Executive Team

Mr. Elowe founded The Laramar Group in 2001 after co-founding Elkor Realty Corp. and Elkor Properties in 1989. As CEO of The Laramar Group, Mr. Elowe oversees an institutional real estate portfolio valued in excess of $2.5 Billion; Mr. Elowe is a principal in the Laramar Multi-Family Value Fund (a discretionary commingled real estate investment vehicle specializing in multi-family investments throughout the U.S.); a principal in the L-A/Laramar Urban Neighborhood Fund (a specialty Fund which invests in urban neighborhood MF and mixed-use properties in eight major U.S. markets); a managing partner in the Lakeside Workforce Housing Series of Funds (an affordable housing fund series which invests in former LIHTC MF housing throughout the U.S.); a managing partner in the Laramar/LMI joint venture (a JV with a major insurance company which invests in larger MF and mixed-use assets throughout the U.S.); a founding partner in Nine Four Ventures (a Real-Estate Technology Venture Capital Fund); and is a founder and partner in Covington Realty Partners (a developer of MF and mixed-use properties in the Mountain region, Midwest and East Coast of the U.S.).

Laramar is a nationally recognized investment and property management firm that has been ranked in the top 50 largest firms in the U.S. by the National Multi-Housing Council and was recently named as one of the ‘Best Places to Work' by MultiFamily Executive. Mr. Elowe is chairman of the investment committee and is responsible for the company's overall strategic planning, investments, asset management and investor relations. Mr. Elowe has built a successful 30-year real estate investment track record having sponsored and participated in transactions totaling in excess of $6 Billion.

Mr. Elowe is the recipient of the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Mountain Desert region). In addition, Mr. Elowe is on the board of directors of the National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC), is on the board of directors of Stay Alfred (the 2nd largest short-term stay company in the U.S.), is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). He is the former chairman of the board for the North Lawndale College Prep Charter Schools and a former board member of Chicago Jewish High School. Mr. Elowe has a B.S. degree from the University of Illinois and an M.D. degree from Northwestern University.

Scott McMillan is the President of Laramar and oversees the property management division of the company, a nationally recognized management firm that has been ranked in the top 50 largest firms in the U.S. by the National Multi-Housing Council and was recently named as one of the ‘Best Places to Work' by MultiFamily Executive. In his role, Mr. McMillan is responsible for both the performance of the management company as well as all properties in the portfolio. This includes all financial, budgeting, forecasting, cash management, and operational aspects of the business as well as the guidance and execution of overall company strategy.

Mr. McMillan joined The Laramar Group in 2004 as an Accounting Manager prior to being promoted to Assistant Controller, Controller, Senior Vice President, and ultimately CFO in the fall of 2016. In these roles, Mr. McMillan was instrumental in the creation of a highly reputable accounting department known for accuracy, timeliness, and nimbleness. Additionally, he was responsible for the oversight of all property and corporate level financial statement production, client reporting, cash management, financial planning and analysis, contract management, and all financing activities. In the spring of 2019, Mr. McMillan was promoted to his current role as President of Laramar.

Prior to Laramar, Mr. McMillan worked at ABC Supply, one of the world's largest building products distributors where he advanced his accounting career while holding several positions including Internal Audit Manager and Regional Accounting Manager.

Mr. McMillan has a B.S. degree in finance with an emphasis in accounting from the University of Northern Iowa where he was also a founder of the Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter as well as a member of the varsity tennis team.

Bennett Neuman is responsible for Laramar's investment activities nationally and oversees a team of eight investment professionals with expertise in acquisitions, dispositions, capital markets and finance. Mr. Neuman joined Laramar's predecessor company, Elkor Realty, in 1998. Since joining Laramar's predecessor company, Mr. Neuman has been responsible for over $2 billion of acquisitions. He works collaboratively with other members of Laramar's executive team to set investment strategy and develop Laramar's market focus.

