The State of Los Angeles Multifamily

Tonja Boykin joined the Weingart Center in 2016 to serve as its Chief Operating Officer. Tonja has 28 years working as a high-performing nonprofit management executive with national and regional expertise in building/optimizing organizational processes, measurement systems, and infrastructure to maximize business results in philanthropy, resident programs and permanent and affordable housing development industries. She is a skilled strategist who transforms strategic plans into workable solutions and benchmarks performance against key operational targets/goals. Tonja is recognized as a national leader in community organizing, program development and strategic initiatives focused on the hardest to serve populations including families, youth, seniors, and individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing their housing. Prior to joining the Weingart Center, Tonja served as the Chief Operating Officer for Skid Row Housing Trust and the Regional Director of Philanthropy for Mercy Housing California. Tonja’s career with Mercy Housing began in 2001 and she served in various regional and national capacities throughout her fourteen year career there. Her early working life began as a program liaison in Mayor Richard Riordan’s office for L.A.’s Best After-School Enrichment program. She was also a Program Director at the Weingart Urban Center YMCA and a Senior Development Associate at Netzel Associates prior to joining Mercy Housing. Tonja studied at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, Pacific Oaks in Pasadena California, and the Fashion Institute Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, California.

Lee Raagas, Chief Executive Officer of Skid Row Housing Trust, understands that hard work does not guarantee housing or healthcare. From her low-income community roots comes the passion to work on behalf of individuals and families that continue to struggle, and the inspiration for her professional and personal goals. Lee has developed significant expertise in securing financial and organizational stability for corporations as well. The Trust’s Board of Directors recognized that this combination of attributes makes Lee the right leader for the nonprofit’s next chapter. Lee applies her 20 years of experience in the housing / mortgage industry and financial services sectors to build an operationally sound foundation for the Trust’s future. She continues to push innovative and transferable solutions from other sectors to upgrade policies, procedures, and programs at the Trust, expanding the organization’s framework for long-term sustainability and growth. Lee constantly asks, “What else can we do for our mission?”, and partners with Trust staff to overcome obstacles and promote the success, health, and wellness of residents. Lee has a B.S. in Organizational Psychology from San Diego State University and was a mentor for master’s program students at the Shidler School of Business at University of Hawaii. She is a Gallup Strengths Coach and is Six Sigma certified.

Noyan Uras has over 20 years of real estate development, construction and design-build experience with a background in structural engineering. Having managed over half a billion dollars’ worth of projects in the Southern California area, his prime focus is in the commercial and residential multi-family and mixed-use industry segments. He is currently the Founder & CEO of IntegRARE Group —a vertically integrated real estate construction and development firm. Noyan holds an M.A. in Construction Management from University of Southern California, a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Istanbul Technical University and he is also a LEED Accredited Professional.

Ms. Lawshe joined the company in 2002 and is responsible for providing leadership to the acquisition and development team. She has extensive experience with the use of low-income housing tax credits, multi-layered financing structures and HUD project-based rental programs, as well as conventional financing. While at GHC, Ms. Lawshe has been responsible for the acquisition and financing of approximately 15,000 units exceeding $750 million dollars in value. Ms. Lawshe has more than 20 years of experience in real estate development and finance. Prior to joining GHC, Ms. Lawshe served as the chief executive officer of A Community of Friends (ACOF), a Los Angeles-based nonprofit development organization. Under her leadership, ACOF produced approximately 800 units in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, and raised more than $100 million in capital from private and public sources. Ms. Lawshe obtained an MBA, with a concentration in real estate finance, at the Anderson School at UCLA and a bachelor of science in industrial management/industrial engineering from Purdue University.

Amanda has worked in the development and construction of primarily affordable housing for more than 15 years. She has overseen the new construction and rehabilitation of more than 1,200 multifamily units and more than 100,000 square feet of commercial space in California and Arizona. Amanda has led business development for modular project management and general contractors, and owners’ representation and construction management for affordable housing development. She specializes in groundbreaking, sustainable projects that have a compassionate component. At CRATE, Amanda’s industry knowledge and ability to attract and manage deal flow are optimized. In her current role, she focuses on client development, pipeline management, and the orchestration of complex construction needs and demands.

