STEPHEN M. ABELMAN

Stephen has served in a variety of capacities as a real estate expert and executive with expertise in solving complex issues in asset management, special servicing, debt structuring and restructuring, and mezzanine and preferred equity investments for all real estate product types. Stephen has completed distressed debt assignments in Germany and the UK for clients Crown Northcorp, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank. Stephen served as Executive Vice President of Asset management for Criimi Mae, Inc. (“Criimi”, NYSE:CMM). During his tenure at Criimi, Stephen restructured the special servicing and surveillance teams, led the development of new technology programs and platforms, developed and instituted new policies and procedures, led the reduction of $1 billion in Criimi’s balance of specially serviced assets and played a key role in the marketing and disposition of Criimi to CW Capital in 2006. Prior to joining Criimi Stephen was Vice-President of Archon Group (formerly J.E. Robert Companies), a wholly owned subsidiary of Goldman Sachs. During his ten year tenure at Archon he held several positions, all involving the asset management of real estate, debt, mezzanine, and preferred equity investments owned by Goldman and its Whitehall Funds with assets stretching throughout the United States. Stephen held positions for Archon in Washington D.C, New York City, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Dallas, Texas. Stephen also held positions with Ernst and Young and two commercial banks in South Florida. Stephen received a BS in Business Administration, cum laude, from Boston University (1983) and an MBA from Rice University (1989) and holds a real estate salespersons license (Florida).

WILLIAM HOWELL

Bill brings over 30 years experience in real estate development, acquisitions/dispositions, fund management, asset management, and management of institutional grade investment property. In addition, he recently served as a fund manager for a nationally recognized registered investment advisor with a variety of real estate in its portfolio. From 1986 through 1992, Bill served as Director of Acquisitions for Mitsui Fudosan in New York. Responsible for property acquisitions, development, and dispositions totaling over $2 billion in value, he also directed all asset management of a diverse multi-billion dollar global real estate portfolio. Prior to joining Mitsui, Bill was a Director of the Saudi Arabian Investment Corporation, where he was involved in the underwriting of investment grade U.S. properties. He has also been involved in real estate investment and development of commercial, hospitality, and multi-family residential properties and land on his own behalf. Bill has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Southwestern University (1975) and a Masters in Environmental Engineering from the University of Oklahoma (1976) cum laude.

GERARD K. CAPPELLO

Gerard K. Cappello is the HAI Advisors, LLC (NASD series 7, 65, and 24 licensed member) and the founder of Greenside, LLC. He is a LEED -AP (Accredited Professional) and a member of the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) and a Certified Sustainable Building Advisor (NaSBAP-National Sustainable Building Advisor Program). He has been active in real estate development and corporate finance since 1982. He began his career in real estate development and brokerage with McCarter-Burke & Partners, Inc. and Tenneco Realty Development Corp. In 1985 he started a second career in investment banking, specializing in merchant banking, project finance and venture capital. He is currently the President/CEO of Rancho Trio Holdings, Inc. in California and Rancho Trio Holdings, LLC in Colorado. He was formerly President and CEO of Cappello Capital Corp. (member NASD) and President of Euro American Capital Corp. (member NASD). Other financial experience includes Swiss American Financial and Euro American Financial Corp., two merchant and investment banking firms that operated offices in North America, Europe and Asia.

Mr. Cappello's real estate experience has incorporated development, sustainable design and technology, marketing research, feasibility, finance, management, and construction andbrokerage, both as a principal and as consultant. His investment banking expertise has served dozens of companies fromsourcing of prospects and deals, financial and marketing analysis, structuring and raising capital, and management at the executive board levels. At Cappello Capital Corp., he pioneered financial structures for public companies that resulted in the placement of over one billion U.S. dollars in private placements as well as transactions of highly complex,customized terms to suit the needs of both investors and issuers. Additionally he has personally managed the transactionsof numerous financial negotiations involving venture capital start-up companies and mergers and acquisitions of private and public entities.

