MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
NAIOP Colorado is committed to highlighting Members in our local community and showcasing their goods and services. Rotating on a bi-monthly basis, we will be shining a spotlight on our Members and share how they are best serving the Colorado Front Range commercial real estate community.
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Featured Member Spotlights, posted March 29, 2022
John Comunale
Full Name: John Comunale
Company: Comunale Properties
Title: President
Education/Professional Certifications:
- I have a BSBA in Real Estate from the University of Denver.
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 18
CRE Work Experience:
-
I began my career as an investment banker focusing on the hospitality industry, which was a great way to get exposure to the operating side of real estate. I formed Comunale Properties to originally buy value-add industrial properties, we then shifted to a focusing on developing Class A infill industrial projects. As we have grown, we've put a big focus on building out a vertically integrated company and now have internal investment, property management, development, and constructions businesses that all work together to execute our projects.
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? My dad was a third generation plumbing contractor and started a fire protection business. I was always around buildings as a kid visiting job sites with my dad. I guess I was just drawn in by seeing things get built.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: I recently received the Sherman R. Miller Trailblazer award and that was a really proud moment for me. Sherm hired and mentored one of my close friends who was one of my early role models in the business. Additionally, Sherm's son Buzz and I are friends and have worked closely together for a few years so it is definitely special to me.
Community Outreach/Volunteerism: I am the founder and president of the Stephen A. Comunale Jr. Family Cancer Foundation, which my family started to honer my older brother who died of cancer when he was 27. I am a new member of the NAIOP Colorado board and a former board member of the Colorado Business Development Foundation.
Aspirations & Goals: My goals all revolve around continuing build a really great team. By continuing to add high quality talent, I think we we can achieve our goal of being the best vertically integrated industrial developer in the markets we operate in. We don't need to be the biggest, just the best!
Personal Interests: I was a competitive mogul skier until I was 20, now I love skiing and mountain biking with my wife and two kids.
Janessa Biller
Full Name: Janessa Biller
Company: JLL
Title: Vice President
Education/Professional Certifications:
- Undergraduate and MBA from New York University.
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 4
CRE Work Experience:
-
Prior to working at JLL, I worked as a consultant at a firm that helped Financial Advisors launch and run their businesses, we helped with all aspects including real estate which is how I got into the industry. Since moving back to Denver in 2018, I've worked exclusively as an office tenant representation broker.
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? I love the tangible nature of CRE; you can go see offices, you can see what employees are experiencing every day when they come to work, and you really get to help people create a sense of place.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: Being able to transition back to Colorado and continue to grow my business.
Community Outreach/Volunteerism: Currently on the board of CREW Denver, running the education committee which does programming in local high schools and colleges to raise awareness around careers in Commercial Real Estate. Also on the board of the Challenge Foundation which helps break the cycle of poverty through education opportunities.
Aspirations & Goals: I would like to continue to work with great clients who become friends.
Personal Interests: Hiking, skiing (alpine and cross country), snowshoeing, gardening, paddle boarding, cooking.
Jim Fitzmorris
Full Name: Jim Fitzmorris
Company: JR Engineering
Title: Vice President & Client Manager
Education/Professional Certifications:
- Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University 1984.
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 33
CRE Work Experience:
-
Project management and engineering design/ surveying for wide range of industrial, retail, office and residential projects. Design of infrastructure, utilities and drainage/ floodplain improvements.
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? Challenging work to see new and re-development projects get built. Be part of the improvements to create amenities and places of work for communities and residents.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: 40 years of marriage in 2022 to my amazing and beautiful wife. Being part of raising 5 wonderful now married kids and 8 grandkids so far.
Community Outreach/Volunteerism: Involved in giving back to the industry through participation investment in several organizations. NAIOP, Jefferson County EDC (past chair), HBA board and council leadership, AC REP, Metro North Chamber. Support and volunteer with Home Builders Foundation. Church small group leader.
Aspirations & Goals: Continued blessings in my life and the opportunity to continue doing the work I love. More opportunities for traveling and enjoying Colorado.
Personal Interests: Sporting events, hiking, camping, travel.
