San Francisco Multifamily Luncheon

Steve Buster is Senior Vice President, Development for Grosvenor Americas with overall responsibility for the development activities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Steve has fifteen years of real estate investment and development experience, most recently directing development activities for large master planned, mixed use projects in the Bay Area. He earned his MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business in 2007 and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), Finance from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California in 2000. Steve is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) & the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

Kristy Davis is the Business Development Manager for Truebeck Construction. Truebeck Construction is a local, full-service general contractor specializing in technical building, complex projects, and interiors. Clients come to Truebeck when they have ambitious goals, and when they want certainty, predictable costs, and high-performance buildings. Truebeck builds it right the first time and delivers the best value. Before joining Truebeck, Kristy was the Structural Steel Specialist for the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) in the San Francisco market. And before joining AISC, she worked as a staff structural engineer for A/E firms in Chicago and Indianapolis.  Kristy has experience with all phases of design, from design development through construction administration.  She is a member of the CoreNet Northern California Chapter and CREW San Francisco. Kristy attended Purdue University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering with an emphasis in structural engineering, and Ball State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in environmental design.

As President of Northern California for City Ventures, Mr. Hendry leads the Northern California Division and oversees the land acquisition, entitlement, and development of mixed-use residential communities across the San Francisco Bay Area. In his tenure, he has originated over 30 new home communities in Northern California now at various stages of development and oversees a pipeline of 2,500+ homes. He has worked with over 20 different city governments around the Bay Area and has a knack for bringing stakeholders together to get projects approved in today’s challenging housing environment. Prior to City Ventures, Mr. Hendry worked in New York City in an acquisitions role for Madison Realty Capital, an institutionally-backed real estate private equity firm with over $4 billion in firm assets. Mr. Hendry began his career at Pacer Communities where he managed the entitlement and development of large-scale residential communities across Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. Mr. Hendry received a M.Sc. of Real Estate Development from Columbia University, an M.B.A. from University of San Francisco, and a B.A. from UCLA.

Jake Herczeg is the co-founder of Herczeg Tobias Architects based in San Francisco. He is licensed in California, Texas, Illinois and Florida. He has fostered the growth of HTA with his technical and management skills. Jake leverages his knowledge of regional and local codes to efficiently navigate each project through the entitlement process. Jake is among the first architects to adopt San Francisco’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) program through which he has created more than 50 new apartment units throughout San Francisco. ​ In addition to multi-family work, Jake has experience in hospitality, education, restaurant and retail projects in and around San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. Before founding HTA, Jake worked in his father's architectural practice, continuing the family business that his grandfather founded. When not in the office, Jake teaches courses in Architecture at the University of San Francisco. He is a native of Brooklyn and he holds a Bachelor of Architecture from The Cooper Union. Jake lives with his wife and daughter in San Francisco.

Based in San Francisco, Brian Gagan is managing director of Client Services for Greystar in the Northern California region. Active in the multifamily industry since 1990, Brian has extensive experience in all facets of multifamily, property, and asset management, including pre-development services in many western markets. Before joining Greystar in 2011, Brian was a director at BlackRock Realty Advisors with portfolio and asset management responsibilities for several separate accounts. Prior to that, Brian was the president of Metric Property Management, managing over $2 billion of multifamily housing in 14 states. Brian has direct lease-up experience with approximately 8,000 units in California, Arizona, Washington, and Utah. Brian’s experience includes the management of garden-style, mid-rise, and high-rise multifamily product for private owners, REITs, and institutions.

As COO, Tom Perko is a key member of Fisher’s leadership team, responsible for the planning and execution of corporate strategy, overseeing operations, and assuring successful project delivery to our clients. He joined Fisher in 2015 as a Senior Project Manager running the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center and Affordable Housing Development, a multi-family, mixed-use structure located in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood. Mr. Perko is an accomplished builder who possesses an impressive depth and breadth of experience, ranging from ground up structures and TI’s to major public works projects. Prior to joining Fisher, Mr. Perko has worked for Nibbi Brothers, Baugh Industrial Contractors (now Skanska), Manito Construction, Wal-Mart Stores and Vandervert Construction. He’s also spent time doing international relief work in Africa, the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Mr. Perko holds a BS in building construction from the Univ. of Washington and an MBA from the Univ. of Michigan.