Prior to joining Laramar's predecessor company, Mr. Neuman was an asset manager with M. Myers Properties, a private owner with approximately 6,000 apartment units located throughout the Midwest. He oversaw the operations of this portfolio and managed the physical renovation and repositioning of distressed assets acquired through foreclosure.

Trained as an architect, Mr. Neuman also worked for Holabird & Root Architects, one of Chicago's preeminent architecture firms, where he focused on the design, programming and space planning for a new headquarters for a national financial services company.

Mr. Neuman has an B.S. and an M. Arch from the University of Michigan, as well as an M.B.A from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Jeanne Schwab assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2021, after rejoining Laramar in 2018 as Senior Vice President of Operations, overseeing Fee Management, Affordable, New Development and Joint Venture platforms. She has been instrumental in strengthening the operational leadership of Laramar and currently directs all Laramar’s urban Local by Laramar, Fee Management, Affordable, New Development and Joint Venture platforms, as well as all national marketing efforts for the platforms, while maintaining Laramar’s unique culture and commitment to its clients.

Previously, Ms. Schwab lead the growth and development of Laramar as Vice President of Operations – Western US from 2010 – 2014 where she successfully managed more than 20,000 units in CO, MN, AZ, NV, WA, IL and CA and returned to Laramar following Senior Vice President of Operations positions at Forum Real Estate, The Irvine Group and most recently, Cortland Partners.

Ms. Schwab holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from University of Wyoming. During her 25 years of service in the real estate industry, Ms. Schwab has been a driving force of leadership and management. The current footprint of Laramar’s fee-managed clients now includes more than 150 multi-family communities in over 20 markets from coast to coast and corporate offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Denver, with over 600 employees between the corporate offices and the field.

David Ferrero, Executive Vice President of Capital Markets, works with senior management to direct Laramar’s strategic fund raising, joint venture activity and investor relations, as well as expand its investment portfolio in the Northeastern market and across the U.S. He is a seasoned senior real estate investment executive with a proven track record of generating superior risk-adjusted returns and diversification through focused investments, industry thought leadership, and strategies within real estate investment, property technology and operating platforms. His extensive property technology background allows him to engage with leadership at Nine Four Ventures, focusing on linking innovative technologies with real estate operators.

Mr. Ferrero brings nearly 30 years of real estate investment management expertise and has proven experience driving platform performance, adding considerable value creating and implementing growth-focused investment and operating strategies within all types of organizations, from mature investment funds to entrepreneurial ventures. He joins Laramar Group from Mosaic Building Group, where he was a Senior Advisor and Head of Real Estate and Business Development. In that role, he was part of an executive leadership team overseeing business development initiatives, and investment strategies for an early-stage construction technology platform. He successfully aided a $10 million Series A capital raise and helped facilitate the growth of the platform.

As Senior Vice President of Technology, John Homer advances Laramar’s network infrastructure and oversees the technology and software support teams. Since joining the team in 2005, Mr. Homer has played a major role in both finance and technology teams, using his experience to develop Laramar’s current strategy for property management systems, business applications, collaborative resources and network security.

Before joining Laramar, John balanced operations and finance roles with TekSystems EF&I and ABC Building Supply.

Mr. Homer has a BA in History and Economics from Juniata College. Board of Directors for the Arvada Hockey Association since 2016.

Ben Slad has nearly two decades of acquisition, investment and management experience and is responsible for investment activities nationally focusing on the multifamily and medical office sectors. Since joining Laramar, Mr. Slad has been involved in transactions totaling more than 19,000 units, 500,000 s.f. of commercial, and $2.5 billion of value, investing on behalf of institutional and private capital partners. In addition to more traditional multifamily investments, Ben was instrumental in the creation of the Local by Laramar investment strategy and brand and also oversees the Laramar Medical Properties platform. Mr. Slad is a member of the firm’s executive committee and investment committee.

Prior to joining Laramar, Mr. Slad was a project coordinator at Imperial Realty Co. in Chicago where he oversaw asset management and financial analysis.