Featured Member Spotlight, posted January 5, 2022
Chris Alcorn
Full Name: Chris Alcorn
Company: Alcorn Construction
Title: President
Education/Professional Certifications:
- I got my undergraduate degree in architecture and a masters in construction management from Virginia Tech.
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 24
CRE Work Experience:
-
5 years at Opus Northwest (Associate Project Manager, Project Manager), 5 Years at Panattoni Construction (Project Manger, Sr. Project Manger, Vice President), 14 years at Alcorn Construction (President).
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? One of my college professors thought that Opus would be a good fit for me, since I had a design and construction background with my undergrad in architecture and masters in construction management and they were a design-build company. He set me up as their chaperon for career week. I ended up with an internship in their Bethesda, MD office and loved it.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: I am most proud of the team Amy and I have built and of the fact that we have been named a DBJ Best Place to Work 3 years running, a testament to to our mission to be a great place to work.
Community Outreach/Volunteerism: Our company will help ANYONE interested in learning about construction or real estate. It's a passion of mine. We help The Denver School of Science and Technology by having interns and I mentor students for their senior project. We are an ambassador to McLain HS where we host career days and take them on tours of our jobsites. I am involved with the NAIOP DL mentor program as a mentor and on the selection committee, I chair the NAIOP Public Policy Committee, and am on the NAIOP board of directors. Our company financially supports and we volunteer with A Little Help, a nonprofit organization that connects neighbors of all ages to enhance lives and strengthen our communities.
Aspirations & Goals: My professional aspiration is to never stop learning about how we can deliver excellence in everything we do at Alcorn Construction. That mentality has taken me farther than I ever thought I would go and I am so very grateful.
Personal Interests: I love spending time with my wife Amy and our 4 kids. We love travel, camping, hiking and skiing together and I love biking, swimming, running, tennis, and soccer. I am very active in my church.
Beau Breck
Full Name: Beau Breck
Company: Cypress Equity Investments (CEI)
Title: Senior Vice President, Development
Education/Professional Certifications:
- University of Colorado (Boulder) - 2007; BA Finance + RE Certificate, Leeds School of Business
- University of Denver - 2015: MBA, Daniels College of Business
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 12
CRE Work Experience:
-
Western Capital Partners, Analyst Concord Partners, Associate LCP Development, Development Manager Cypress Equity Investments (CEI) - SVP Development, Denver
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? Real estate is a tangible asset class; I enjoy working on something that you can see and touch. I particularly enjoy the creative process of development, making something new or re-imagining and re-investing in something old. Ultimately, real estate development projects are larger than any of the individuals involved, including the developer - it's all about the team. I think the idea that "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts" truly applies.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: In summer of 2021, my former employer (LCP) and our business partners gifted me a new Winston fly rod in acknowledgment of my contributions to a challenging yet successful transaction.
Aspirations & Goals: To spend my entire career in Colorado, focused on sustainable development of housing and commercial projects that benefit communities and promote responsible growth for our region.
Personal Interests: Skiing, fly fishing, hiking, rafting, live music, American West history.
Featured Member Spotlights, posted December 4, 2021
Silas Campbell
Full Name: Silas Campbell
Company: Boyd Patterson Asset Management
Title: Vice President, Asset Management
Education/Professional Certifications:
- B.S. Business Administration, University of Vermont
- MS-RECM, University of Denver
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 13
CRE Work Experience:
- Prior to joining Boyd Waterson’s Denver office, I spent 12 years at the US General Services Administration serving in variety of positions, including Asset Management, Portfolio Management and Business Center Manager for the regional portfolio department.
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? Buildings are both a necessary and evolving tangible asset class that provide new and different challenges daily. I have always enjoyed the dynamic nature of commercial real estate and the varying different areas related to the industry that come together to make the industry work.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: I am very proud of the work I was part of well at GSA to modernize the Denver Federal Center. The campus is currently undergoing several building modernizations that will revitalize the campus and allow the agency’s that work their to better carry out heir work. The GSA team dedicated to modernizing that campus was a really special group of individuals. I am excited to see the results of the campus’ change in the coming years and its impact on surrounding area.