Jeff Brink has over 20 years of structural design experience with significant developments up and down the west coast, ranging from Performance Based Design high-rises to mixed-use projects at Candlestick Point, the SF Shipyard, and Yerba Buena Island. Current projects include the City of San Francisco’s new office tower at 1500 Mission Street and the Virgin Hotel adjacent to the Moscone Center. Jeff’s technical expertise at integrating innovative structural systems, combined with his broad understanding of the construction industry, allows architecturally decisive projects to be achieved while still maintaining the project budget.

As President of Related California Residential, Mr. Vilkin leads Related California's market-rate, luxury and mixed-income residential development throughout the state. He is currently overseeing a $2 billion pipeline of residential opportunities in key markets including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. Having joined Related in 2014, Mr. Vilkin brings more than 30 years of real estate investment, development and management experience, during which he has led teams that developed more than $10 billion in residential, retail, hospitality, office, industrial and master-planned communities in markets throughout the United States. Prior to joining Related, Mr. Vilkin served as managing principal and president of MacFarlane Partners, and served in various capacities for Forest City Enterprises, a publicly held real estate operating and development company with assets nationwide. For more than 10 years, he served as president of Forest City's real estate businesses that operated in the western United States- Forest City Residential West and Forest City Stapleton. The two businesses developed and owned a wide range of properties, including high-density apartments and condominiums, office buildings, retail centers and large-scale mixed-use projects. Mr. Vilkin holds a bachelor's degree in Finance from California State University at Northridge. He has served on the board of directors of the Center for Creative Land Recycling and the Multifamily Leadership Board of the National Association of Home Builders. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute, the Congress for the New Urbanism and the Young President's Organization.

John has over 20 years multifamily/commercial real estate experience in finance and asset management. He is responsible for business development in the San Francisco Bay Area. John has arranged financing for more than $2 billion in real estate and has led the disposition effort on over $500 million in institutional real estate. Prior to joining Bellwether Enterprise, John was First Vice President of Asset Management and Marketing at Essex Property Trust in Palo Alto, California. Before his time at Essex, John was Senior Vice President of Finance and Asset Management at Prometheus Real Estate Group in San Mateo, California.

Casey Wright, Principal at The Rincon Group, specializes in originating commercial loans for multifamily, retail, industrial, office, and NNN properties. He has closed over $100 million in commercial loans in the past 24 months. He is an expert in placing loans with life insurance companies, banks, credit unions, Wall Street conduits, and private lenders. Before joining The Rincon Group, Casey was ranked as one of top brokers at his previous firm. With over 10 years of real estate and brokerage experience, he is able to consistently deliver competitive terms for his clients. Casey is currently an active member of the Bay Area Mortgage Association (BAMA), California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA), and Los Angeles Mortgage Association (LAMA). He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Chico.

Alexander Kolovyansky is the Director of Investment sales at Vanguard Properties and one of San Francisco’s top brokers. Alexander has been investing and brokering real estate for over 19 years and has been recognized as one of “The Leading 100” by Real Trends. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Alexander, earned his degree in Economics from Princeton University where he was a two time Track & Field All-American. He worked at a fast paced hedge fund and as a marketing manager/negotiator at Intel Corporation working with senior executives brings a unique insight to the real estate industry. He has a California Real Estate Broker’s License, is a member of The Urban Land Institute, the San Francisco Planning & Urban Research Association (SPUR), Belden Club, the San Francisco Association of Realtors, and an MBA from the University of Arizona.

