and UConn Business School. He was also included in the Hartford Business Journal’s “Power 25 Real Estate” list in 2024. Chris has served on numerous Boards and Committees including the United Way, Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce and the UConn Real Estate Council. Chris and his family reside in Old Lyme.

Mr. Parisier is the key principal and founder of Paredim, a premier owner operator of multi-family residential properties in the Northeastern United States, concentrated in the major markets of Connecticut and NY. He is responsible for directing all aspects of the firm’s strategic development, acquisition, redevelopment and management activities in over $1 billion in transactions since inception. Mr. Parisier brings over 35 years of experience to managing Paredim having executed over $1.5 billion in transactions with several public and private institutional investors including Mack Cali Realty Corporation and S.L. Green Realty. Mr. Parisier has a BA in Government from Clark University and an MBA in Finance from The Leonard N. Stern School of Business and New York University. He is active in numerous charities and Chairman Emeritus of the Young Professional’s division of the Children’s Hearing Institute

Todd R. Pajonas, Esq., President of Legal 1031 Exchange Services, LLC, is a member of the New York Bar and has been working in the real estate and title insurance industries since 1992. Prior to forming Legal 1031 Exchange Services, LLC Todd established the Northeast operations for two separate national qualified intermediaries, founded a national qualified intermediary which was later sold to an investor, and was counsel for two national title insurance underwriters. Todd focuses on IRC §1031 tax deferred exchanges and has received Martindale Hubbell’s prestigious AV peer review rating for attorneys. In his position with Legal 1031 Exchange Services, LLC Todd frequently lectures on IRC §1031 tax deferred exchanges, structured installment sales, real estate taxation, cost segregation, and other real estate related topics. Todd has lectured extensively for various bar associations, CPA societies, Boards of Realtors, Land Title Associations, and many civic, real estate, tax, educational and financial organizations. Todd was a guest lecturer at the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies where he taught a class on IRC §1031 tax deferred exchanges. He has been quoted in numerous publications including The New York Times, National Real Estate Investor, Small Business Review, Shopping Center Business Magazine, and Registered Rep Magazine. On June 18, 2013 Connecticut Governor Malloy signed House Bill No. 6339 which sets forth guidelines and requirements pertaining to minimum fidelity bond and errors and omissions insurance coverage, as well as inclusion of a prudent investor standard to maintain the liquidity and preservation of the exchange funds. Todd twice gave testimony before the Connecticut Banks Committee and was the main driving force in seeing this law enacted. Todd is the author of various legal articles, including Tax Deferred Real Property Exchanges: Do Co-Ops Qualify?, published in the New York Law Journal on August 9, 1999, Vesting and Finance Issues Related to Tax Deferred Exchanges Under IRC §1031, published in the May 2000 issue of the West Real Estate Finance Journal, The Benefits of a Tax Deferred Exchange, published in the September 2001 issue of Aviation Week’s A/C Flyer International, Property Exchanges Defer Taxes, published in the New York Law Journal on November 26, 2001, Reverse Tax Deferred Exchanges of Aircraft, published in the December 2001 issue of Aviation Week’s A/C Flyer International, Why Tax Deferred Exchanges are Good For Your Clients, published in the New York Real Estate Journal on December 31, 2001, Forming an Entity Which Allows Partners Separation While Minimizing Tax Consequences, published in the New York Real Estate Journal on January 29, 2002, Qualified Intermediaries Aid in §1031 Tax Deferred Exchanges – Providing Security, published in the New York Real Estate Journal on March 26, 2002, Taxing Complications: Sorting Out Tax-Deferred Exchanges for Tenants in Common, published in the New York Law Journal on April 10, 2002, Minimizing NY Mortgage Recording Tax, published in the May 2002 issue of the New York Real Estate Journal, Boilerplate Contract Language May Get You in Hot Water, published in the August 19, 2002 issue of the New York Law Journal, Proper Planning Is Important for Deposits, Escrows, and §1031 Tax Deferred Exchanges, published in the April, 2003 issues of the New York and New England Real Estate Journals, IRS Favors New §1031 Tax-Deferral Avenue, published in the New York Law Journal on August 18, 2003, Reporting Primary Residence Sales – The IRS has modified requirements when §1031 exchanges and partial rentals are involved, published in the New York Law Journal on March 12, 2007, Vacation Home Exchanges Clarified – The unanticipated implications of Rev. Proc. 2008-16 are broader, published in the New York Law Journal on June 23, 2008, How Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act Has Changed Residential Closings, published in the New York Law Journal on September 2, 2009 and Eagerly awaiting a Covid-19 extension for 1031 Exchanges, published April 8, 2020 in the New York and New England Real Estate Journals. Todd received his B.S. degree from Saint John’s University and his J.D. degree from Touro Law School. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association.