Mr. Cappello currently serves on the board of directors and as advisor to several organizations, municipalities, and growth companies including the City of Malibu -Architectural and Engineering Committee, The Machine Productions, Inc., Coffees of Hawaii, Inc., Fibercomp, Inc., Boutique Hotel Group, and as the organizer of the advisory committee to the Getty Information Institute. He is an active member of the YoungPresidents Organization (YPO) where he has served as the founder and past Chairman of the Malibu Chapter and on the Pacific Regional Board of Directors. In the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO) he served on the International Board of Directors for seven years and is a former President of the Los Angeles Chapter. He is also the past Chairman of the Board of Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles and is a current Director of the USC Associates of the Marshall School of Business.

Mr. Cappello earned a Bachelor of Science from the University ofSouthern California School of Business, majoring in Finance and Business Economics with an emphasis on Real Estate. He is married and enjoys many outside activities with his wife and two children.

TOM POITEVENT

Mr. Poitevent has over 25 years of experience in the construction industry. Prior to joining HAI, he completed the multi-million dollar renovation of the prestigious Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and the construction of The Forrestal Hotel and Conference Center, a $10 million project in Princeton, New Jersey. As the Director of Construction, he has led a project management team during the expansion of The Shoreham Hotel in New York from 84 to 176 guest rooms and the complete renovation of the Hotel Wales (also in Manhattan). The renovation of Five Hotels for the Elegant Hotel Group on the Island of Barbados including The Colony Club, Tamarind Cove, The House, Crystal Cove, and Turtle Beach Hotel. He served as Director of Technical Services and Project Management for Starwood Hotels & Resorts representing the St. Regis & The Luxury Brand Collections in Europe and also on the Island of Bora Bora, and represented UrbanAmerica, LP as Vice President of Project Management to direct the repositioning and renovation of a 1,100 Key, 30 Acre Resort Hotel in Orlando FL, USA. Tom has a B.S. in Business from North State University.

MASOUD MAHMOUD, PE, MS, MBA, LEED AP

Masoud brings over 20 years experience in capital design, construction and facilities renovations with extensive and varied experience in higher education and government organizations. Masoud served as the Associate Vice President for Construction and Campus Planning at Pepperdine University for the past six years where he was responsible for over $200 million of design and construction work. He oversaw Pepperdine’s magnificent 830-acre Malibu campus of which 290-acres are developed with over 1.3 million square feet of academic, athletic, residential, and support facilities. He was responsible for the management of capital design, master planning, and construction and renovation projects. He successfully completed a $140 million Graduate Campus Development consisting of: Infrastructure and Grading; Academic Buildings; Parking Structure; Student Apartments; and Residential Housing for Faculty and Staff. He also led the university’s 10-year capital master plan for 2008-2018 which included about $350 million of capital improvements encompassing 9 projects adding 1.2 million square feet of new facilities. In 1991, Masoud began his career as a civil engineer with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. During his twelve years of progressive experience at Public Works, Masoud held positions in five different divisions where he took full advantage of the Department’s rotation program for engineers, and thereby gaining highly valuable experience as well as an excellent understanding of the complex responsibilities for horizontal and vertical infrastructure design, construction, operations and maintenance. He also learned contracting rules; building, zoning and fire regulations and codes; and achieved a broad technical understanding of architecture, engineering, and construction for both the public and private sector. Masoud understands the inner workings of different agencies and regulatory bodies and has successfully managed a wide variety of public-works projects, as well as developed successful relationships with different agencies and administrative authorities of the County, City and State.Masoud has successfully guided multiple projects from design through construction and occupancy – developing successful relationships with clients, consultants, construction partners and governmental review and permitting agencies. He understands the challenges of construction and focuses on bringing clarity and vision to projects, solving problems with an optimized project recommendation, enabling owners to make informed choices and realize their project vision. Masoud is a registered Civil Engineer, Certified Plan Examiner and LEED Accredited Professional. He is a graduate of University of Southern California, holds a MS from California State University of Northridge and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