Lise Bornstein, AIA has devoted her career to placemaking: creating spaces and opportunities where people and communities thrive. She has accomplished this in her architectural design practice and in her advocacy for professional growth among her staff and career advancement for women in architecture. As a partner at KFA Architecture, Lise is in charge of project concept and design, and incorporates her love of art and community while achieving her clients’ goals. Focused on strong design concepts, she has managed projects with complex entitlement packages, multiple funding sources and significant community outreach while working collaboratively with clients, consultants, contractors and in-house teams. Lise is the partner in-charge for a diverse portfolio of affordable and permanent supportive housing projects including the West Los Angeles VA Campus Master Plan, PATH Metro Villas, Step Up on Colorado, Blue Hibiscus, SP7, Hayworth House, the Howard and Irene Levine Senior Community, and the Havenhurst Apartments. Since 1990, KFA has designed over 6,000 units of affordable housing in 57 different buildings for 27 different affordable housing developers in Los Angeles County. Twelve of these projects, containing nearly 1,000 units, have been on Skid Row. It has been a great point of pride for the firm to participate in housing people who might otherwise be sleeping on our streets, in substandard conditions, or beyond their affordability range. The firm’s affordable housing experience includes projects for families, seniors, special needs, veterans, and the formerly homeless. KFA has been an active member of the Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH) since its start in Los Angeles and has received dozens of awards for affordable housing design. Lise is inspired by the continuing evolution of the LA cityscape in a new era of transformation in communities and in the ways people live and work. She believes this growth will lead KFA to new and exciting projects with creative partners, while offering new opportunities in urban infill development. She is a former board member of Step Up on Second and the current President of the Association for Women in Architecture Foundation. She is committed to the advancement of people and the profession.

Daniel Nagel is Chief Financial Officer, at Decron Properties Corp. In this capacity, he is responsible for all transaction activity including acquisitions, equity and debt financing, and asset dispositions. He is also involved in the development, entitlement, and project management of key assets in the portfolio. Daniel earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from Yeshiva University and received his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management with a concentration in Finance and Real Estate. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), a cabinet member of the Jewish Federation’s Real Estate and Construction Division, and is a licensed California real estate broker.

Neil Shekhter founded NMS in 1988 on the principle of creating strong asset returns through superior management and investing in core locations with long-term growth. On these principles NMS began building its portfolio of properties by acquiring and repositioning poorly performing multi-family assets. Through hands-on management and capital improvements, these properties now enjoy dramatic increases in net operating income along with high occupancy rates. Mr. Shekhter’s belief is that quality starts from day one. With that in mind, he began to immerse himself in the development and construction of properties. As part of his philosophy of personalized management, Mr. Shekhter has been actively involved in every aspect of the company, from acquisitions to development to the construction of his projects, while maintaining the day-to-day operation of his existing portfolio. Mr. Shekhter also advises his three sons, Alan, Alexander, and Adam Shekhter, who along with CEO Scott Walter founded Santa Monica based WS Communities in January 2017. WS Communities is a real estate development firm that specializes in the acquisition, entitlement, and development of multifamily and mixed-use properties in Southern California. WS Communities’ projects include luxury and affordable residential units with ground floor retail and office spaces located in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles, California.

Mr. Noah Hochman is the Senior Managing Director of Capital Markets for TruAmerica Multifamily and brings 18 years of real estate investment and private equity experience to his role. Mr. Hochman is responsible for sourcing equity capital, investor relations and debt strategy across the portfolio and oversees joint venture structuring and partnerships. Mr. Hochman is also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining TruAmerica Multifamily, Mr. Hochman served as Vice President of Acquisitions and Dispositions at Triumph Management Company. Prior to joining Triumph, Mr. Hochman served as Vice President of Acquisitions for Granite Peak Partners. Mr. Hochman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UCLA and is a graduate of the Anderson Graduate School of Management Mergers & Acquisitions Program at UCLA.

