Global commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield is expanding its valuation and advisory practice group, which provides property valuations for clients seeking debt and equity, transaction, portfolio, planning, litigation, transfer and leasing services.

Kari Olbrecht has been promoted to market lead with the company's valuation and advisory Midwest market. She is based in the firm's Chicago office. In her new role, Olbrecht will focus on strategic support and development across the region.

Olbrecht started at Cushman & Wakefield in 2001 and joined its valuation and advisory group in 2006. She most recently served as director of valuation for the Midwest, where she gained experience appraising institutional-grade and corporate real estate, including downtown and suburban office, medical space, warehouse and distribution buildings, vacant land, sports stadiums, student housing, shopping centers and multifamily complexes.

With Olbrecht's promotion, Cushman & Wakefield has hired Scott Falkum to serve as Midwest director of valuation.

Falkum brings more than 21 years of commercial real estate valuation and consulting experience, handling appraisals for financial institutions, developers, property owners, local governments and state agencies.

Based in the company's Minneapolis office, Falkum will continue to focus on office and multifamily property valuations in addition to industrial, net-leased investments, retail and restaurant buildings and other special-purpose properties.

Independent financial services firm Mesirow has hired Will Beam as managing director of acquisitions with its institutional real estate direct investments team.

In his new role, Beam will focus on all aspects of the property acquisition process on behalf of institutional investors in the top U.S. multifamily markets, according to the firm.

Beam brings more than 20 years of real estate experience, having overseen more than $4.5 billion in investments throughout his career. He joins Mesirow from Magnolia Capital, where he most recently served as managing director and principal of investments and business development.

Before that, Beam was promoted to partner at Heitman after working in multifamily acquisitions for 13 years. In addition to leading acquisitions efforts, he has also worked in financing and dispositions, as well as raising capital for new investment products.

Beam is active in the National Multi-Housing Council and recently completed four years of service with its emerging leaders committee. He served as a board member of Chicago Real Estate Private Equity and holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Denholtz Properties, a Red Bank, New Jersey-based commercial real estate investment and development company, has hired Kayte Peters as multifamily regional manager.

In her new role, Peters will bolster the firm's in-house property management capabilities as Denholtz continues to grow its nationwide multifamily portfolio, in addition to building a residential property management program across the East Coast.

Peters brings more than 17 years of experience in community management, most recently as regional property manager for Morgan Properties, where she expanded its multifamily portfolio spanning 20 states.

“Attentive and proactive property management will be critical to our success in aggressively expanding our multifamily portfolio in the months to come,” Denholtz COO Greg Brown said in a corporate statement announcing the hire. “We are confident that Kayte’s extensive track record in creating and managing large multifamily property management programs will be a tremendous asset to our team.”

Foundry Commercial, a full-service real estate services and investment firm with offices across the Sun Belt, has hired Sarah Godwin as senior vice president of land services in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In her new role, Godwin will work with Karl Hudson IV, who leads Foundry's land services team, to expand its services and capital markets functions in the region.

Godwin brings 15 years of institutional land investment advisory and sales experience, having overseen the sale, valuation and analysis of more than $5 billion in institutional investment transactions throughout the Carolinas.

Godwin and Hudson previously worked together at Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer in 2013, before Godwin joined HFF. There she advised clients on investments, development and redevelopment, site selection and entitlement, with a focus on multifamily, life science, mixed-use and residential development land for a client list that includes Bank of America, Wells Fargo, LStar Ventures and Newland Communities.

Eric T. Baum has joined Greystone Monticello as head of the multifamily bridge sales desk in Philadelphia.

In his new role, Baum will work with the firm's originators on sizing, quoting and issuing bridge loan applications for the company, a joint-venture formed in 2021 to provide a range of bridge financing options in the multifamily and senior housing industries.

Baum brings more than 25 years in commercial real estate lending, management and credit analysis, having originated, structured, underwritten or closed more than $23.2 billion in commercial real estate debt products across the United States for all major property types. He most recently served as managing director at Lument, where he originated new bridge loans for nearly stabilized and transitional multifamily properties. Before that, Baum held senior positions at Exantas Real Estate Funding, CW Financial Services, Ventras Holdings and Capmark Financial Group/GMAC Commercial Mortgage.

Avison Young has hired Katie Schiavi as director in charge of business development for its studio, project and construction management team in New York.

In her new role, Schiavi will support the growth and expansion of the project management business line across the tri-state markets of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, while driving management, pipeline and lead generation activities in the region.

Schiavi brings more than 14 years of experience, most recently serving as regional director of business development at OTJ Architects, where she partnered with clients, architects and designers to guide projects from inception to delivery.

Newmark hired David Bitner to spearhead its global research department as an executive managing director in San Francisco.

In his new role, Bitner will oversee the strategic vision and execution of the brokerage firm's research initiatives with an emphasis on capital markets. He reports to Newmark Chief Administrative Officer Roger Anscher and will work closely with Jonathan Mazur, executive managing director of research.

Bitner is a 10-year industry veteran and has more than 12 years of experience in the finance industry. He most recently served as vice president and global head of capital markets research at Cushman & Wakefield.

Alex Ingle has joined private real estate investment firm Westmount Realty Capital as senior legal counsel in Dallas.

In his new role, Ingle will focus on transaction coordination, overseeing all legal dealings related to sale and financing agreements for the firm.

Ingle brings more than eight years of experience negotiating contracts and related agreements for a broad range of real estate and corporate transactions, including the acquisition and disposition of retail, multifamily, industrial and office properties, in addition to joint-venture partnerships, commercial leases and land acquisitions for investors and developers. Ingle previously served in real estate counsel roles at Wick Phillips, D.R. Horton and Haynes & Boone, and holds a Juris Doctor degree from Wake Forest University School of Law.

Marley Welsh, a vice president with Lee & Associates | Maryland, has earned her Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, or SIOR, designation, joining the Maryland, District of Columbia and Northern Virginia chapter.

Welsh has worked with Lee & Associates since 2013, and has more than 10 years of commercial real estate experience. She was promoted to vice president in January 2021 and works with local and national tenants, landlords, investors and institutional owners throughout the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region. Last year, her team executed nearly 110 commercial real estate transactions.

The SIOR designation represents a professional achievement for qualified commercial real estate practitioners with a strong, sustained transactional history. Members serve in leasing and sales management, executive management and advisory services across the industrial and office real estate sectors.

Of the nearly 3,700 worldwide SIOR members, only 215, or less than 6% of existing membership, are women, according to a release from Lee & Associates, which notes that in the local MD/DC/VA chapter, only three of its 60 members are women.

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