Mr. Slad has served on the associate board of the Over the Rainbow Association, National Multi-Housing Council's Emerging Leaders (NMHC) and Urban Land Institute (ULI).

He has a B.A. degree and a Masters of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois. He also has an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from the University of Illinois.

Chris Winchester joined Laramar in 2021 as Senior Vice President of Development. In this role he will lead the development activities for the company including sourcing, underwriting, capitalization, entitlement, design, and execution of multifamily developments in multiple markets across the country. Prior to joining Laramar, Chris worked with Greystar Real Estate Partners, Mill Creek Residential Trust, and Century Communities where he developed over 15 market-rate communities, representing approximately 4,300 units with a total capitalization of more than $1.1 billion.

Active in the industry since 2008, Chris previously held several roles at Roche Constructors, where he was involved in all aspects of construction activities, including project manager, superintendent, and estimator for their commercial construction projects. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from the University of Northern Arizona and an MBA in Real Estate and Finance from the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business.

As Vice President of Human Resources at The Laramar Group, Amy Pagett assumes responsibility for directing all of Laramar's HR systems, while developing her vision of a culture that, “communicates the company's values and is scalable in its communication and impact to be something that affects the day-to-day, from the corporate office to the properties across the United States.”

Amy previously lead the growth and development of LONG Building Technologies – Littleton, CO, as HR Director from 2011 to 2018, where she successfully managed and implemented multiple HR systems, benefit administration systems, compensation platforms, and wellness platforms to support company programs for an employee base of 400+ over 8 states.

Ms. Pagett holds a Master of Business Administration, Business to Business Marketing, from University of Colorado Denver. During her 13 years of service in the human resources industry, Amy has been a driving force of ingenuity, leadership and management throughout her career. With that and her innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, Amy's objective is to lead The Laramar Group and its people to build an outstanding company culture and to recruit and retain some of the best talents in the industry; resulting in strong employee loyalty and low turnover.

Mr. Mullins is the Vice President of Investments for the Laramar Group with a primary focus on investments in the major Mountain West markets of Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Idaho. Since joining The Laramar Group in 2007, Mr. Mullins has sourced and closed transactions totaling over 2,500 units with combined value at acquisition of almost $700 million. Prior to becoming Vice President of Investments, Mr. Mullins was the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, where he was responsible for the annual operating budgets of over 40,000 units. In this role, Mr. Mullins also oversaw the real estate taxes, financial reporting, and lender financial covenants for the portfolio.

Mr. Mullins joined Laramar after two years with The Bainbridge Companies, a multi-family owner, developer and condo conversion company where he was an Associate. In this role, he was involved in $750 million of multi-family development, condo conversions, and acquisitions of value-add multifamily opportunities.

Mr. Mullins holds a B.S.B.A. degree in Finance from Florida State University.

As Vice President of National Accounts, Ms. Panzer uses her operations and management expertise to identify and capitalize on economies of scale, efficiencies and missed opportunities. Her work ultimately advances financial and ‘smart business’ opportunities which result in increased property values and improved the bottom lines for individual properties as well as investment portfolios.

Peggy previously directed oversight for Allied Orion Group with 28 properties in numerous markets. She created and executed business and marketing plans tailored to the specific needs for each client and their respective properties and ensured that all fiduciary and performance goals were met to add value to the assets and create a positive net effect of income stability and growth.

Peggy Panzer holds an Associate of Science in Business, from Emporia University in Kansas. During her 30 years of service in the real estate industry, Ms. Panzer has accumulated many professional affiliations including board of directors' positions on the Colorado Apartment Association and the Apartment Association of Metro Denver. She also holds numerous certifications and designations, many from the National Center for Housing Management, the National Association of Home Builders and the National Apartment Association.

Based in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, Shane Fleniken joined Laramar as Vice President of Investments in June of 2022. Mr. Fleniken brings nearly 25 years of experience in multifamily investment to the Laramar investment team and will oversee Laramar's investment strategy focusing on Texas and Southwest markets. His role will include sourcing and executing real estate acquisitions from initial underwriting through due diligence and transaction closings. He will also assist in facilitating the professional development of acquisition analysts, associates and directors supporting expansion into new markets.