Onyx is a full-service tenant relocation company based in Los Angeles, California. Onyx consultants are experts in laws and regulations, budgets, timeframes, strategies and guidelines for buying-out tenants when landlords are seeking to redevelop existing apartment buildings or remove units from the rental market. Established in 2015, Onyx has relocated over 1500 tenants, accounting for nearly a quarter of all buyouts in the city (according to the Housing & Community Investment Department of Los Angeles) with a success rate above 85% on qualifying projects. Onyx acts as a mediator between landlords/buyers and tenants, and their method is straightforward - make fair offers, treat tenants respectfully, and be as flexible and as reasonable as possible, all while making sure both parties are following the laws. All tenant-relations staff at the firm are trained in building rapport with tenants and skilled negotiation, while keeping the budget and timeframe in mind. The founder, Shelby Istrin, brings five years of tenant buyout experience to the table, as well as relationships within the city, and among agents and vendors. She is happy to share her knowledge, experience and input with members of the industry and her consultations provide reassurance to landlords, buyers, broker agents and lenders that each project will be given individual attention and handled with caution and care. Onyx has built a system and hired the necessary staff to keep up with the company’s progressive growth. They have a reputation for success with all types of industry professionals including individual owners, development firms large and small, lenders, brokers, and investment fund managers. They’re looking forward to another great year in 2018 as they continue to obtain new business, grow their network connections and expand their team.

Shane Shafer is an experienced real estate executive that is highly decorated as one of the top multifamily investment sales brokers in Southern California. Throughout his twenty-five year career he has closed over seven billion dollars in sales and has a proven track record of closing sales involving the largest apartment owners in the country. Shane’s deals have been selected as Costar’s Deal of the Year in back-to-back years for 2022 & 2023. Shane has consistently been acknowledged as a top broker in Southern California by multiple media outlets. He has been selected as Costar’s Power Broker for multiple years, named one of Southern California’s “Hot Brokers” by Southern California Real Estate Magazine and Los Angeles Times Commercial Real Estate Visionaries twice. Shane has also built high volume producing teams in Southern California for Northmarq. Shane enjoys the entrepreneurial challenge and the personal pride of being the best. Shane established the Southern California Multifamily Team and designed a proprietary marketing strategy that delivers successful results producing higher values and more income for multifamily owners. He currently maintains some of the highest price per unit sales for multiple Southern California submarkets through his innovative marketing process that creates competition among buyers resulting in driving value and achieving the best price and terms for his clients. Some of Shane’s sales to note are Nineteen01, a 264-unit property in Santa Ana that won 2023 impact deal of the year for Costar, 400-unit in Yorba Linda called Bryant at Yorba Linda which is the largest apartment sale in Yorba Linda history, and was nominated as Costar’s Deal of the year 2022, Baldwin Village, a 669-unit property in Baldwin Village that won Costar’s Impact Deal of the year in 2022, and a 306-unit he sold for Bridge Investment Group, one of the largest apartment sales in Los Angeles County in 2019 and the largest apartment transaction in history for Paramount. This success was additionally accomplished by recruiting and training a productive new team and nurturing client relationships as his top priority. Through Shane’s leadership, Northmarq is one of the highest-ranking brokerages in multiple Southern California markets and continues to grow market share each year. Previously, Shane worked for Berkadia as partner/managing director, where he was consistently one of the firm’s top brokers. During his years at Berkadia, Shane received the following accolades: #1 Broker in the Irvine Office (2015, 2016 & 2017); and was consistently in the top five percent of Berkadia agents nationwide and prior for Hendricks & Partners. Prior to Berkadia, Shane worked at Sperry Van Ness in the position of senior vice president. There, he was awarded the Sperry Van Ness Achievers Award in 2003 and was a member of the Sperry Van Ness Partner Circle (2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007). Shane started at Marcus & Millichap, where he earned the Rookie of the Year award in 1998. Aside from speaking at conferences and participating in industry events, Shane is enthusiastic about giving back to the communities in which he has worked and has contributed time and finances to many charitable organizations throughout Southern California.

Brad is an Angel Investor and technologist with a background in software. He was recently a Software Engineer with UAV/drone start-up Procerus Technologies. Procerus was acquired by Lockhead Martin in 2012. Previously he spent time in telecommunications industry working as a Software Engineer of Broadwing Telecommunications. Brad has a BS & MS in Computer Science from Brigham Young University.