Aspirations & Goals: I strive to be more involved in the real estate community to build relationships, exchange ideas and elevate BWAM's market presence as a quality government contractor for partners.
Personal Interests: Having moved to Colorado after college to spend more time in the great outdoors, I enjoy sharing all the outdoor activities and adventures of skiing, biking and camping with my two boys.
Bradley Segall
Full Name: Bradley Segall
Company: Denison Parking Inc.
Title: Market General Manager
Education/Professional Certifications:
- Bachelors of Arts, University of Colorado at Boulder
- MBA, University of Colorado at Boulder
NAIOP involvement:
- Programs Committee Volunteer
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 10
CRE Work Experience:
- Capital markets investment brokerage, Asset Management, Acquisitions, Commercial Lending, Debt Brokerage including government agency and life insurance company lending, and parking management/consulting and business development.
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? I was lucky to be motivated by Buz Koelbel and then Sherm Miller to start exploring the industry over a decade ago. I started to realize how commercial real estate was such an intersection of so many areas of business that I was interested in. I became fascinated with how living and breathing commercial assets could intersect so many areas of our economy both at a micro and macro level, and wanted to be a part of its growth. CRE is such a people business in every way and I realized what an incredible community there was to work with within Metro Denver. Once I found a few areas to focus on, I was hooked.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: At home, it's my two kids. At work, it's the relationships that I have made, no doubt. I am extremely fortunate and proud of the wonderful people that I have met and worked with along the way. I would not be anywhere without them, personally and professionally, and only hope to continue to give back to others the same way. In a way, achievements can only be statistics or a source of pride when you think about those that helped you get there.
Aspirations/Goals: I recently took on a role to expand Denison Parking, a national management and consulting firm, throughout Colorado. I hope to continue to grow our reach in this market and ultimately show our clients the significant amount of value that our platform can bring to a wide variety of projects and commercial asset classes.
Personal Interests: Golf, Vail, Football Saturday's, Lake Michigan and chasing after my 4 and 7-year old boys.
Buzz Miller
Full Name: Buzz Miller
Company: Stream Realty Partners
Title: Senior Associate
Education/Professional Certifications:
- B.A. in Economics and Geology from University of Colorado at Boulder
NAIOP involvement:
- Engagement & Communications and Developing Leaders Committee Volunteer
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 6
CRE Work Experience:
- Associate at Brue Baukol Capital Partners
- Senior Associate at Comunale Properties
- Senior Associate at Stream Realty Partners
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? Buzz grew up around real estate and curiosity from an early age evolved into a passion for the industry. Ultimately, he was drawn to a role that allows him to use previous knowledge, experience and a unique ownership perspective that adds depth to his ability to solve problems and service clients.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: A growing list of clients who have been treated the right way.
Aspirations/Goals: To build more relationships in the industry and help my team at Stream continue to grow our presence in the Rocky Mountain Region.
Community Outreach/Volunteerism: Raising money for prostate cancer awareness and research and past involvement with open adoption agencies in Colorado.
Personal Interests: Fly fishing, golfing, skiing, camping, scuba diving.
Marisa Mendenhall
Full Name: Marisa Mendenhall
Company: BLUME
Title: Growth Strategist
Education/Professional Certifications:
- B.S. Physiology From The University of Arizona
NAIOP involvement:
- Engagement & Communications and Developing Leaders Committee Volunteer
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 5
CRE Work Experience:
- My role at View has required me to understand real estate trends, development of pro formas, tenant needs, lease rates and building trades to create a business case for occupant wellness and sustainability through the use of View’s Smart Window technology.
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? I saw a need to create better spaces for people to work and live and to save energy to protect the planet.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: Jumping headfirst into Denver real estate from a pre-med degree and a completely different state to understand and educate the market on a new technology that tends to resist change. A few wins are included in my achievements!
Aspirations/Goals: I would love to influence the way we evaluate real estate that focuses on the occupants and the planet and to further my knowledge of the ESG space.
Personal Interests: Snowboarding, backcountry snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, equestrian sports and yoga.
