How to Win Residents and Influence Renewals: Exploring Today's Top Operations Trends

From Management to Amenities and Everything in Between

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  Keri Walker Pfeifer

  Keri Walker Pfeifer is the Managing Director at Bozzuto, having joined the company in 2009. With over 25 years of experience in property management, Keri has established herself as a leader in the industry, specializing in new development planning, lease-up strategies, and the repositioning of value-add properties. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a keen ability to build high-performing operations teams that consistently deliver exceptional customer service, earning Bozzuto top industry rankings for online reputation. In the first decade of her career at Bozzuto, Keri played a pivotal role in the company's market expansion into New England. In 2017, her leadership was tapped for a new challenge as she was selected to spearhead the company’s growth into the Southeast, overseeing our Southeast markets. Inclusive of The Carolinas, Nashville, Atlanta and Florida. She continues to drive Bozzuto’s success, focusing on operational excellence and team development to cultivate leadership talent within the organization. Keri’s leadership extends beyond operations; she is an integral member of Bozzuto’s senior executive team and serves as an officer of the company. In her role, she is responsible for driving accountability and optimizing the performance of the business across her assigned regions. Keri is also dedicated to developing strong client relationships, leveraging these connections to secure new business opportunities for Bozzuto and align the company’s growth with its strategic goals. A strong advocate for mentoring, Keri plays a key role in shaping Bozzuto’s future by identifying and nurturing the next generation of leaders. Her focus on both operational success and the development of people underpins her leadership philosophy, ensuring that the company’s values and culture continue to thrive as Bozzuto grows. In her role as Managing Director, Keri’s responsibilities include overseeing portfolio operations to achieve strong financial performance, building and leading diverse teams to achieve optimal results, and managing client relationships to ensure alignment with business objectives and brand standards. Through her dedication, Keri has played a significant role in Bozzuto’s success and continues to shape its trajectory in the years to come.

  Bozzuto Management Company

  Managing Director, Operations, Southeast

  Keri Walker Pfeifer

  Managing Director, Operations, Southeast

  Bozzuto Management Company

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  Rajen Shastri

  Rajen Shastri has spent over 12 years working in senior management roles across the spectrum of the commercial real estate value chain, from being an investment professional at a global real estate institutional investor to acting as a Principal at an operator/developer. His vision for Akara partners is to offer investors the ability to participate with a vertically integrated real investment firm, allowing them to capture value from the elimination of the inherent information asymmetry between investors, operators and developers. Prior to founding Akara Partners in 2013, Rajen was a Principal, CIO and Co-COO of Campus Acquisitions (“CA”) a developer and operator of student housing assets from 2009-2013. While at CA, Rajen led the capitalization and monetization of over $1 billion in student housing assets across the U.S., including the $627 million sale of a portfolio of assets to American Campus Communities (NYSE: ACC) in 2012. Prior to CA, Rajen worked at Syndicated Equities and Jones Lang LaSalle, where he identified and structured commercial real estate investments across asset types both in the U.S and Internationally. Rajen has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He serves on the Kellogg Alumni Real Estate Board, is a member of YPO, Windy City Chapter and is on the Board of Advisors for the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate at the University of Wisconsin School of Business.

  Akara Partners

  CEO

  Rajen Shastri

  CEO

  Akara Partners

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  Amy Heskett

  Amy started her career in the multi family industry with Post Properties in 1995; working her way up from Leasing Consultant to Community Manager. She worked on several communities throughout the Atlanta area and achieved Manager of the Year in 1998. In 2004 she joined United Residential Properties, a privately held firm located in Macon, GA. While with United Residential, Amy oversaw a portfolio of 2,200 Class A communities throughout the Southeast. Amy then joined First Communities in 2008 and was a part of the Century Portfolio working exclusively with Centennial Investment Group as a Senior Property Manager and Area Manager. The focus was on value-add opportunities throughout the Atlanta market. In 2015 she joined Greystar as a Regional Manager and has worked with both third- party clients and the Greystar Investment Group. Amy was awarded Regional Manager of the Year in 2016 and 2018. She was a part of lease ups with the Overture brand in 2017. In 2018 she was promoted to Sr Regional Manager and moved to exclusively work on the Greystar Investment Group communities with a focus on value add. In May of 2019 Amy and her family relocated to Nashville and she is currently the Director of Real Estate with Greystar and oversees a portfolio of 24 communities and just under 7,000 units. The portfolio will nearly double in size with the pre-development opportunities over the next two years. She has a BBA with an emphasis in Marketing from Georgia Southern University.

