Citi, Cenlar, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield make leadership announcements

August 16, 2021 2:35 PM

Citi appoints Wells Fargo veteran Liz Bryant as head of mortgage sales

Banking giant Citi tapped former Wells Fargo leader Liz Bryant to lead its mortgage sales operations. With more than two decades in mortgage banking, Bryant joins Citi’s lending division, headquartered in St. Louis. At Wells Fargo, she was retail national sales manager for home mortgage, and before that, head of retail fulfillment and home equity. In her new position, Bryant will oversee and build Citi’s mortgage sales team while expanding its digital capabilities to help meet the needs of clients, including those living in underserved communities.

Bryant’s hiring is the latest addition this year to New York-based Citi’s mortgage business. “In addition to her sales and fulfillment chops, she has strong operations and risk and controls experience, which we’re excited to leverage in our growth strategy,” said Brad Wayman, Citi’s head of mortgage.

Cenlar names Jason Shockey chief information security officer

Cenlar, the national mortgage servicer based in Ewing, N.J., announced the hiring of IT and cybersecurity specialist Jason Shockey as its chief information security officer. With over 20 years of experience, Shockey brings broad technology expertise in areas such as risk management, compliance, architecture, software engineering and incident response. In his new role, Shockey will oversee information security strategy to avert risk and develop processes to increase Cenlar’s digital reach.

Before joining Cenlar, Shockey held the position of CISO at Cyberpoint International and has led or worked on cybersecurity efforts with the U.S. Marine Corps and national intelligence. “I’m looking forward to working with the corporate security office team and continuing the great progress they’ve made. My vision is to further integrate and align information security to the business strategy,” Shockey said.

Gateway taps Steven Plaisance to lead mortgage business

Photo by Ace Cuervo

National lender Gateway Mortgage, a division of Gateway First Bank, named longtime industry veteran Steven Plaisance as president. Plaisance had been serving as interim president since February and came to the company from Arvest Bank, where he had worked for over 30 years and served as president and CEO of its mortgage-banking division for the past six. “With his extensive experience and leadership, we are able to align all things mortgage, including retail, correspondent, operations, secondary and servicing, under one umbrella,” said Gateway First Bank’s CEO Scott Gesell.

Previously known as Gateway Mortgage Group, the Jenks, Oklahoma-based company rebranded itself as Gateway First Bank in 2019 following the

acquisition of Farmers Exchange Bank

. The mortgage business operates in 43 states and opened 10 new mortgage centers in seven states in 2021.

Key Mortgage welcomes industry leader Ralph Melbourne as president

Key Mortgage Services, the mortgage unit of Chicago-based real estate services company Baird & Warner, announced the appointment of Ralph Melbourne as president after a nationwide search. Melbourne was previously the national head of mortgage lending at BMO Harris Private Bank and has also held leadership roles at other mortgage and financial institutions, including PHH Mortgage, Guaranteed Rate and PNC Mortgage.

“Ralph’s 25-plus years of work as an innovative change leader in the financial services industry will help us further elevate the transaction-to-closing experience with a vision toward future growth,” said Steve Baird, Baird & Warner’s CEO and president. In 2020, Baird & Warner, whose other units include Baird & Warner Title Services, recorded more than $11.5 billion in sales and over 37,500 transactions companywide.

Homebot appoints Jeff Marchetti as sales vice president

Mortgage-technology portal Homebot, which provides data intelligence to clients to maximize repeat and referral business, tapped former Ellie Mae vice president Jeff Marchetti as its vice president of large-account enterprise sales. In his new role, Marchetti will drive the Denver-based company’s enterprise-sales strategy for top lenders nationwide.

“Homebot brings immense value to homeowners, buyers, and sellers alike,” said Marchetti. “It also delivers an unmatched return on investment to lenders — unlike any technology I have represented in my past roles.”

With more than two decades in mortgage banking, much of it dedicated to promoting technology solutions to lenders, Marchetti worked at H&R Block Mortgage, Servicelink and Ellie Mae, where he served as vice president executive account leader, responsible for bringing its mortgage technology platform to lenders and banks.