ROBERT D. MCSWEEN

In addition to being a Managing Director of HAI and based in New York City; Rob is a co-founder and the Managing Partner of MMI Advisors, LLC. From February 2007 through December 2008, Rob was employed as Managing Director for Strategic Value Partners, LLC, a hedge fund based in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was posted to Tokyo, Japan where he oversaw real estate investment in Asia, with the primary focus in Japan and India. From 1993 through 2006, Rob was Senior Managing Director at ING Group in New York managing real estate teams dedicated to loan origination, securitization, distressed asset restructuring and trading, and funds management. He formed and was Managing Partner for two real estate opportunity funds at ING, ING Realty Partners, L.P. and ING Realty Partners II, L.P., which made aggregate property investments of over $2.5 billion from 1997 through 2005. At ING Rob directed the purchase and management for the firm’s proprietary account of over $1.4 billion in sub-performing and non-performing loans from the Resolution Trust Corporation and other financial institutions. Prior to ING and from 1987 through 1992, Rob was a Managing Director at Citicorp Investment Bank where he directed an investment banking team that executed over $6 billion in loan syndications. In 1991 he also formed Citicorp’s Commercial Securitization Group, which in its early stages facilitated the distribution of performing and restructured sub-performing loans in rated, privately-placed two and three-tranche structures. Preceding his stint at Citicorp, Rob was a real estate consultant and appraiser and held the Member Appraisal Institute designation (MAI) for ten years.   Rob is a member of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (“AFIRE”) and served as Chairman in 2004. He holds the Series 7 and 63 securities licenses and is affiliated with Cappello Capital Corp in Santa Monica, California, a registered broker dealer. Rob received his secondary school education at Groton School and a B.A. and M.B.A from Tulane University.

HENRY K. KWONG, CFA

In addition to being a Director of HAI and based in New York City; Henry is a co-founder and Partner at MMI Advisors, LLC responsible for managing execution and technical aspects of assignments at the firm.  He is involved in investment analysis, private placement marketing, capital markets strategy and overall project management.  Prior to joining MMI Advisors, LLC, Henry was a Vice President at Cerberus Real Estate from 2007 to 2008 where he was responsible for risk management and return analytics for a $2.0 billion commercial real estate investment portfolio.  From 2002 to 2007, Henry was a Vice President and a member of the portfolio management team at ING Realty Partners providing oversight of portfolio activities and investor servicing. In addition, Henry provided direct analytic support for acquisition and asset management activities in North America for two closed-end real estate opportunity funds.  From 1998 to 2002, Henry was involved in the acquisition and asset management of international private equity real estate investments at Bankers Trust Company/Deutsche Bank.  He also held various positions within the Investment Management Group from 1994 to 1998.  Henry received a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Pace University.  He is a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

JOHN W. HIGGINS

In addition to being an Associate of HAI and based in New York City; John is a Vice President at MMI Advisors, LLC responsible for research, analysis and the support of assignment activities at the firm. Prior to joining MMI Advisors, LLC, John was an Associate at NY Credit Advisors from 2006 to 2008 where he was responsible for the underwriting, acquisition and management of a portfolio of $450 million in subordinate debt. From 1999 to 2003, John managed the fixed income research group for Greenwich Associates where he advised senior sales executives at US and European fixed income dealers on their strategy and relative performance. From 1997 to 1999, John worked for the transfer agency of Putnam Investments. John received a B.A. from Boston College and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management.

NICHOLAS T. DOBRON  

Mr. Dobron specializes in the valuation and disposition of distressed retail, residential, mixed use, and senior living opportunities. Formerly as Vice President of Acquisition and Disposition at Innovative Communities, he was directly responsible for over $185 million of land acquisitions and dispositions and managed all physical and analytical due diligence critical for the securitization of over $450 million in debt and equity. Additionally, Mr. Dobron spearheaded Innovative Living, a senior housing division, through an acquisition of a California based portfolio. Mr. Dobron also possesses a sound understanding of land use and entitlements through his prior experience as forward planner at KB Home Coastal, where he managed the entitlement and permitting of multiple tracts in Riverside County. Mr. Dobron graduated from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California with an emphasis in Real Estate Finance and currently holds a Real Estate Broker’s License in the State of California.

