Phoenix Single Family Rental & Build to Rent Boom

Brent Long is the Director of Investment and Land for Christopher Todd Communities, one of the leaders in the Build-To-Rent real estate niche. Long has more than 25 years in the multifamily sector including investment, development, investment sales and capital markets. In his role as Director of Investment and Land, he is leveraging his connections and expertise to guide the company into new markets. Long’s leadership in real estate development includes principle of Cypress Investment Partners, president of Land Advisors Organization and president of Berkadia Investment Sales. Christopher Todd Communities was one of the early multifamily disrupters in the build-to-rent niche, creating communities that are a hybrid between traditional single-family home neighborhoods and apartment communities. The communities are platted and zoned as multifamily and are comprised of luxury single-story smart homes with robust technology, private maintenance-free pet-friendly backyards combined with resort-inspired community amenities. Every community is professionally managed. www.ChristopherTodd.com.

Passion, purpose and positivity describe Shelby Duplessis’ philosophy on work and life. As president of land development for the Empire Group of companies, Shelby exercises her business acumen to strategically look into the future of growth and improvement to enhance the quality of life for cities, municipalities, residential and commercial development. A civil engineer by training, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited, Shelby uses sustainability, forecasting, collaboration and leadership to enhance her career and mentor others, especially women, to help them succeed in their chosen careers. Deeply committed to making a difference in her community, Shelby is active in many local volunteer groups including Honorary Commander at Luke Air Force Base, Leadership West, Speak Up, Stand Up, Save a Life, Westmarc, City of Peoria Historic Preservation Commission Chair, City of Peoria Board of Adjustment Member, City of Peoria Design Review Board Member and others.

George Stellas is a Vice President at Blue Vista and supports all aspects of the acquisition process for the firm’s real estate equity strategies. George has underwritten $13BN of opportunities across all asset types and geographies and has closed on over $570MM of aggregate asset value. George co-developed Blue Vista’s BTR platform and currently leads a sizeable component of Blue Vista’s build-to-rent acquisitions and developments efforts. He has closed or is under contract on 6 BTR deals across three states representing 934 units and nearly $100MM in total capitalization. George is involved in ULI Chicago, JBURNS Future Leaders in Housing, and The Hellenic Initiative. He holds a Hotel Real Estate Investments & Asset Management certificate from Cornell University and lectures at the McIntire School of Commerce on behalf of the University of Virginia’s Real Estate program. George earned a BA in Economics and Spanish from the University of Virginia.

Johnny has been an investor and private lender in the SFR class for over 20 years and is Vice President of the Private Client Group at LendingOne. LendingOne’s Private Client Group provides competitive and customized SFR aggregation and portfolio financing solutions to large institutional investors, entrepreneurial owners, national property groups, private funds, family offices, and brokers. The Private Client Group is a team of seasoned real estate professionals with deep experience across SFR capital markets, operations, and deal structuring. The Private Client Group is committed to deploy $3B in capital for SFR in 2023 with the backing of the world’s largest global alternative asset manager.

Diego is a Tax Manager in the CLA Phoenix office. He has been with the firm since 2014. His primary focus areas are partnership taxation and working with Real Estate Developers and Private Equity clients to build and retain capital by implementing tax saving strategies. Areas of experience include tiered partnerships, closely held business entities, S-corporations, C-corporations and high-net worth individuals. Diego has a BSBA in Accounting and BA in Italian Language and Literature from the University of Arizona. Diego is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants, and NAIOP AZ-Commercial Real Estate Development Association.

Nathan is the President/Owner of Curve Development with over 20 years of industry experience. He oversees the company’s national platform, evaluates and executes development opportunities, and is responsible for strategic long-term strategy. Prior to forming Curve, he was the Development Manager for JEN Regional Partner, TerraWest Communities. From 2014 to 2019 he managed the multi-family condo development, construction, design, and sales process. Prior to TerraWest, Nathan joined Zaremba Group on the acquisition, build, lease up and sale of a twin tower, high rise, luxury apartment project. The development set a mark for success over the 90-year history of the company. Before joining Zaremba Group, he was a Project Manager for Weitz Construction on several large-scale commercial and multi-family projects. He is originally from Nebraska and spent his youth building custom homes with his family.