Cushman & Wakefield taps John Forrester as new CEO

Commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield announced the promotion of current global president John Forrester to CEO, effective January 2022. Forrester takes the reins from Brett White, who will remain with Chicago-based Cushman & Wakefield as executive chairman, a role he has also held since 2015. Forrester currently oversees the firm’s service lines and regions worldwide and has spent over 30 years with Cushman & Wakefield’s or its predecessor DTZ, which he joined in 1988. Forrester led DTZ as group chief executive at the time of its merger with Cushman & Wakefield in 2015.

“I’m honored to continue leading this great organization now as the chief executive,” Forrester said. “Our people and our brand carry incredible momentum as we continue to lead the industry through this global recovery.” In 2020, Cushman & Wakefield earned revenue of $7.8 billion across its core services.

CBRE promotes Emma Giamartino, Vikram Kohli

Left to right: Emma Giamartino, Vikram Kohli

Dallas-based CBRE Group, a commercial real estate services and investment firm, promoted two members of its senior leadership team. Chief investment officer Emma Giamartino takes on the title of global group president, chief financial officer, in addition to chief investment officer. Meanwhile Vikram Kohli steps up from senior vice president, business insights and corporate finance, to the role of global group president, business intelligence. Both are also members of CBRE’s 10-person executive committee.

Giamartino will work on both mergers and acquisitions and real estate investment activities to drive growth at CBRE. She joined the firm in 2018 to lead M&A activity in the Americas and previously served as its global head of corporate development. “Consolidating our capital investment and finance functions under Emma’s leadership reflects the growing importance of capital allocation to the long-term growth aspirations that we outlined at the end of last year,” said CBRE’s CEO and president Bob Sulentic.

Based in Singapore, Kohli was CBRE’s chief operating officer in Southeast Asia, and has been with the company since 2001, also holding the position of executive director, sales management, Asia Pacific, for five years. In his new position, he will be responsible for digital technology and strategy, and continue to oversee CBRE’s business insights, financial planning and analysis, and research. “Adding our strategy and digital and technology functions to his mandate will create a business intelligence capability that will better enable us to make powerful, fact-based decisions as we guide the company’s growth,” Sulentic said.

Cherry Creek names Lorie Helms chief technology officer

National lender Cherry Creek Mortgage, based in Denver, appointed digital expert Lorie Helms as chief technology officer. Helms will oversee Cherry Creek’s IT operations, software development and project management teams. With 20 years of experience at mortgage-technology firms Helms joins Cherry Creek from Covius, where she was its chief information officer for seven years. She also served as CTO at Stewart Lender Services, helping develop its proprietary due diligence and credit risk management systems. Helms’ industry background also encompasses loan originations and servicing.

“Lorie's impressive technical background, combined with her business acumen and commitment to cross-functional teamwork, will lead us into the next generation of our technology systems,” said Rick Seehausen, president and chief operating officer of Cherry Creek Holdings Group.

Common Securitization Solutions adds cyber risk expert Kelly Isikoff

Common Securitization Solutions, a joint venture owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, appointed Kelly Isikoff its chief information security officer. Through its Common Securitization Platform, CSS processes more than $400 billion in mortgage securities each month and supports the securitization process of more than a million mortgage-backed securities, according to chief technology officer Susan Gueli. “As CISO, Kelly will play a critical role and lead a holistic information-risk team, ensuring the integrity, availability and confidentiality of our data and processes,” Gueli said.

An experienced veteran in technology risk management, Isikoff comes to CSS from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where she was its cybersecurity business and strategy advisor. Isikoff has also held CISO roles at J.P. Morgan Chase and insurance firms Axis Capital and RenaissanceRe, and worked on Citigroup’s global information-security efforts.

Covius appoints David Kelly, Peter Palermo to vice president roles

Left to right: Peter Palermo, David Kelly

Covius, a provider of digital tools to the mortgage industry and other financial services, recently named both David Kelly and Peter Palermo as vice presidents of business development. Kelly will help lead originations solutions at Covius, and Palermo joins its reQuire real estate solutions group.

Kelly’s new responsibilities include oversight and development of the company’s client base for its origination products, particularly valuation, title and verification services. A mortgage and real estate veteran, Kelly joins Covius from Get Credit Healthy, where he was chief revenue officer and previously spent over two decades with ServiceLink/LSI. “His deep industry and client expertise will benefit our customers as the housing and mortgage markets present post-pandemic opportunities and challenges,” said Pete Pannes, chief business officer at Covius.

