ACG 101 May 15th 2024 Real Estate Symposium

Aaron Levy is the Co-Managing partner of the firm's Southern California offices and delivers over 18 years of experience in accounting and taxation to his clients.  He specializes in the real estate, manufacturing, and professional services industries by providing tax consulting services to clients operating in these areas.  Aaron became a CPA in order to help people find ways to position themselves in an optimally, tax-advantaged way and in order to serve as a close advisor to friends and family. Over the course of his career, Aaron has combined his passion for listening closely to his clients’ individual situations to offer much-valued direction so that they can meet their unique goals.  This ability, coupled with his finely-honed analytical thinking skills and technical acumen, have served him very well as a trusted advisor to his clients.  As Office Co-Managing Partner of the firm’s Southern California locations, Aaron has made a significant contribution to client and staff development with the ultimate aim of impacting the firm’s growth. Aaron spends his time outside of work coaching his two boys in baseball and basketball. He is also heavily involved in the Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters, for which he served as a big brother mentor for many years.

Michael is an audit partner at HCVT and has over 20 years of experience in public accounting providing audit and M&A Quality of Earnings engagements to start-ups, rapid growth and middle market companies. Michael serves clients in the real estate and hospitality industries, as well as the manufacturing, retail and distribution industry, focusing on consumer products, food and beverage, aerospace, transportation and logistics sectors.

Michael is a graduate of Pepperdine University and is a member of ProVisors and the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG). He is also a member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA), where he serves as a co-chair on the Accounting Education Committee, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Prior to joining HCVT, Michael was an audit manager for KPMG in Los Angeles, and before starting his career in public accounting, he spent four years in private industry as a senior accountant.

HCVT is the largest Los Angeles-based CPA firm, and the 33rd largest CPA firm nationally, with 12 offices and over 800 professionals, providing audit, tax, advisory and business management services.

James Bean is a vice president with SVN-Rich Investment Real Estate Partners, one of SVN's largest franchises in the North America. For nearly 30 years, Bean has developed a keen skill set for specialization in investment brokerage and is nationally recognized as a 1031 Exchange expert. This started by growing an industrial portfolio from 1.5 million square feet to nearly 6 million square feet, while completing more than 1500 leasing and sales transactions worth more than $1 billion in volume.

With the power of SVN, Bean is able to successfully transact in all 50 states. He is licensed in California and Arizona.

Bean is an author, an award-winning national sales coach and public speaker. He is the chairman of the board for a charter school based in his hometown of Ventura, CA.

Megan co-leads KCB’s real estate platform. She is responsible for executing the Partnership’s investment strategy, including the deployment of capital and management of the real estate portfolio, which comprises $1.5 billion of real estate assets. During her tenure at KCB, Megan has closed over 35 deals with an asset value of over $900 million.

Megan serves as a member of the Board of Directors of several companies including Spiral Binding (largest independent business-to-business supplier of document finishing and binding supplies and equipment in the U.S.), ThriftBooks (the largest e-retailer of used books), and Intellectual Holdings (a managed service organization for 10 men’s concierge healthcare centers branded as Revibe Men’s Health), and serves as a Board Observer of All Points North Lodge (Behavior Health Company).

Prior to joining KCB, Megan was an Associate at Grayhawk Capital, where she was responsible for acquisitions and portfolio management of early to growth stage technology companies. Megan earned a BS in Finance from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and holds a certificate in International Business.

Keith Wasserman founded Gelt, Inc. in 2008 during the height of the recession and financial meltdown. Keith has now been involved in the acquisition of multifamily and self-storage properties worth over $3 billion mainly across the Western United States. He oversees the company’s operations, marketing, investor relations, acquisitions, leasing, development, and disposition services. Keith graduated in 2007 from the University of Southern California from the Marshall School of Business and sits on the Executive Committee of the USC Lusk Center. Keith is also a member of YPO (Young Presidents Organization), Tiger21 and Milken Institute Young Leaders Council.

Scott Tiano is responsible for Hyperion Realty Capital and JS Western Partner’s long-term corporate and asset management strategy, along with spearheading all equity and debt relationships. Tiano founded JS Western in 2013 to acquire core plus and value add investments on behalf of private investors and family offices. From 2013 to 2018, JS Western’s portfolio grew to a total value of approximately $325 million. In 2019, Tiano co-founded Hyperion Realty Capital and launched a series of value-add funds focused on the grocery anchored retail sector. Hyperion has since acquired assets in excess of $250m.

Previously, from 2011 to 2013, he was a partner at LS Capital where he was involved in acquiring retail shopping centers and distressed debt throughout the Western US. Prior to joining LS, from 2004 to 2010, Mr. Tiano was one of the leading real estate investment brokers in Southern California and eventually co-founded Wilson Commercial Investment Sales Group (which was subsequently acquired by Jones Lang LaSalle). Mr. Tiano holds a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in International Economics.

As someone committed to both family and philanthropy, Mr. Tiano balances his time with his wife and two children living in Agoura Hills, CA. Mr. Tiano serves on the boards of The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles and Jewish Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and has also been an active “big brother” since 1998. In his spare time, Mr. Tiano plays the drums, travels, and enjoys hiking, kayaking, and simply being outdoors.

