Team

Name

The Mandrake team is made up of highly experienced investment professionals possessing an average of 25 years of industry experience through various economic, industry and financial cycles. The deep expertise of the investment team in sourcing, evaluating, managing and monetizing an array of commercial real estate investments across a variety of ownership structures and capital sources provides multiple perspectives, which Mandrake believes results in better decision-making capability.

Benjamin Haefele Managing Partner

Benjamin co-founded Mandrake in 2019. Benjamin is a Managing Partner of Mandrake and a member of the Investment Committee. For six years prior to founding Mandrake, Benjamin was Co-Head, Real Estate Investments at York Capital Management, which also included responsibility for managing the investment activities of Gerard Alexander Holdings. Previously, Benjamin held various commercial real estate investment positions at Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, Lone Star Funds, Gramercy Capital Corp., and RBS Greenwich Capital. Benjamin received a B.S. in Economics with a concentration in Real Estate from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Joseph O’Connor Managing Partner

Joseph co-founded Mandrake in 2019. Joseph is a Managing Partner of Mandrake and a member of the Investment Committee. For six years prior to founding Mandrake, Joseph was Co-Head, Real Estate Investments at York Capital Management, which also included responsibility for managing the investment activities of Gerard Alexander Holdings. Joseph worked for over twelve years at Leucadia National Corporation (including two years at its portfolio company Berkadia Commercial Mortgage), where he participated in acquisition and asset management of a diverse array of real estate assets, real estate-related companies, and private equity investments. Prior to Leucadia, Joseph was an analyst at Goldman Sachs in their Financial Institutions investment banking group. Joseph received a B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Columbia College.

Michael Kavourias Partner, Chief Operating Officer

Michael co-founded Mandrake in 2019. Michael is a Partner and the Chief Operating Officer of Mandrake. For six years prior to founding Mandrake, Michael was the Chief Operating Officer, Real Estate Investments at York Capital Management, which also included participating in the investment activities of Gerard Alexander Holdings. Michael worked for eight years at Gramercy Capital Corp., a publicly-traded mortgage REIT, as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. In this role, he became responsible for asset management of the firm’s loan portfolio, including special servicing, restructuring, and workouts. Prior to joining Gramercy, he worked in various major NYC law firms for 15 years as a real estate transaction attorney. Michael received a B.S. in Accounting from New York University and a J.D. from St. John’s University. Michael is also a Certified Public Accountant (retired).

Edward Oprindick President, SFRC Development

Edward is President of Mandrake’s SFRC Development division. Prior to joining Mandrake, Edward was an Investment Director at Sherman Capital Markets, where he focused on the areas of residential land development and distressed commercial real estate assets. Prior to Sherman, Edward spent 16 years with Hunt Investment Management (as successor to Capmark Financial Inc.) as Executive Vice President, Portfolio Management which included extensive institutional real estate investment experience for both co-mingled funds and separate accounts. Edward received a B.A. from Wilkes University and an M.B.A. from Saint Joseph’s University.

Scott Hupe Senior Vice President, Asset Management

Scott is a Senior Vice President at Mandrake. For six years prior to joining Mandrake, Scott was a Managing Director at Forum Absolute Capital Partners overseeing its investments in several New York City based condominium development projects. Previously, Scott spent twelve years working in real estate acquisitions, development and asset management roles at both Tavros Holdings and ELK Investors on various product types throughout the U.S. Scott received a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University.

Chris Peters Senior Vice President, Asset Management

Chris is a Senior Vice President, Asset Management at Mandrake. Chris brings nearly 30 years of hands-on asset management experience with performing, opportunistic and value add real estate properties throughout the U.S. Prior to joining Mandrake, Chris led the US investment debt and equity portfolio for German investment bank Hypo Real Estate Capital Corporation and held senior positions at both GE Capital Real Estate and H/2 Capital Partners. Chris received an MBA from the SMU Cox School of Business and his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut.

Stephanie Bello Vice President, SFRC Development

Stephanie is the Vice President of Asset Management, bringing a wealth of experience in property and asset management with progressive roles at both on-site and corporate levels, as well as expertise in HOA management. She has managed assets in numerous markets throughout the Sunbelt and Mid-Atlantic regions. Stephanie attended Florida International University and is an active member of seven industry-related associations. She holds several industry certifications, including CAM, CAPS, CPO, and a Property Manager-in-Charge license in the state of South Carolina.