K.C. PATEL

Mr. Patel is a hospitality expert with more than two decades of experience ranging from property management, asset management, investment sales, acquisitions and development.  Having roots in the hospitality business through his family’s company, Mr. Patel experienced all aspects of property management at a young age.  Subsequent from graduating from Cornell’s School of Hospitality Management, Mr. Patel endeavored into financial services consulting working with major banking corporations on consumer debt products, including home mortgages and credit cards.  After two years of non-hospitality experience, Mr. Patel joined Boutique Hotel Group, in New York, where his responsibilities ranged from asset management, underwriting, to sourcing opportunities.  Upon his two years of experience at Boutique Hotel Group, Mr. Patel joined Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ investment sales team in New York.   At Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels he led a team to oversee all aspects of the investment sales process, including: BOV assessment, due diligence review, property inspections, P&S negotiation,  offering memorandum production and debt placement.  Following his two and half years at Jones Lang LaSalle, Mr. Patel was asked to join JP Morgan’s newly launched Alternative Property Fund where he served as lead for all hospitality-related acquisitions.  At JP Morgan Mr. Patel oversaw a team of analyst and associates and managed all aspects of the acquisition process, including: underwriting, due diligence, property inspection, third-party reviews, lender negotiations, purchase contract negotiation, JV partnership contract, brand management selection, legal approval, investment committee approval, financial oversight, transition integration, and asset management.  Mr. Patel graduated from Cornell University in 1999 and lives with his wife in New York City.

Francis Y. Choi

Francis is a Managing Director of HAI Advisors as well as being a practicing attorney in Korea. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife and daughter. As a head of finance department of Yoon, Chung & Partners, LLP, he has extensive experience in structured finance, project financing and real estate financing and development through intensive capital investments made in the form of Asset-Backed Securities, Real Estate Fund and Commercial Paper, among other forms of investment vehicles. Francis is a trusted advisor to prominent Korean Pension Funds, Registered Investment Advisory Firms, Securities Companies, Insurance Companies, Commercial Banks, and high net worth individuals. In particular, Francis has advised international real estate development investments in Shanghai and Qxindao, China, Hochiminh City, Vietnam and Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Prior to joining Yoon, Chung & Partners, LLP, Francis was a practicing attorney at Evergreen Law, LLP (now merged with Shin & Kim, LLP) where he specialized in structured financial transactions, including construction and social overhead capital development work. Francis represented prominent institutional investors in Korea as well as foreign sovereign funds and institutions. In particular, Francis was involved in structuring numerous Real Estate Funds, including the very first Real Estate Fund formed in Korea.
Prior to joining Evergreen Law; Francis was practicing attorney at Kim, Chang & Lee, LLP where Francis focused on corporate civil litigation and corporate criminal defense work. In addition to civil and criminal litigation, Francis worked on general corporate and commercial transactions, including cross-border M&A, sales representatives and distributorships, technology transfers and licensing, and joint ventures and acquisitions. Francis has represented numerous Fortune 500 companies and advised his clients regarding mergers with Korean corporations and investments in real estate in Korea.
Francis served as a court clerk, where he primarily handled civil mediation cases in the Northern Branch of the Seoul District Court. Francis successfully mediated all of the cases assigned to him by the court, earning recognition as the most successful mediator within that district court.
Francis holds a LL.M degree from the University of Southern California School of Law. In Korea, Francis successfully completed the Judicial Research and Training Institute of the Supreme Court of Republic of Korea. Francis studied Communication and Law at Yonsei University in Seoul where he earned his Bachelor of Arts. Francis is a member of the Korean Bar Association and the Seoul Bar Association.
Francis also has an extensive pro bono record particularly in international human rights. Francis served as a board member of Friends Without Borders, a Catholic organization for foreign laborworkers and political refugees in Seoul, Korea. Francis has represented foreign labor workers and refugees in various civil and criminal matters as well as deportation cases. A memorable experience that Francis experienced as a lawyer was working for the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Korea. In November 2003, Francis started the ratification campaign of ICC Rome Statute with his human rights lawyer colleagues and their collective efforts led to the ratification of the Rome Statute by the Korean National Assembly, becoming the 83rd state party.
Francis was a founder and 1st violin for the Yonsei University Student Orchestra. Francis holds a 2nd degree black belt in Taekwondo and a 1st degree black belt in Kendo-swordsmanship