CJ Manning
Full Name: CJ Manning
Company: Prime West
Title: Vice President of Development
Education/Professional Certifications:
- University of Colorado – Boulder, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
- Georgetown University, Master of Science – Real Estate Development (Candidate)
NAIOP involvement:
- Diversity Equity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chair
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 5
CRE Work Experience:
- CJ assumes a finance-focused role with the firm; including financial modeling and project budgeting for Prime West development projects. He also oversees the execution of the firm’s development projects alongside Prime West’s internal team and third-party architects, engineers, and general contractors. Previously, CJ served as development manager of a family-owned real estate investment company in Nashville.
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? My mom worked in the CRE industry for over 20 years so I’ve been interested in commercial real estate my entire life, but I couldn’t decide on a path within the industry that I felt was suitable long-term. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon a couple of development opportunities in Nashville that I discovered my passion for real estate and my desire to work in commercial development.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: Helping others discover their passion.
Aspirations/Goals: My goals include leading a development firm, and playing a key role in increasing diversity, inclusion, and belonging within the commercial real estate industry by helping to establish pipeline opportunities to access and recruit qualified diverse talent.
Community Outreach: CJ is a member of NAIOP Colorado serving as co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, and on the Developing Leaders Committee (35 & Under). He is also an active member of the Downtown Denver Partnership serving on the 2021 Awards Jury and the City Build steering committee. CJ is also involved with the CU Real Estate Center serving as a mentor to students of diverse backgrounds.
Personal Interests: Hobbies include spending time with family, traveling, and scuba diving.
Katie Donahue
Full Name: Katie Donahue, AIA, NCARB, LEED GA
Company: Handel Architects
Title: Associate
Education/Professional Certifications:
- Cornell University: Master of Architecture II Post-Professional
- University of Colorado Denver: Master of Architecture
- University of Wisconsin Madison: Bachelor of Business Administration
NAIOP involvement:
- Programs Committee Volunteer
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 14
CRE Work Experience:
- Design, construction and coordination of buildings in Denver, NYC, Boston, Washington DC, Toronto, Atlanta, and Madison.
- Work for Handel Architects, Gensler Architects, and Architecture for Humanity/Open Architecture Network.
- Teaching architecture at Parsons New School of Design in New York and University of Colorado-Denver.
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? The buildings all around us are such critical parts of the built environment - they have the subtle power to influence every aspect of the way we live. I became passionate early in my career to seek out opportunities for meaningful place-making and creating buildings that shape our cities in positive ways.
Proudest professional achievement thus far:
Receiving the Young Architect of the Year, AIA Colorado 2014 as well as getting to work with a slew of brilliant people on a variety of projects across the country. In addition, becoming an unofficial spokesperson for women in the AEC industry and advocating for young women in school.
Community Outreach: Katie currently works as the NAIOP Programs Committee, ULI Women's Leadership Initiative, ULI Building Healthy Places, University of Colorado-Denver instructor and Search Committee.
Personal Interests: Dog rescue (we have 2 giant Newfoundlands), art, volleyball, hiking, laughing, making things.
Jeff Goldman
Full Name: Jeff Goldman
Company: Antonoff & Co. Brokerage, Inc.
Title: Associate Broker
Education/Professional Certifications:
- B.S. Science, Penn State University
NAIOP involvement:
How many years have you been in commercial real estate? 7
How long have you been a member of NAIOP? 3 Months, Just returned to Denver
CRE Work Experience:
- Industrial Market background in the 4th largest Industrial Port in the U.S., leasing Industrial Warehouses thru Duke Realty.
- Tenant Representation of Land Acquisition and Investment Properties.
- Retail leasing of National Chains.
What motivated you to get involved in the CRE Industry? Jeff enjoys bringing information to the table for the client and securing the deal.
Proudest professional achievement thus far: Closing an Investment Property in Savannah, Georgia that was built in 1840 and had a rich history.
Aspirations & Goals: Jeff wants to continue to excel in the industry by being active in organizations and committees.
Personal Interests: Dogs, hiking, and outdoor activities.
Profile Published September 1, 2021.
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