  Greystar

  Senior Director, Real Estate

  Amy Heskett

  Senior Director, Real Estate

  Greystar

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  Jordan Bernstein

  In his role at Mint House, Jordan is responsible for driving the strategic direction and implementation of the company’s growth and development. Jordan brings nearly 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, beginning at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where he held various roles across the Global and North America Development organizations, including global strategic planning, and managed and franchised hotel development in the United States and Caribbean. He joined IHG Hotels & Resorts in 2017, focusing on owner relationships and transactions, asset management, and upscale development. Most recently, Jordan was Vice President of Business Development for First Hospitality, responsible for developing new third-party management partnerships nationwide. Mint House is a premium residential hospitality operator in the short-term rental category. With over 25 assets in over 20 markets open or signed and growing across the U.S., Mint House partners with real estate owners to operate full-building hospitality projects, as well as operating contiguous floors within high-end, multi-family buildings. Mint House serves the rapidly growing traveler demand for upper-tier apartment style accommodations, from business transient stays to 30-day plus stays.

  Mint House

  Head of Development Strategy and Operations

  Jordan Bernstein

  Head of Development Strategy and Operations

  Mint House

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  Will Hitzemann

  Will Hitzemann is an accomplished sales professional with over 10 years experience in Software/Tech sales industry. Currently serving as a Regional Sales Director at Foxen, Will is engaged in strategic sales initiatives to bring Foxen’s innovative solutions to clients. Foxen is a provider of solutions that mitigate risk and build financial wellness for multifamily property owners and operations and their residents. Through its proprietary renters insurance compliance and rent reporting platform, Foxen enables investors and properties to reduce risk, increase asset value and drive operational efficiency. Prior to joining Foxen, Will has worked for other established tech companies including: Oracle (ORCL), CoStar Group (CSGP), Zumper. In addition to tech, Will is also experienced in Commercial real estate and Mortgage Banking. Will is committed to delivering results that drive business transformation and success.

  Foxen

  Regional Director

  Moderator

  Will Hitzemann

  Regional Director

  Foxen

Building Nashville's Future: Multifamily Development, Design and Construction Outlook

Discover the Trends Dominating the Music City's Top Residential Projects

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  Jason Koehn

  Jason led the formation of Albion Residential in 2016 as a re-branding of Village Green Development. As President, Jason Koehn is directly responsible for the development and implementation of Albion’s overall business strategy and portfolio composition and in the five years since the founding of Albion he has led the company’s growth to 5,000 apartment units. His oversight includes the development, acquisition, project financing, and asset management for the company’s portfolio as well as maintaining and managing relationships with partners and lenders to maximize the profitability of each individual asset. Jason joined Village Green in 2008 and from 2011 to the founding of Albion in 2016, Jason served as a member of the Board of Directors of Village Green and also served as the Chief Investment Officer. Prior to joining Village Green, Jason was a Director of Structured Equity Investments for GE Capital. Earlier in his career, he was also employed by McShane Corporation, Equity Office Properties Trust and served as an officer in the United States Army. Jason received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from the University of Illinois and his Master of Business Administration in Real Estate/Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University where he was named the Top Real Estate Student in 2003.

  Albion Residential

  President

  Jason Koehn

  President

  Albion Residential

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  Luca Barber

  Luca Barber serves as Senior Managing Director of Development in Nashville, Tennessee. His responsibilities include managing all aspects of the development process, including site acquisition, due diligence, entitlements, design, financing, and disposition of Mill Creek communities. Since 2010, Mr. Barber has participated in more than $4.5 billion of commercial real estate transactions and has a professional background in mixed-use development, acquisitions, and multifamily investment sales. Before joining Mill Creek, Mr. Barber was the Vice President of Development and Acquisitions for Lincoln Property Company in Nashville, Tennessee. During his time at Lincoln, he worked on various mixed-use developments, including Nashville Yards, a 15-acre urban redevelopment in the central business district. He was also responsible for acquiring stabilized assets and potential development sites. Before joining Lincoln Property Company, Luca worked with MetLife Real Estate Investors in Atlanta, Jones Lang LaSalle in Washington, D.C., and Roseland Property Company in the New York Tri-State area. Mr. Barber holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill, where he served as the Lead Manager for the KFBSF Real Estate Private Equity Funds, a series of three diversified, value-add, and opportunistic closed-end investment vehicles. Luca graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish.