Palermo will oversee growth in the western U.S. for reQuire, Covius’ lien-release tracking tool, as well as its title curative and document preparation solutions. He has held senior positions with several title service providers in a 20-year career, including WFG National Title Insurance and Legend Title. His experience also includes tenures with mortgage-service providers CFSI Loan Management, New Century Mortgage and Countrywide Financial. “Pete’s extensive title services and operations experience will help strengthen our existing client relationships and continue to position reQuire as the nation’s leading lien-release tracking provider,” said Niki Culver, vice president, operations at reQuire.

AHP Servicing names Charles Halko chief financial officer

Residential mortgage servicer AHP Servicing, which helps distressed homeowners find repayment solutions via crowdsourced investments, announced the appointment of Charles Halko Jr., as chief financial officer. With over 30 years of experience in financial services, Halko previously served as CFO at Selene Finance, where he helped obtain government-sponsored-enterprise approvals and the Ginnie Mae direct-servicing contract for the firm. Before joining Selene Finance, he was a senior vice president at Capmark Finance.

In attempting to find solutions for borrowers, Chicago-based AHP also assists lenders and loan buyers with opportunities to restructure nonperforming loans. “The addition of Chuck is critical to our continued growth to become a premier special servicer,“ said Jorge Newbery, AHP Servicing’s CEO. “His expertise enables us to further enhance our financial management, accounting and reporting capabilities, as we expand our ability to meet the growing demand for special servicing within the mortgage industry.”

PACE Loan Group adds Michael Jarmolowich, Kris Jones to growing team

Left to right: Kris Jones, Michael Jarmolowich

Commercial financier PACE Loan Group announced two new leadership additions, hiring Michael Jarmolowich as managing director and Kris Jones as vice president of originations. Founded in 2017, the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based firm provides commercial-property assessed clean energy — or

C-PACE

— funding for energy-efficient and sustainability-focused constructions.

A longtime leader in C-PACE and sustainable real estate financing, Jarmolowich was previously managing director at Stifel Financial, with past experience at Lehman Brothers, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank. “PLG has a very dynamic team of high energy CRE professionals who deliver efficient on-time C-PACE execution with a broad expertise across the entire capital stack,” said Jarmolowich. “I am genuinely excited for the opportunity to be such a valuable resource in the expansion of PLG's national reach.”

With more than 18 years of experience in multifamily and commercial real estate, Jones most recently held the role of senior director at Ten-X and also served as vice president of real estate at RealCrowd. His appointment is a key part of PLG’s plans to serve the Midwest and the East and West Coasts. “I am excited to be joining PACE Loan Group to help them expand their C-PACE loan portfolio throughout the Western U.S.,” Jones said.

Pembrook hires analyst Nigel Henry and adds two advisors

Left to right: Nigel Henry, Ghebre "Gabe" Selassie Mehreteab, David Baker Lewis

Pembrook Capital Management, a commercial real estate investment manager focused on affordable rental housing, named Nigel Henry as analyst to provide support for its asset management and underwriting teams at its New York City headquarters.

Henry comes to Pembrook after three years at Parkchester Preservation Management in the Bronx, where he served as a financial data analyst managing capital projects, and also held a similar position with Tenant-U Services in Newark, Del. “As we continue to grow our national pipeline of lending transactions, his strong background of financial and analysis experience will support the work of our asset management and underwriting teams,” said Stuart Boesky, Pembrook CEO.

Pembrook also recently announced the appointment of two senior advisors to expand the firm's efforts to address racial and economic inequality through its affordable-housing lending business. Detroit lawyer David Baker Lewis, co-founder of Lewis & Munday, a leading municipal finance practice, will draw on his four decades of experience with municipal bonds to assist Pembrook’s efforts. Affordable-housing expert Ghebre Selassie Mehreteab, an adviser to nonprofits as well as public and private enterprises on sustainable affordable housing initiatives will provide his expertise as well. Mehreteab co-founded NHP Foundation, a not-for-profit owner of multifamily housing, and started his career at the Ford Foundation working on economic revitalization projects in urban areas.