Previously Shane worked for Respark Residential in Dallas, as Senior Vice President of Acquisitions for Multifamily Investments. In that role, he was responsible for establishing and growing the multifamily portfolio throughout the Sunbelt region of the U.S. In the first year of operations, he closed three transactions totaling $168 million and 748 units. He previously spent 14 years with Berkshire Group in Dallas, rising to the level of Senior Vice President of Acquisitions for Multifamily Investments. In that role, he completed 56 transactions totaling in excess of $2.2 billion and 18,000 units through a combination of portfolio and individual property transactions in the Central, Southwest and Southeastern region of the U.S. In addition, he was involved in the acquisition of a large volume of debt transactions through the Freddie Mac CME program as well as sourcing development opportunities through joint venture relationships. He also was integral in establishing corporate strategy and investment criteria by identifying opportunities in target markets and throughout the capital stack.

In her current role as Vice President of ESG, Innovation and Technology, Ms. Valentine works as a liaison to streamline linking innovative technologies with real estate operators. She is instrumental in identifying areas of opportunity within the real estate space and implementing pilot programs where technology can be deployed and tested to better understand how the product/platform benefits multifamily operators, integrates with existing infrastructure, and ultimately adds value to the real estate industry. By leveraging 30+ years of experience and a network of industry influencers, she expedites connecting emerging technology as a precursor to a broader rollout or investment. Prior to moving into her current role, she was responsible for directing operations for all of Laramar’s Urban Neighborhood portfolios, as well as all of the national marketing and branding efforts for Local by Laramar and Laramar Group.

Before joining Laramar Group, Ms. Valentine spent 4 years at Forum Real Estate Group as VP of Operations. At Forum, Ms. Valentine was responsible for oversight of a diverse portfolio including stabilized, repositioned, and new development assets located throughout Colorado, Minnesota, Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida.

Prior to Forum Real Estate Group, Ms. Valentine worked at Equity Residential for 16 years. She joined EQR in 1997 as a Property Manager and enjoyed a successful career where she was promoted to a Sr. Regional Manager overseeing 3900 units in the Denver portfolio.

Ms. Valentine is passionate about leadership training and team building and uses those leadership principles to achieve excellence and optimize performance at all levels.

Karen Lang joined The Laramar Group in 2005 and is responsible for the Investment Accounting functions, which includes investor reporting and relations, acquisitions and dispositions, audit, and tax preparation. Prior to becoming Vice President/Senior Controller, Ms. Lang was Assistant Controller and oversaw the property accounting group and the production of all property level financial statements.

Prior to joining Laramar, Ms. Lang worked at Archstone-Smith as a Senior Accountant and oversaw property level financial reporting for the West Region portfolio. She has also worked in the mutual fund industry as an Accounting Supervisor at Janus Capital Group and Merrill Lynch, where she was responsible for the daily valuation and reporting of fund assets.

Ms. Lang holds a B.S. degree in Accountancy from the College of New Jersey.

Scott Kessel is the Vice President of Asset Management. Mr. Kessel oversees asset management for the portfolio and leads the Financial Performance & Analysis department. He is responsible for the development and execution of business plans, the analysis of portfolio performance, reporting, and providing support and direction to the operations teams.

Since joining the company in April 2016 as a Director of Asset Management and eventually an Assistant VP of Asset Management in January 2019, Scott has made an incredible impact on the business with his analytical mindset, positive and professional demeanor, and strong work ethic.

Prior to joining Laramar, Scott managed the acquisition/FP&A team with W.J. Bradley Mortgage Capital, a large non-bank residential mortgage firm focused on the acquisition of independent mortgage firms. He oversaw the management of short and long term financial planning, cash forecasting, cost analysis, and financial reporting. Furthermore, Mr. Kessel developed complex debt/equity financial models, pitch books, and management presentations for the acquisition of independent mortgage firms. Before W.J. Bradley, Scott was with Aon Hewitt in the institutional investment consulting group.