  Mill Creek Residential Trust

  Senior Managing Director, Development

  Luca Barber

  Senior Managing Director, Development

  Mill Creek Residential Trust

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  Andrew Donchez

  Andrew is a Partner, Head of Development at SomeraRoad, overseeing all aspects of the firm’s ground-up development platform with a current pipeline of multifamily projects, in excess of $1.5 billion in total cost. Andrew has over 15 years of experience in development. Prior to joining SomeraRoad, Andrew served as Vice President of Development for Mill Creek Residential Trust, where he led the development of 1,400+ residential units exceeding $600 million of development value. Andrew previously helped build RXR Realty's development platform, overseeing the construction of 1,400+ residential units totaling more than $700 million of value during his tenure. He also worked at Toll Brothers, Inc. and Ashley Development earlier in his career. Andrew received a B.S. in Accounting from the Pennsylvania State University. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, son, and daughter.

  SomeraRoad

  Partner, Head of Development

  Andrew Donchez

  Partner, Head of Development

  SomeraRoad

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  Nick Benjamin

  Nick is a Principal of VELA Development Partners with over fourteen years of experience developing urban mixed-use and multifamily projects. Before co-founding VELA, Nick was a Vice President of Development for Cordish Companies where he was responsible for overseeing entertainment district and multi-family development projects, including One Light and Two Light in Kansas City, as well as One Cardinal Way in St. Louis. Nick was responsible for the development of these and other projects from the ground up; from incentive negotiation, to entitling, to unit mix and programming details, to training and overseeing the leasing and property management teams. Nick began his career at Simpson, Thacher, & Bartlett as an associate attorney. Nick graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor’s degree before earning a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.

  VELA Development Partners

  Principal

  Nick Benjamin

  Principal

  VELA Development Partners

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  Lauren Miller-Wilmoth

  Lauren is a recognized leader in Nashville's urban multifamily market and leads one of the largest architectural teams as an Associate at Smith Gee Studio. With experience designing thousands of multifamily units, Lauren has been instrumental in taking several of Nashville's prominent projects from concept to completion. Her passion for creating livable spaces tailored to residents' needs drives her commitment to understanding the modern urban apartment dweller. This dedication inspired her to create and publish The Living Lowdown, a bi-annual study that tracks and analyzes trends in Nashville's multifamily market. Through partnerships with local apartment management companies and the development of a resident user survey, Lauren provided clients with insightful market feedback, empowering them to make informed design decisions.

  Smith Gee Studio

  Associate

  Lauren Miller-Wilmoth

  Associate

  Smith Gee Studio

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  Emily Trapani

  Emily Trapani is a tech business leader with over 15 years of experience, including more than 8 years in leadership at Google, creating and executing sales strategies and innovation for technology products and services. As the Head of Retail at Google Fiber, she oversees strategy, innovation and operations in retail and other non-traditional sales and service experiences for the company's high-speed internet offerings. She has an invariable track record of delivering results and growth for Google Fiber and its parent company, Alphabet Inc., by developing and managing various sales channels and partnerships, including B2B, B2B2C, multifamily, direct, indirect and nontraditional. She is also an author and a futurist, who has published two books and a podcast on technologies and industry trends. She is passionate about empowering women and underrepresented groups in technology and STEM, and volunteers as an instructor and facilitator for several Google programs and initiatives.

  Google Fiber

  Head of Sales

  Moderator

  Emily Trapani

  Head of Sales

  Google Fiber

Follow the Money: Investment and Acquisition Trends in Multifamily

With Millions Trading in Multifamily Assets, Learn Where and What Residential Investors are Bullish On

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  Ian Ross

  Ian Ross founded SomeraRoad Inc. in 2014 to take an entrepreneurial and creative approach to value-add, opportunistic real estate in non-core markets. Previously, Ian was a Managing Director at Triangle Capital Group, a firm he helped develop shortly after its inception. At Triangle, Ian managed the Acquisitions and Asset Management units, focusing on the purchase of hard asset real estate, non-performing loans, and securitized mortgage products, as well as the conception and execution of value-add business plans. Ian sourced, underwrote and structured investments, in both the CMBS and CRE arenas, and focused on the development of strategic relationships, firm oversight, and risk management. Prior to joining Triangle, Ian spent two years working as an analyst for Jefferies & Company in its Investment Banking Division where he focused on raising both debt and equity, as well as providing advisory services for companies in the financial services and real estate sectors. Ian initially began his professional career working on Morgan Stanley’s CMBS origination and securitization platform. Ian received an MBA from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and graduated with honors from Emory University with a Bachelors in Business Administration. Ian serves on Manhattan’s Community Board 5 and sits on the Public Safety & Quality of Life, and Transportation & Environment committees. Additionally, Ian is the Founder and Chairman of The Asperger’s Awareness Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 that strives to raise awareness and funding for high-functioning forms of Autism.