With a degree in Psychology from UCLA, starting a brokerage in 1986 that specialized in new home sales when interest rates were hovering around 12% might not have sounded like the wisest choice of career paths, but it proved to be the best foundation that Vincent Barbato could have ever received. In 15 years, by working closely with builders both large and small to develop dynamic and successful sales and marketing programs for all new home products, Vince was able to build his company to become one of the largest in the United States, eventually selling the firm to Prudential New Homes. Over that time, Vince became a nationally recognized speaker and expert on new home sales, design and marketing. For Family Development, Vince utilizes his 30+ years of experience to design everything from land plans and architecture to marketing campaigns. To do so, Vince spends much of his time researching and listening to homebuyers to learn their values and incorporate them into each design. Under his guidance, Family Development has received every major design accolade from Gold Nuggets to Project of the Year awards.

Erica McLaughlin is the Senior Director of Property Management for RangeWater Real Estate in the Southwest. In this role, she has oversight of onsite operations as well as partnering closely with the RangeWater Business Development Team to expand the management presence throughout the Southwestern United States with current and new third-party clients. Erica joined the RangeWater team in 2020 with more than 12 years of multifamily experience in more than nine states. She began her multifamily career shortly after college with an opportunity to join a company as a traveling “startup” manager for newly acquired, value-add assets. Over the four years that Erica was in this role, she successfully directed the onsite transition, rebranding, and repositioning efforts of her assigned assets in more than 12 different markets across the United States. Erica was then promoted to Regional Manager, based out of Phoenix, AZ, with oversight of the Southwest portfolio – Texas, Arizona, and Southern California. Since then, she has successfully overseen portfolios of value-add, LIHTC, stabilized, student housing, lease-up, and rehab communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Colorado, and Greater Arizona. Erica is from Charleston, SC, and graduated from Anderson University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication (Public Relations & Advertising) and a minor in Business. She is a current member of the NAA and AMAA and is a CPM candidate. She was a 2019 AMAA Tribute Awards Finalist for Regional Manager of the Year. Erica currently lives in Scottsdale, AZ with her husband, Nate.

John Danielian, AIA is the President of Danielian Associates Architects + Planners. As residential housing experts, the Danielian Associates team provides architecture and planning services at all densities, scales, and price points throughout the United States. With more than 25 years of extensive hands-on design experience, John’s work has ranged from luxury custom homes to high density urban and commercial developments throughout the U.S. and abroad. John now provides leadership to each of DA’s design studios, continuing the Danielian legacy of high-quality architectural services while simultaneously growing a culture of ingenuity and design innovation for the future. John is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Architecture, served as president of the AIA-Orange County Chapter in 2015, and maintains active participation on a ULI Council. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, John participates in numerous industry associations including NAHB, CBIA, and several local BIA and HBA chapters.

Chris Jones, Director of Planning and Landscape Architecture, has over 25 years of professional experience in land planning, landscape architecture, and community leadership. His portfolio of work is extremely diverse including award winning master planned communities from 400 to 36,000 acres, urban infill and mixed-use developments ranging from 2 to 100 acres, and detailed site plans of both residential and non-residential projects of all sizes, representing both private developers and municipalities. Chris has become a creative leader in the Built To Rent (BTR) market designing award winning communities through his forward thinking ideas in site design and evolution of the design of the residential units. Through these experiences. Chris is a leader in the development industry and in our community as well. He was appointed by the Mayor of Scottsdale to the City’s General Plan Working Group in 2010 and served on the City’s DRB for six years. Chris was later selected by the Town of Fountain Hills’ Mayor and Council to sit on their Planning and Zoning Board. Chris’ role at Todd and Associates has been to help lead a collaborative team of architects, planners and landscape architects in design and placing making of all project types. For every project his goal is to create a stimulating and inviting environment from the surrounding area and through the entire project area.