Joe joined Rubenstein Partners in 2021. Joe has over 25 years of real estate investment, development, asset management, and restructuring experience across all major property classes, with deep experience both in New York City and globally. In 2015, Mr. Zuber was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Amstar Group LLC, a privately owned real estate organization based in Denver, Colorado with ~$2.5 billion of AUM. Joe successfully led the restructuring of Amstar, including streamlining its operations, enhancing its liquidity, and repositioning the organization for growth before returning home to New York in late 2016. Joe was the Managing Principal of Black Walnut Capital LLC, a real estate private equity entity that invests in longer duration real estate investments on behalf of institutions and ultra-high net worth families. Joe was previously the President and Chief Operating Officer of O’Connor Capital Partners and a partner in the firm. Joe was responsible for O’Connor’s multi-billion dollar real estate funds business, including direct responsibility for its investment management platform. Mr. Zuber led the firm’s investment strategy, including the day-to-day management of 18 investing professionals, and the strategic oversight of the firm’s portfolio of 40 plus real estate investments with total capitalization in excess of $4.1 billion. Previously, Mr. Zuber served as the Chief Investment Officer of The City Investment Fund, LP (CIF), a fully integrated real estate investment manager designed to pursue opportunistic real estate investments within New York City. Established in 2004 by Fisher Brothers and Morgan Stanley, CIF committed to 31 investments with a total capitalization of ~$4.0 billion during his tenure. Mr. Zuber was also an Executive Director of The Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds (“MSREF”), where he was responsible for sourcing and executing U.S. investment opportunities and led MSREF’s investing activities in New York City. Joe received an MBA from The Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia and a B.Arch. degree from Cornell University.

Thomas Ashforth joined RM Friedland in November 2024 as Co-Managing Director to drive the firm’s expansion into Connecticut. He is responsible for new business development, investment sourcing and underwriting, recruiting, and overseeing brokerage operations, with a focus on leasing and sales assignments. Previously, Mr. Ashforth served as Senior Vice President at Lincoln Property Company since 2016. Prior to Lincoln, he was a Principal at Transwestern, where he led the Connecticut office, handling brokerage business development and recruiting. Before that, he was Senior Vice President of Investments at The Ashforth Company, directing the firm’s East Coast acquisitions. Earlier, at Hines, he managed acquisitions, leasing, and redevelopment of Class A properties in New York City and Connecticut. Mr. Ashforth began his real estate career in 1985 at Ashforth’s Management Services Division, managing premier office properties in Fairfield County, Connecticut. He holds a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MS in Real Estate from NYU, as well as an RPA designation from BOMA. He is also a member of REFA and a former board member and Chairman of Family Centers, a nonprofit based in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Andrew has experience with tax planning, research, and advising clients in a variety of industries including auto dealerships, aerospace, manufacturing, hospitality, consumer products, real estate, construction, technology service providers, and healthcare, as well as private equity funds. He specializes in federal and state tax returns for individuals, partnerships, and privately held businesses. Andrew also has significant experience with domestic and multinational companies, as well as S and C corporations. As a consultant, he performs cash flow and liquidation analysis and has experience in research and development credits, mergers, acquisitions, and international taxes.