LoanDepot appoints Mike Linton, Pam Patenaude to board

Left to right: Pamela Hughes Patenaude, Michael Linton

Nonbank mortgage lender loanDepot continued its 2021 growth, adding two experts to its board of directors. Former HUD deputy secretary Pamela Hughes Patenaude and consumer and product marketing veteran Mike Linton were appointed in July. “Mike is well known for his unique ability to build strong customer relationships and brands, and Pam has extensive experience solving complex problems in the real estate and housing policy space,” said Anthony Hsieh, loanDepot’s chairman and CEO.

A real estate and policy leader, Patenaude has held prominent roles in government, the nonprofit sector and private business, including serving as deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2017-19, when she managed the agency’s daily activities. She is currently principal of Granite Housing Strategies and has advised housing and real estate organizations as diverse as CoreLogic and Habitat for Humanity.

Linton has worked for 35 years in product marketing and customer-experience management. He currently serves as chief revenue officer at Ancestry, the family-history and genomics platform, and was previously chief marketing officer at Farmers Insurance.

Stewart makes key promotions and additions to nationwide team

Left to right: Richard King, Lola Blatt, Krysta Baring, Tony Zielinski

Real estate services provider Stewart, based in Houston, announced four personnel moves across the country, promoting three and adding a new hire to its national team of underwriters. Illinois sales manager Tony Zielinski becomes division president of the Chicago operations office at Stewart Title Guaranty, and Lola Blatt takes over as a national commercial services manager with Stewart Title Commercial Services, stepping up from her role as commercial underwriter. In New York, Richard King takes on new responsibilities as an associate senior underwriter at Stewart Title Guaranty, while the company also added Krysta Baring as underwriting counsel in the Southwest.

Prior to joining Stewart, Zielinski was division sales manager for North American Title and spent five years with Fidelity National Title as a vice president and operations manager. He will be in charge of growth in Illinois, particularly communities underrepresented by Stewart. In her new position, Blatt will oversee the commercial services offices of Los Angeles, Glendale, Phoenix and Las Vegas. With 35 years in the industry, Blatt started her career at Stewart, eventually becoming an executive vice president and division president. She subsequently accepted leadership roles at Rainier Title and Old Republic Title before rejoining Stewart in 2019.

King has been with Stewart for 18 years, serving as a senior claims counsel before becoming the regional claims counsel for New York and Puerto Rico. He will continue to fulfill his duties for Stewart’s New York domiciled underwriter in conjunction with his new position at Stewart Title Guaranty, the company’s largest underwriter outside New York State. Baring’s background includes experience in Texas oil, gas, and real estate law, having been in private practice the past 12 years. As an attorney, she has represented all parties in real estate transactions and also provided counsel to affiliate title agencies. In her new role at Stewart Title Guaranty, Baring will provide underwriting support and guide employees and agents, primarily on Texas transactions.

Anchor Loans hires Andrew Jewett to head new enterprise sales

Fix-and-flip lender Anchor Loans named Andrew Jewett senior vice president, enterprise sales. In a 16-year career in fix-and-flip lending and real estate capital markets, he joins Anchor Loans from Sundae, where he was most recently head of lending and co-head of capital markets. Jewett also co-founded Aperture, an analytics and proptech firm, which was then acquired by Sundae, and previously held leadership positions at Wedgewood and Royal Bank of Scotland. “He brings a rare combination of leadership skills having been both a fix-and-flip entrepreneur and a capital markets executive,” said Anchor CEO Andy Pollock.

In the newly created role at Anchor, Jewett will oversee account management, recruitment, product development and marketing. The lender, based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., has consistently funded more than $1 billion in loans every year since 2016.

Barings taps Maureen Joyce to lead real estate equity asset management

Photo by Gittings Photography

Charlotte-based global investment manager Barings appointed Maureen Joyce as its head of U.S. real estate equity asset management. She will oversee the direction and execution of assets across the country. Joyce was most recently the managing director and head of asset management and separate accounts at AEW Capital Management, establishing its ESG strategies. She has also held leadership roles at CB Richard Ellis and Spaulding & Slye Colliers over a three-decade career.

Joyce will be based in Boston and also serve on the firm’s U.S. Private Equity Investment Committee. “Her advancements of technology and ESG initiatives will complement the platform's existing best-in-class capabilities and further mark Barings as an innovation leader,” said John Ockerbloom, co-head of U.S. real estate at Barings.