Henry Manoucheri’s successful real estate career spans over 30 years. Henry began his career at Marcus & Millichap in 1985 and became one of their top brokers, being recognized throughout California as well as nationally. He has brokered over $500,000,000 worth of transactions in apartment buildings, office buildings, industrial properties, shopping centers and land. After leaving M&M, Henry launched his own privately held acquisitions business, as principal. In less than six months the number of apartments owned grew 200% from 400 to 1,200 units. Having demonstrated a detailed knowledge of acquisitions, operations and construction, Henry was able to partner with Bank of America to acquire and renovate a large apartment community in Carlsbad, CA. The asset was acquired at a purchase price of $50,700,000 with $10,500,000 in equity from Bank of America and $1,200,000 of equity from high net-worth investors. After successfully renovating the property and enhancing day-to-day operations, Henry sold the property four years later for $78,000,000 generating a profit of nearly $9,500,000 for himself and his investors. From this point forward a career of buying significant, well located apartment communities in Southern California began, acquiring 100+ unit properties throughout Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Ventura and San Diego County. Trisail of Bank of America and Urdang Advisors completed 10 large transactions with Henry over a successful 10 year relationship with acquisitions ranging from 200 to 450 units on transactions of $20 million to $70 million. This provided the economic platform for Henry to grow the portfolio to over 4,000 units. Additionally, Henry continued improving and refinancing smaller apartment communities, delivering 400 – 800% total returns to his investors over time. Henry, supported by research and analysis, sensed a changing marketplace and began selling select assets at record prices and cap rates from 2006 to 2008. The vast majority of sales were not used in trade, but rather to fund future acquisitions during the next down-cycle and to provide returns to investors. With over 30 years of experience in the business, Mr Manoucheri has been able to successfully navigate the company through difficult times by focusing on value-add propositions, detailed operations, and favorable financing opportunities, thereby profiting even during down cycles. This devotion to discipline, hard work , continuous examination of operating results and a hands-on approach has enabled Henry to deliver an average return of 22% percent annually across numerous assets, based on cash flow, and a return of over 60% per annum on assets sold. Currently the company is engaged in expanding its current holdings by acquiring new, value-add opportunities from various sellers, troubled borrowers, and financial institutions alike. Henry holds a BS in Finance and Real Estate from Cal State, Northridge, CA.

Rosie has over 15 years’ industry experience and is responsible for acquisition, development, construction, operations and disposition activities in Southern California and Phoenix. She is a registered professional engineer, licensed real estate broker, and serves on JPI’s Investment Committee. Rosie received both her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy, and her Master of Science in Construction Engineering and Management and Master of Science in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California.

Patrick Rhodes is a Senior Vice President in Brookfield’s commercial development group and is responsible for leading Brookfield's west coast mixed-use development business. Over the past 15 years, he has directly managed more than $3 billion in projects from inception through execution. Patrick holds a BS in Engineering from Virginia Tech, an MS in Real Estate Development from Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA in Finance from UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Daniel started in the construction industry in 1995, overseeing several large preconstruction and design-build efforts in the Southern California market in his tenure. He has spent the last 19 years focused in the Los Angeles and Orange County markets. During his career, Daniel has performed many roles, bringing a wide range of experience and expertise. With ten years of experience at Swinerton, Daniel is currently the Director of Preconstruction & Estimating for our Los Angeles and Orange County offices. In this role, he is responsible for exceeding external and internal client expectations for all things related to the preconstruction and estimating process. In addition, Daniel is an active member of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). He is also a LEED Accredited Professional since 2002 and was on the founding Board for the USGBC LA Chapter. Beyond his impressive career, Daniel actively participates in Swinerton Foundation charity events such as St. Baldrick’s and Joy Jars.

Loryn Dunn Arkow is a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group. She has extensive experience handling acquisition, disposition and development transactions; joint ventures, lending and other finance transactions; recapitalizations and workouts. Clients turn to Loryn for counsel on structuring complex transactions and entities, and in finding creative strategies to get deals done. Her client list includes large public pension funds, pension fund advisors, private equity funds and other investors, lenders, developers and sponsors in sectors including retail, office, industrial, multifamily, condo development, homebuilding, medical and mixed-use projects. She speaks Japanese and Spanish, and has been recognized by Super Lawyers and The Legal 500.

As an owner and Managing Principal for Streetsense, Eric has established himself as a contributing member in the company’s growth and expansion to its current marketplace status. With over 25 years of executive-level experience, Eric takes a visionary and collaborative approach to every project, leading his team to produce truly innovative results for his clients. A creative entrepreneur with a passion for branding, marketing, architecture, interior design and placemaking, Eric has extensive knowledge of real estate and a passion for holistic marketing strategy and brand management. After leading his own firm for over a decade, Eric merged Burka Studios with Streetsense, where he offers his clients — from local and national real estate firms to international hotel brands — an unparalleled breadth and depth of insights, strategy, and results.