Mr. Kessel has a B.S. degree in Finance from the Fisher School of Business at Ohio State University.

As vice president of construction Chris is accountable for the national leadership of our Construction Project Management Department directing all Regional Project Managers by creating efficiencies and standardization for all phases of the construction renovation process from the Acquisition Due Diligence, Budget Development, Pre-Construction, Contract Execution, Project Supervision and Contractor Procurement/Retainment for all our Cap Ex, Renovation, and Insurance projects.

Before joining Laramar Chris spent 11 years at Air Communities where he was responsible for interior renovations and capital upgrades across their portfolio as well as numerous initiatives to drive operational efficiencies.

Chris holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado and a B.S degree in Finance from Case Western Reserve University.

Brandon Krantz is the Senior Director of Development. In this role he will direct development activities for the company including sourcing, underwriting, capitalization, entitlement, design, and execution of multifamily developments in multiple markets across the country.

Brandon joined Laramar in 2009 and has been involved in all aspects of the business, which contributes to his ability to effectively provide support across the portfolio. Prior to his role as Sr. Director of Development, Mr. Krantz was Vice President of Asset Management responsible for the development and execution of business plans, the analysis of portfolio performance and reporting, and providing support and direction to the operations teams. He provided asset management oversight for 2,600 units (62 buildings) dispersed throughout Los Angeles, Oakland, and Denver. Previously Brandon held management positions in the Accounting and Due Diligence Departments. While in these roles, Brandon assisted with the acquisition of over 82,000 units, 384 buildings, and the disposition of 68,000 units, 276 buildings in a variety of transitions including receiverships, and bank owned properties. Brandon also has experience with lease-ups, rent stabilized assets, and value add business plans.

Mr. Krantz has a B.S. in Finance from Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder.

As leader of Laramar’s national marketing group, Anna Shea creates and implements marketing strategies that ensure Laramar is positioned as an industry-leading marketing and branding organization. She directly influences the effectiveness of the marketing group through strategic planning and performance optimization, driving national marketing efforts by marrying strategies with analytics to provide quantifiable and measurable results.

Prior to joining The Laramar Group, Anna spent 3 years at Pinnacle as a Regional Marketing Manager, where she was responsible for development and implementation of property marketing strategies in Nevada and Colorado. Prior to Pinnacle, Anna spent 13 years with Simpson Property Group where she championed the national marketing platform including; companywide digital marketing strategy, technology platforms implementation, marketing strategy performance analysis, adoption of industry best practices and aligning regional marketing strategies to national programs.

Anna is a graduate of the University of Idaho where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations with a Minor in Business.

Jeni Bierling joined Laramar in January of 2019 as is the Director of Learning and Development. She is the lead strategist to Laramar’s efforts pertaining to onboarding, continued education, and employee development within both the corporate and individual property sites throughout Laramar’s 15+ core markets.

Ms. Bierling has a passion for developing team members in an effort to support them with their overall career growth and potential. She brings 16 years of experience in the property management field and her initiatives encompass programs that are in direct support of the business needs to ensure Laramar is providing the best experience to both internal and external clients while achieving performance goals.

Before joining Laramar, Jeni left the industry to lead the training department at a managed service provider, Greystone Technology. She has also been the Director of Strategic Sales and Training with Advenir Living and a Team Member Development Consultant for Greystar. Prior to those opportunities, Jeni was with Carmel Partners for 11 years where she started onsite and worked through operations, sales and systems training, marketing, and project and performance management roles. Ms. Bierling has earned her Certified Immersion Experience certificate through Microsoft which has allowed for delivery of more unique and purposeful systems training experiences for end users. Jeni is active with the Apartment Association of Metro Denver chapter and has served as both a moderator and panelist for the AAMD and the Colorado Real Estate Journal.

Ms. Bierling received her B.A in Sociology from the University of Colorado, Denver.