Trez Capital hires Ilir Necaj in NY, promotes Ben Jacobson in Florida

Left to right: Ben Jacobson, Ilir “Eli” Necaj

Real estate investment firm Trez Capital, with global headquarters in Vancouver, Canada, made two leadership moves in its U.S. operations, hiring Ilir “Eli” Necaj as vice president of origination and capital markets in New York for the newly formed real estate bridge financing team, and promoting Ben Jacobson to managing director of its Florida office.

Trez is on pace to originate approximately $2 billion in loans in 2021 and has named

several new leaders

across the U.S. this year. “Our success this year is largely driven by the boom in residential construction coupled with having the right talent on the ground,” said Brett Forman, executive managing director, Eastern U.S. “We continue to focus on communities with high job growth, where most of the new development is taking place.”

Before joining Trez, Necaj served as vice president at Centennial Commercial Finance Group and also gained experience in Wells Fargo’s commercial real estate capital markets group. In his new position, Necal will focus on all commercial-property types, including multifamily, office and retail, bringing his expertise in underwriting, originations and capital markets. Jacobson previously held the role of vice president, origination, in the Florida office, and so far in 2021, has originated more than $250 million in loans. He joined the firm as an associate in 2016, and as part of his new position, Jacobson will continue to be responsible for generating new debt and equity deals in the Eastern U.S.

Synergy One Lending taps Kristie Wolford as chief production officer

Digital-mortgage platform Synergy One Lending named industry veteran Kristie Wolford chief production officer in charge of its consumer-direct lending unit. In a 26-year career, Wolford has established several consumer-direct teams. She also has served as a strategy consultant for both retail and wholesale lenders, and most recently, was an executive vice president at AmeriHome Mortgage.

“I believe in the Synergy One vision of a digital-first client experience,” said Wolford. “Consumers have come to expect it in their online experiences, and we are building a platform that will do just that.” Based in San Diego, Synergy One Lending is licensed in 42 states.

JLL hires new managing directors Michael Zaremski and Michael Shmuely

Left to right: Michael Shmuely, Michael Zaremski

New York-based commercial real estate advisor JLL Capital Markets, announced the appointment of Michael Zaremski and Michael Shmuley as managing directors in its New York capital markets team. Previously senior directors at Berkadia, both will help lead JLL’s multihousing debt advisory business. “They are an exceptional cultural fit for JLL, and we look forward to working with them to expand our market share in the multihousing debt space,” said Michael Gigliotti, senior managing director and co-head of the team.

Zaremski’s past experience includes roles as an analyst at Berkadia and Faris Lee Investments. Shmuely has also worked as an analyst with Berkadia and Arbor Commercial Mortgage. As multifamily specialists, Zaremski and Shmuely will draw on their experience with bridge financing, GSE financing, debt brokerage and mortgage originations for JLL.

Framework hires Omar Esposito, Janiecia Marshall to lead partnerships

Left to right: Omar Esposito, Janiecia Marshall

Social enterprise organization Frameworks Homeownership appointed Omar Esposito and Janiecia Marshall to its leadership team. Based in Boston, Framework aims to create products and programs to assist first-time, first-generation home buyers.

Esposito will hold the role of vice president of partnerships and business development, while Marshall steps in as Framework’s head of business development. Esposito’s past experience includes roles at the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York and two tenures with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, including as assistant vice president of senior relationships. More recently, he served as chief revenue officer at Stackfolio, a technology startup he launched in 2016, which was sold earlier this year. Marshall joins the organization from JustAnswer, the online paid question-and-answer platform, where she was business development manager of partnerships. She has also held roles at education-technology company Campus Explorer, including as senior partnership marketing manager.

Both Esposito and Marshall will focus on the marketing and adoption of Framework’s home buyer education course, as well as developing new and current partner relationships. “Between Omar’s entrepreneurial spirit and housing finance acumen, Janiecia’s tenacity and prior successes, and their collective work in the business development realm, Omar and Janiecia bring a wealth of experience that is invaluable to Framework,” said Danielle Samalin, CEO of Framework.

IDB Bank appoints Avi Lieberman as business development officer

New York-based IDB Bank appointed Avi Lieberman as its senior vice president and business development officer within the commercial real estate group. In his new role, Lieberman will oversee new business relationships in the New York tri-state area, customizing solutions for commercial clients. In his decade-long career, Lieberman has worked at Amalgamated Bank, where he was an assistant vice president, and most recently held the title of senior vice president and senior relationship manager at Amerant Bank.