Ken Busch has over 25 years of experience in real estate development. He joined Sares Regis Group of Northern California in 2002. Ken serves as Project Executive for major residential development projects, overseeing feasibility, entitlements, financing, design, construction, marketing, and sell out/lease-up. He is a member of the Senior Management Team for the Residential Division. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Hearthstone, Vice President/Senior Investment Manager CREDENTIALS: Bachelor of Science – Civil Engineering, University of Delaware; Master’s in Business Administration – Real Estate, George Washington University; Urban Land Institute, Associate Member; Registered Professional Civil Engineer, California and Maryland.

Katie is Vice President of Development, responsible for managing the entitlements and development of Build Inc projects. Real Estate Development Director in San Francisco. Recently closed $33M construction loan on a 94-unit residential project in San Francisco. Obained $13M in grant money for project equity. Obtained project entitlements for a 196-unit mixed-use residential project in San Francisco, along with the 94-unit project. Knowledgeable with alternative financing including bond finance and tax credit deals. Performed condominium conversion and successfully completed the subdivison mapping process. Familiar with historic preservation issues including working with NPS and SHPO.

Bachelor of Architecture, University of Maryland School of Architecture Architectural Registration: California, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, New York and NCARB Mr. Sternberg relocated to San Francisco in 1979, having apprenticed under various architects in Washington D.C. and then San Francisco, until establishing Sternberg Architects in 1984 to practice architecture and real estate development. He joined with Mitchell Benjamin to form Sternberg Benjamin Architect Inc. (SBA) in 1998. SBA has completed numerous residential and mixed-use in-fill projects in San Francisco with a focus on distinctive and practical design. SBA has been working with the San Francisco Planning and Building Departments for over thirty-five years, continuing to enjoy excellent rapport with a good number of city officials. Our projects have consistently exceeded client expectations for unit pricing and rapid sales or rentals. Mr. Sternberg has, or continues to be a member of the San Francisco Building Codes Advisory Committee, S.F. AIA, S.F. AIA Advisory Design Review Board, S. F. Planning and Urban Research Association, Residential Builder's Association and the Bernal Heights Community Foundation. Mr. Sternberg has given numerous presentations and been published often regarding his work in the Bay Area.

For over 30 years, Paul Zeger has been the definitive source of information for new construction sales and marketing in the Bay Area. His leadership in identifying and capitalizing on residential development opportunities is unparalleled. Paul’s client relationships include some of the most successful real estate development firms on the west coast – TMG Partners, Emerald Fund, Lennar Urban and Wilson Meany to name a few. Paul believes in making commitments to his clients, and building trust by delivering on his commitments. Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics at Colgate University and a Masters in Business Administration from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.

Nori Mizushima has led the construction of some of the world’s most recognizable buildings including the Venetian in Las Vegas and one of the world’s tallest buildings, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, including 15 in the Bay Area, Nori has extensive knowledge of complex projects, including mutli-family residential buildings. As Project Executive, Nori is leading the construction of One Mission Bay for CIM Group, and recently completed Lumina for Tishman Speyer, and One Rincon Hill, Phase I for Urban West Associates during the last cycle. Nori is a native Coloradan, and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Structural Analysis and Design from University of Colorado, Boulder. Nori is a LEED Accredited Professional and holds a Professional Engineering license in New York.

Alexander J. Pugh is a Partner in Lubin Olson's Real Estate, Business, Finance and Workouts, and Construction Law Practice Groups. Mr. Pugh represents clients in a wide range of real estate and business transactions, including debt and equity financing, real estate acquisitions and sales, real estate construction and development, commercial and industrial leasing and ground leases, workouts, mortgage loan repurchase transactions, and UCC and mortgage foreclosures. He represents private equity funds, hedge funds, corporate and individual developers and owners of office, multi-family, retail, hotel, industrial, recreational and high end residential real estate, mortgage and mezzanine lenders, and other public and privately-held companies investing in or using real estate.  Mr. Pugh also has particular expertise in matters relating to California broker licensing. Before joining Lubin Olson, Mr. Pugh practiced in the real estate and finance group at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in San Francisco.  Mr. Pugh lives with his wife, son and daughter in San Francisco. Mr. Pugh was honored by Thompson Reuters as a Northern California Super Lawyer “Rising Star” in 2016 and 2017.