Mr. Blash is primarily responsible for investment strategy, acquisitions, disposition, and capital formation. He has over 30 years of experience developing and implementing real estate investment strategies and managing national investment programs, including joint venture equity, mezzanine debt, and structured finance transactions. These efforts have produced gross asset values exceeding $5 billion.

Prior to his experience at Crossbeam, Mr. Blash spent 12 years at Fannie Mae, most recently as the Director of Equity Investments for the American Communities Fund (“ACF”). At the ACF, Mr. Blash managed a nationwide equity production team, investing in high-profile housing redevelopment opportunities in the nation’s largest markets. Transaction experience includes adaptive reuse/historic preservation, high-rise construction, mid-rise, Garden apartments, single-family lot development, and single-family and townhome subdivision development in markets across the United States.

Mr. Blash has been a Forbes Business Council Member since 2018, and he serves on the International Real Estate Advisory Board of the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business, is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the Urban Land Institute’s Multifamily Council and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Multi Housing Council. Mr. Blash holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Colorado. Mr. Blash resides in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife and children.

Scott Taylor is a veteran of the finance industry and a Founding Principal at Artes Capital. After earning his degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in Business Administration and Finance (minor in Economics), he began his career in the banking industry. After spending eleven years at Wells Fargo managing a complex real estate loan portfolio, Scott served as Managing Director of Partners Capital Solutions, a private portfolio lender with over $250 million in private portfolio funds under management. Scott is passionate about creating value for his clients through structuring capital and developing credit plans to suit the characteristics of specific real estate projects. “I am not an artist when it comes to drawing or painting,” he says, “but I believe I am very artistic when it comes to capital solutions.” Scott knows that no two pieces of real estate are the same. He is skilled at solving problems and managing risk for Artes Capital clients and investors. Outside of work, Scott enjoys spending quality time with his wife and two daughters. He is a huge baseball fan and loves being outdoors, especially hiking and camping.

Jason Post is the founder and CEO of Post Real Estate Group, overseeing day-to-day operations and the strategic vision of the business. Jason has directed real estate transactions totaling in excess of $4 billion in capitalized value, has taken over 60 deals full-cycle, and has acquired and operated over 36,000 apartment units. Jason brings over 21 years of direct real estate experience and over 23 years of entrepreneurial and operational experience to the business. Jason received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Arizona State University. In addition to his role as CEO, he is actively involved in a number of charitable organizations, serving as a board member at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), Wende Museum, Cedars-Sinai Hospital Board of Governors, and Wags and Walks.

Neil Schimmel is highly specialized in the acquisition, management, redevelopment, and disposition of multifamily properties. He has completed over 500 separate real estate transactions totaling $4 billion dollars, which includes 40,000 units in 20 states.

Inspired by over three decades of work in multifamily, in 2010 Neil Schimmel established the IMG Los Angeles office to create a new kind of real estate investor group. IMG was born out of a belief that every property can be reimagined for good. Neil’s business philosophy is simple: when residents win, investors win. IMG has acquired over 12,000 multifamily units ($1.6 billion) representing 50 properties nationally.

IMG's diverse network of over 1,000 clients includes accredited investors who are individuals, family offices and/or joint venture partners. Total investor capital in IMG-sponsored multifamily real estate exceeds $600 million.

Prior to founding IMG, Neil was a partner at Capitol Properties, a multifamily real estate investment and brokerage firm. He began his career at Kenneth Leventhal & Co. where he received his CPA and was responsible for the restructure and work out of troubled real estate assets throughout the U.S and Canada.

Mr. Schuster is a highly accomplished and versatile professional with extensive experience in various sectors of the real estate and investment industries. As the founding member and Chief Executive Officer of Valhalla Financial, Incorporated, he leads a private real estate investment firm that specializes in managing capital for multiple family offices. The firm's expertise lies in developing customized investment strategies and adding value through their implementation, particularly in distressed asset markets. Over the course of more than 30 years, Valhalla Financial has built a strong reputation for efficiently closing deals, particularly in the realm of distressed assets.

In addition to his role at Valhalla Financial, Mr. Schuster serves as the Chief Executive Officer of SCHU Mortgage & Capital, Inc., a California-based real estate firm focused on residential and commercial mortgage banking. This role underscores his deep involvement in the mortgage sector, where he likely leverages his expertise to navigate and capitalize on opportunities within the real estate financing landscape.

Furthermore, Mr. Schuster holds the position of Managing Director at Reason Capital Group, LLC, a firm specializing in acquiring opportunistic business ventures. This role highlights his ability to identify and capitalize on investment opportunities beyond real estate, demonstrating a broader acumen in the world of business and finance.

Lastly, Mr. Schuster is actively involved with the Not For Profit- Global Woman Foundation & Band of Brothers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding homeless veterans by providing housing programs. This commitment underscores his philanthropic endeavors and social responsibility, showcasing a holistic approach to community welfare alongside his professional pursuits.

Overall, Mr. Schuster's diverse roles and extensive experience reflect a multifaceted career marked by deep involvement in real estate investment, mortgage banking, business acquisition, and charitable initiatives, all of which contribute to his reputation as a seasoned and impactful leader in his field.