“By having Avi as our senior business developer, we expect to increase our footprint across all real estate asset classes. Avi is an accomplished relationship manager and top-producing commercial banker,” said Gardner Semet, senior vice president and business line manager in IDB Bank’s commercial real estate division.

Pretium hires former Goldman Sachs, Fortress leaders as directors

Pretium, an investment management firm specializing in residential real estate, residential credit and corporate credit, announced the hiring of three new managing directors: Sarah Kong, Andrew Miller and Peter Morreale. All three will be based in Pretium’s New York headquarters. “I'm confident Sarah, Andrew and Peter's extensive expertise and operational experience will enable them to make an immediate impact in terms of enhancing our ability to source compelling opportunities, provide industry-leading levels of service, and expand our firm's strategic footprint in the industry,” said Pretium founder and CEO Don Mullen.

Kong will be a part of Pretium’s residential-credit team, responsible for mortgage whole-loan trading. She joins the firm after 15 years in the mortgage business at Goldman Sachs. Miller will oversee Pretium's mortgage-servicing rights investment strategy and expansion of its Ginnie Mae early buyout investing capabilities. He comes to Pretium from Fortress Investment Group, where he managed structured mortgage strategies for the past 12 years. Morreale will help manage the structuring, negotiation and execution of capital markets transactions across Pretium, applying over two decades of legal experience representing issuers, underwriters and servicers in real estate transactions. Most recently, he was a partner at the law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft and has served as a managing director at Goldman Sachs.

Open Mortgage appoints Windi Gerber to lead human resources

Multichannel lender Open Mortgage named Windi Gerber senior vice president of human resources. In her new role, Gerber will manage Austin-based Open Mortgage’s human resources department, ensuring compliance with policies and standards. Before joining Open Mortgage, Gerber held several personnel management positions for other mortgage companies, including Premier Lending, Movement Mortgage, Deephaven Mortgage and Goldman Sachs.

“Windi’s demonstrated skill set for cultivating strong company culture and talent development in the mortgage banking industry makes her an ideal fit for Open Mortgage,” said Scott Gordon, the company's founder and CEO. “As we continue our momentum of exceptional growth, we need those valuable skills now more than ever.”

First Community Mortgage names Tyler Smith branch manager

First Community Mortgage, a retail, correspondent and wholesale lender licensed in 44 states, hired Tyler Smith as branch manager of its office in Wilmington, N.C. Smith will originate loans in several markets First Community Mortgage serves, with a specific focus on the Carolinas, and comes to the lender with previous experience in sales and management. “His experience in real estate is a great bonus for his mortgage clients,” noted FCM’s assistant vice president Jeromy Estes. Based in Murfreesboro, Tenn,, First Community Mortgage funded over $3.5 billion in home loans in 2020.

Bank of Southern California hires Elizabeth Swift as senior VP

San Diego-based Bank of Southern California appointed Elizabeth Swift as senior vice president, commercial real estate lender. In the position, Swift will originate and manage a portfolio of commercial real estate loans out of the bank’s regional commercial banking office in San Diego. She most recently held the title of vice president, senior loan officer, in the construction lending division of Bank of Marin, and was responsible for originations and underwriting of commercial real estate construction transactions. “We look forward to further growing our business in the San Diego region and serving even more clients through her expertise, leadership and commitment to delivering superior service,” said Bill Sloan, executive vice president, commercial banking manager of real estate.

Allen Matkins welcomes return of Michael Kostecka as partner

California law firm Allen Matkins, whose focus includes real estate, construction and commercial financing, announced the appointment of Michael Kostecka as partner based in its Los Angeles office. Kostecka previously was an associate at Allen Matkins from 2006-12 and senior counsel from 2012-14.

Kostecka’s areas of expertise include a broad range of real estate and construction transactions and investments. In his 15-year career, Kostecka has negotiated thousands of transactions working with investors of all sizes, including large Fortune 500 companies and the University of Southern California. Before rejoining Allen Matkins, Kostecka was a partner at the Los Angeles real estate and litigation boutique law firm of Safarian Choi & Bolstad.