  SomeraRoad

  Founder & Managing Principal

  Ian Ross

  Founder & Managing Principal

  SomeraRoad

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  Matt Ferrari

  Founder / Managing Partner

  PXV MULTIFAMILY

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  Harvey Wadsworth

  Harvey comes to Portman Residential from Mill Creek Residential Trust where he led development operations for the Atlanta region, and prior to that, Jamestown Properties. He brings a strong focus on mixed-use development, urban high-rise construction and strategic multi-family development to our team, managing national operations and overseeing strategy and execution. Harvey has spent his fifteen-plus real estate career building Atlanta, and has been involved in the development of more than 4,000 multifamily homes with a total capitalization of over $1.2 billion. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, Real Estate Group of Atlanta, and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

  Portman Residential

  Managing Director

  Harvey Wadsworth

  Managing Director

  Portman Residential

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  Stephen Keller

  As Development Director Nashville at Alliance Residential, Stephen Keller is responsible for sourcing and executing new development opportunities in the Tennessee market. His duties include site selection, negotiating land purchases for development, capitalization, and managing the entitlement and design processes. Since joining Alliance in 2019, Stephen has been involved in the execution of over 1,500 multifamily units in the Atlanta and Nashville markets. Prior to joining Alliance Residential, Stephen was a part of the Debt and Structure Finance team at CBRE helping to source over $500 million in debt and equity for multifamily, office and industrial products across the Southeast. Mr. Keller graduated from the University of Alabama where he earned a B.B.A. in Finance with a concentration in Real Estate.

  Alliance Residential

  Development Director, Nashville

  Stephen Keller

  Development Director, Nashville

  Alliance Residential

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  Brent Barcus

  A 2nd generation real estate investor. While spending nearly 30 years in the music and audio entertainment industry as a performer, music director, mix engineer and sound designer for Global Brands, Bands & Networks such as Shania Twain, WarnerBros. Discovery & NASCAR, Brent has always kept a pulse on residential investing thru flips, short-term rentals and new construction. However, it was his passion for multifamily properties that led him to shift his focus to apartment buildings and complexes. Thru constant education and mentors, Brent has developed a deep understanding in identifying undervalued properties, vetting lead sponsors and a passion to align investor’s financial goals with the ideal asset. Our approach to investing is grounded in a commitment to meticulous research and due diligence. My belief that by taking the time to thoroughly analyze market trends, potential risks, and investment opportunities, we can identify the most promising multifamily properties and make smart investment decisions for us and our investors. In addition to his expertise in real estate, Brent is known for his strong interpersonal skills and his ability to build lasting relationships with his clients and partners. He takes pride in providing exceptional customer service and in working closely with investors to understand their unique goals and objectives. Today, Brent is a Co-General Partner in over 750+ units, and he continues to seek out new investment opportunities that align with his commitment to delivering superior returns for his investors.

  i65 Capital Investments

  Managing partner

  Brent Barcus

  Managing partner

  i65 Capital Investments

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  Vincent Lefler

  Vincent Lefler joined Newmark in 2020 and currently serves as an Executive Managing Director in the company’s Nashville, TN office, covering TN, AL and KY. A 20-year investment sales veteran, Lefler has substantial expertise in commercial real estate, specializing in multifamily properties, land, and equity placement. He has handled over $8B in transactions with both institutional and private clients. Lefler joined Newmark after serving as National Director for nine years with JLL. In this capacity, Lefler opened the Nashville office and was responsible for leading a team of four brokers and overseeing transactions in TN, AL and KY. Prior to that, Lefler was a Vice President with Apartment Realty Advisors in Atlanta, GA for seven years. Lefler was a tertiary market specialist and handled transactions in TN, AL, SC and GA.

  Newmark

  Executive Managing Director

  Moderator

  Vincent Lefler

  Executive Managing Director

  Newmark