NEWS AND VIEWS
Capstone Real Estate Services Inc., has been awarded management of the following Apartment Communities for January 2020
Winter 2019
August & September 2019
Capstone Real Estate Services, Inc. (Austin, TX) announced today, that they have been awarded management of the following Texas Apartment communities.
“Do, or do Not. There is no Try.”
— Yoda
Dally Ward, Regional Vice President
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Kelly Blaskowsky, CPM®, Chief Operating Officer
Kelly Blaskowsky brings over twenty-five years of multifamily experience and has worked with a variety of asset types and clients. Previously Kelly served as the Senior Vice President focused on growing new markets and teams to operate with consistency across the company. In addition, Kelly served on multiple committees and is the past President of the San Antonio Chapter of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®).
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
— Winston Churchill
Kristi Young, Controller
Kristi is the Controller for the Property Accounting Group at Capstone. She has more than 15 years of corporate accounting experience within the construction and property management industries. Kristi has a BBA in Accounting from St. Edward’s University in Austin.
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
— Henry David Thoreau
Diane Yensen, Vice President of Operations
Diane has oversight of the entire Austin region. Diane brings over 20 years of multifamily experience with prior roles as a VP at companies such as Westlake Housing, Holiday Retirement and Northland Investment. Her strong operational knowledge and business acumen coupled with a passion for leading people will no doubt add tremendous value to our operational success. Diane has great experience in creating strong systems as well as working alongside departments to improve best practices.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
— Maya Angelou
Melissa Fasci, Vice President of Operations
“Appreciate where you are in your journey, even if it’s not where you want to be. Every season serves a purpose.”
— Unknown Author
Connie Teer, Regional Vice President
Connie started in the multifamily industry in 1986, through her time she has worked in the Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta and California markets. Her experience includes Class A with mix-use, Renovation/Value Add, Lease-Up along with acquisition and disposition assets. Connie started with Gables as a Senior Regional Manager over Third Party and currently oversees operations for REIT, Joint Venture and Third Party Clients. She holds a BA in Business Administration from Tarleton State University, a Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor (CAPS) through the National Apartment Association (NAA), a graduate of Gables Leadership Institute and was recognized as Regional Manager of the Year in 2015.
“To love another person is to see the face of God.”
— Victor Hugo
Tim Joyner, Risk Manager
Tim Joyner, Risk Manager has been with Capstone since July 1, 1985. Over the course of his time with Capstone, Tim has held many positions both in operations and corporate. Tim has been Risk Manager since 1993. There are many aspects to the Risk Management department. Managing properties in today’s world present many very difficult situations. Tim’s extensive knowledge of Capstone and the Property Management field puts them in the position to guide properties through difficult situations. Some of the areas they assist are in property incidents, injuries, legal matters and fair housing issues. Tim also administer the Capstone Employee Health & Safety Program. Tim visits properties when possible and provide another set of eyes and ears to help Capstone provide the best Property Management services available.
“Always seek to Understand before being Understood.”
— Stephen Covey
Steve Roach, Vice President of Operations
Steve has oversight for the entire Dallas region. With more than 25 years of experience in the multi-family industry, Steve has held executive positions with several large companies including the position of President of BH Management with responsibility of over 34,000 units in 17 states. He has a very solid working knowledge of value add rehabs and the management of all classes of assets. Steve is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, past President of the Apartment Association of Tarrant County, past NAA Certified CAM/CAPS Instructor, experienced speaker at the Annual TAA Education Conference and has served on the Advisory Board of Multifamily Pro Magazine.
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
— Albert Einstein
Melissa Steed, Regional Vice President
Melissa has been a member of the Capstone family since 2014. She began her career in 2002 as a Leasing Agent working her way up to Regional Manager in only 6 years in the industry. She has experience with a wide array of multi-family assets such as; Class A luxury, affordable and new construction lease up properties. In her career, Melissa has successfully leased up over 30 deals in the Dallas, San Antonio, Rio Grande Valley and Austin markets. Responsible for the Austin region, Melissa has her CAM, and was most recently a Lyceum graduate with the Austin Apartment Association.
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
— Dr. Seuss
Todd Berkey, Communications Coordinator
Bringing over 20+ years of creative advertising experience, Todd designs, directs and produces the Capstone company communications through, print, web and advertising. He provides layered support for the team through various marketing resources.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
— Maya Angelou
Kim Kovach, Director of Training
Kim Kovach holds a Bachelor of Science in management and a minor in marketing from Texas State University. Kim has 17 years in property management, and 11 years in training and education. She served on the IREM Young Professionals Council and currently serves on the Austin Apartment Association Education Advisory Council.
“The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well.”
— John D. Rockefeller
Karma Cargal, Director of Affordable Housing Compliance
Karma Cargal serves as Capstone’s Director of Affordable Housing Compliance. She has worked in multifamily property management for 25 years, with direct supervision of compliance departments monitoring various affordable housing programs in 30+ states. Her affordable experience includes Low Income Housing Tax Credit, HOME, Bond, BMR, Section 8, Public Housing, Inclusionary, ADU, MOH, MFTE and other local programs. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and the National Compliance Professional, Housing Credit Certified Professional, and Certified Occupancy Specialist certifications.
“It always seems impossible until it is done.”