Colin Cavill is an Australian native who established St. Clair Holdings in 2012. St. Clair Holdings is an investment company specializing in build-to-rent and multifamily value-add real estate projects in the South and Southeast regions. Before founding St. Clair Holdings, Colin began his commercial real estate career in Brisbane. He served as a Partner and broker with Colliers International for many years before venturing out on his own. Since establishing St. Clair Holdings, Colin has sold thousands of units, completed student housing projects, 55 and better communities, and is actively underwriting new opportunities. With more than 35 years of experience, Colin has a proven track record of acquiring, sourcing, financing, and managing a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate investments for a wide range of investors, from private individuals to global corporate entities. Colin creates strategic partnerships with investors from around the world and delivers reliable returns that outperform the market. He is renowned for his meticulous attention to detail and has an impressive track record of identifying great opportunities and delivering strong results for investors. Colin is an active member of the ULI Single-Family Rental Council.

The president, creative visionary and business mastermind behind MODUS Development, Ed Gorman created a unique solution to eco-friendly urban living by combining his aptitude for technology and design with his extensive background in real estate development. What started as an idea of innovative housing with location, design and technology at its core, has since led MODUS to become the leading developer of eco-friendly living featuring innovative buildings with award-winning environmentally friendly designs located in prime urban areas. Not only is Gorman’s MODUS Development nationally recognized as one of the premier developers of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED-H), but he was also among the first in the nation – and the first in Arizona – to unveil net zero energy living spaces. Prior to MODUS Development, Gorman began his career with technology companies AT&T, Apriva and Iridium Satellite. Followed by years spent in real estate development, which included site acquisition, design, construction, and financing. Gorman is a LEED accredited professional, Urban Land Institute (ULI) member, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) member, and is a board advisor for the Arizona State University Masters in Real Estate Development (MRED) program, which is also where he received his MBA following his Bachelor’s of Science from the University of South Carolina. Now considered a pioneer in the industry, Gorman has continued to keep MODUS Development on the cutting edge of urban living. Projects such as The Galleries at Turney in Phoenix, AZ and Parc Riviera in San Diego, CA solidified his standing as a leader among his peers, while upcoming residential projects that are currently under development in Arizona and California – MZ Townhomes in Scottsdale, AZ was recently unveiled as the first zero energy housing project in the state, with three more projects to be unveiled in 2016 – will continue to keep him at the forefront of innovative, energy-efficient living.

Andrew is a Director for Berkadia Phoenix Investment Sales, bringing four years of commercial real estate experience to the team, specializing in land and multifamily investment sales. Born and raised in Arizona, Curtis was exposed to commercial real estate at a young age through his father’s Home Building Business. Before joining Berkadia, he was with Cushman & Wakefield, where he was responsible for modeling market fundamentals and property financials to prepare valuations for advising clients on acquisitions, dispositions and leasing strategies. Curtis earned his bachelor’s degree in urban and regional development and a minor in business administration from the University of Arizona. A little more than four years later, as part of Berkadia Phoenix, Curtis has been a part of nearly $1.0 billion in SFR/BFR sales and more than 2,700 units across Arizona, Louisiana and Florida. In addition to multifamily, SFR and BFR, Curtis has completed seven land sales between Arizona and Colorado.

As a Principal and designer of award-winning communities throughout the United States, Doug has contributed greatly to KEPHART’s reputation as a leader in design. He utilizes his 35+ years of experience to balance design trends with marketplace longevity and construction costs. His experience includes the design of master planned communities, high density in-fill concepts, and a wide range of single and multi-family for sale and rental projects. Doug is a nationally recognized industry expert on residential design trends and has been a guest speaker at numerous venues including the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders’ Show and local Home Builder Association functions. His work and forward-thinking ideas have been highlighted in a variety of industry publications including Builder, Professional Builder, Builder and Developer and 50+ Builder.

Mark Barton is the Denver Division President for Catamount Constructors, Inc., a 100% employee-owned national general contractor. Barton has 23 years of construction experience and has been with Catamount since 2007. He has executive oversight on all of Catamount’s Single Family for Rent projects and is an expert in business development, building operations teams and programs, and client/subcontractor management. Barton holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering Technology from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana.

As Vice President of Sales for Hotwire Communications’ Southwest Region, April Morris creates and guides the strategic vision to bring advanced telecommunications solutions to residential communities and multi-unit properties across the company’s all-fiber network footprint. Her leadership has resulted in increased product penetration throughout target markets, and the creation and implementation of sales initiatives to maximize sales and revenue goals.