— Nelson Mandela
Cynthia Kiang, Regional Vice President
Cynthia grew up in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago where she braved the winters and cheered for the Chicago Bears, the Cubs and the Blackhawks. She attended Boston University, where she graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management. After 3 years working in Front Desk Operations, Cynthia began her multi-family career in Houston, TX. During that time, Cynthia fell in love with property management and has worked on site as well as the corporate and support sides. She has managed communities in Texas and Illinois and led portfolios that encompassed the Midwest, the Carolinas and the Southeast. Cynthia is married with two children, two dogs and a cat. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, baking, reading and spending time with her family.
“Never mistake motion for action.”
— Ernest Hemingway
Zach Potutschnig, Manager of Cash Management
Zach oversees Capstone’s Cash Management team, providing daily support to Capstone’s operations team. Zach joined Capstone in 2015, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
“Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference.”
— Winston Churchill
Brad Priest, Director of Accounting
Brad is the Director of Accounting for the Property Accounting Group. He has more than 30 years of experience in corporate accounting. Brad has a BBA in Accounting & Management from St. Edward’s University and an MBA from Texas State University and has been a Texas CPA for over 30 years.
April Royal, Regional Vice President
April started with Capstone Real Estate Service in March 2014 as a Regional Manager with over 20 years of multi-family experience prior to assuming this new role as Regional Vice-President. She has had the opportunity to serve in both the commercial and residential industry and for owner managed and third party clients. Her experience includes new construction, repositions, senior, luxury, affordable, value add and mixed use. April’s track record shows her strengths in client and employee relations. She enjoys the challenge of meeting the owner’s goals, supporting her management teams and always keeping focus on learning and development. She is a Certified Apartment Property Supervisor (CAPS) and is CPM (Certified Property Manager) candidate with the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM).
“Be Humble. Be Hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.”
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’
Kelly Scott, Vice President of Operations
Kelly has oversight for the entire Houston region. Kelly brings more than 28 years of multifamily industry operational experience with an extensive background in the oversight of lease ups, stabilized and rehab communities, budget maximization, developing staffing plans, and owner and equity partner relationship management. Prior to joining Capstone, Kelly worked as a VP at Alliance Residential, and previously held leadership positions such as President at Lane Company, Executive Vice President at Riverstone Residential Group and a partner at Trammell Crow for 12 years. She holds her CAM and CAPS designations, has served as chair of both the Membership, Investment and Education committees with the Houston Apartment Association, and has also been the Education Conference Chairperson for the Texas Apartment Association. Kelly received the TAA Rita Kirby Award, the HAA Property Supervisor of the Year Award and named HAA’s 2016 Management Executive of the Year. In addition, Kelly has served on the HAA board of directors for over 12 years and was the Secretary/Treasurer for 2017. Kelly provides a strong passion for leading and inspiring teams — the driving force behind her success.
Grant Berkey, CPM®, President; Chief Executive Officer
Grant Berkey is responsible for the executive oversight of all Capstone operations. He has been active in the property management industry and with Capstone Real Estate Services, Inc. since 1993. In addition to his CPM® designation, he is both a licensed Real Estate Broker and a Property and Casualty Agent. Mr. Berkey is a graduate of Texas Tech University.
Marc Berkey, Vice President
Marc Berkey is responsible for Capstone’s National Account programs. Marc is charged with negotiating the greatest possible terms with the industry’s best vendors who provide supplies and services to our properties. He has been associated with the management industry and Capstone since 2008. Prior to Capstone, Marc worked for two national homebuilders in a variety of roles, including building and purchasing, but primarily as a Land Acquisition Manager. Marc is a licensed Real Estate Agent in Texas and is a graduate of Baylor University with a B.A. in Real Estate.
“Truth is not subject to anyone’s approval of it.”
Mike Boone, CPM®, Vice President of Governance
Mike has served in various roles for Capstone since 2006 and is responsible for identifying, implementing, and improving the property management systems the company utilizes. Additionally, Mike is responsible for Capstone’s Training, Compliance and IT departments. Mike has over 20 years of multifamily experience in all levels of management, from Leasing Agent to Vice President of Operations. His management experience includes Conventional, Seniors, HUD-financed, Residential, and Student Housing assets in both third-party and owner management formats. Mike has volunteered his time and expertise to Florida State University’s College of Business, National Apartment Association, Institute of Real Estate Management and a myriad of real estate industry focused businesses.
Mike Gettman, Chief Financial Officer
Mike Gettman is responsible for the oversight of Capstone’s Corporate Finance, Risk Management, and Human Resources departments. He has broad administrative experience in accounting, risk management, employee benefits and human resource issues relating to property management. Mr. Gettman is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin with a major in accounting, and has been employed by Capstone since 1985.
Matthew C. Lutz, Executive Vice President
Matt Lutz has over thirty years of experience in the property management and real estate industry. In addition to his corporate and operational duties, Mr. Lutz is primarily involved with Capstone’s Business Development initiatives. Mr. Lutz is a Licensed Real Estate Broker in Texas and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Lutz has been employed by Capstone since 1984.
Pops
After joining the company in 1977, Jim Berkey helped establish Capstone into what it is today, focusing his efforts on building an organization that would lead the property management industry in competence, professionalism, technology, and results. For decades, his vision and leadership provided superior management service to our clients and an attractive career for our employees. A long and successful career based on hard work and the drive to hold true to Christian values has provided for a happy retirement. Today, Jim and Marilyn Berkey spend their time on the lake, traveling, or enjoying their 7 grandchildren. And they are loving it!