Edward Brnich Vice President, Development Management

Edward is a Vice President, Development Management at Mandrake. Prior to joining Mandrake, Edward was a Project Manager at Hill Construction responsible for constructing commercial ground-up and renovation projects. Prior to Hill, Edward spent 24 years with Waverly Construction and Management as a Vice President, primarily involved in managing construction projects for commercial and institutional clients, from early concept phases through development and turn-key deliveries. Prior to Waverly, Edward spent 11 years with Norwood Industrial Construction as a Project Manager constructing and managing commercial projects for a national developer.

Ian Crowley Vice President, SFRC Development

Ian is a Vice President of Mandrake’s SFRC Development division. Prior to joining Mandrake, Ian worked as an asset manager at Morgan Properties, overseeing value-add business plans at 50 properties across multiple markets. Previously, Ian worked on the asset management team at LEM Capital where he focused on implementation of value-add business plans and ran the quarterly valuation process. Ian is a CFA Charterholder and received a B.S. in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Dillon O'Connor Vice President, SFRC Development

Dillon is a Vice President of Mandrake’s SFRC Development division. Prior to joining Mandrake, Dillon had worked as a Project Manager for General Contracting firms Structor Group and Structure Tone, as well as for the Development firm Mayfair Street Partners, overseeing projects in the Atlanta and Boston areas. Dillon is also a Veteran of the United States Air Force having served as a Structural Journeyman in the United States and United Arab Emirates. Dillon received his B.S. in Construction Management from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston and received an MBA with a concentration in Real Estate from Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.

David Rexroad Vice President, SFRC Development

David is Vice President of Mandrake’s SFRC Development division. Prior to joining Mandrake, David worked as a Senior Land Development Manager for several well-known national builders/developing firms, Forestar, Toll Brothers, Pulte Homes and overseeing projects in the Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Arlington TX, and Myrtle Beach areas. David has a degree in Criminal Justice and has proudly served 6 years in the United States Marine Corps and is a combat veteran with multiple tours overseas.

Frank Robertson Construction Manager, SFRC Development

Frank is a Construction Manager in Mandrake’s SFRC Development division. Prior to Mandrake, Frank was a VP/Director of Construction for Nest Homes, a semi-custom regional builder. Frank got his start in residential construction with NVR. He has over 20 years of experience in operations management. Frank graduated from East Carolina University with a BS in Geography/GIS and a minor in Urban Planning.

Noah Kimelheim Senior Associate, SFRC Development

Noah is a Senior Associate of Mandrake’s SFRC Development division. Prior to joining Mandrake, Noah worked as an associate at Delphi Property Group, LLC. where he was responsible for the sourcing, analysis and execution of real estate investments across all property types in the Mid-Atlantic region for both in-house and third-party clients. Noah received his B.S. in Applied Economics from Ursinus College.

Nicholas Kavourias Senior Associate

Nick is a Senior Associate at Mandrake. Prior to joining Mandrake, Nick spent two years at Atlas Capital Group working on asset management and acquisitions for various asset types in New York and Los Angeles. Previously, Nick spent six years at Related Companies and Pacwest Bank originating senior mortgages, mezzanine loans and preferred equity investments on commercial and residential assets throughout the U.S. Nick also held a junior position in KPMG’s real estate valuation consulting group. Nick received a B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University.

Ford Harvey Associate, SFRC Development

Ford is an Asset Management Associate for Mandrake. Prior to joining Mandrake, Ford worked at Ginkgo Residential as an Asset Management/Revenue and Markets analyst. Ford was also an Asset Manager for Cross Properties. Ford earned his Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business at Elon University. Ford also studied finance with a focus on investments at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Brandon Ritchey Analyst

Brandon is an analyst at Mandrake. For two years prior to joining Mandrake, Brandon worked at Deloitte as a Consultant in their Real Estate Valuation group, where he provided valuation services to clients throughout the United States. Brandon earned his Bachelor’s degree from the Schack Institute of Real Estate at New York University.

Kerry Winters Controller

Kerry is the Controller at Mandrake. For five years prior to joining Mandrake, Kerry was an assistant controller at York Capital Management, primarily responsible for Gerard Alexander Holding’s accounting, tax, and reporting functions. Prior to York, Kerry worked as a senior auditor in the real estate division of Marks Paneth LLP. Kerry received a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Richmond and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Lydia Feng Tax Manager/Assistant Controller

Lydia is the Tax Manager / Assistant Controller at Mandrake. Prior to joining Mandrake, Lydia was a Tax Manager in the Asset Management Group at KPMG. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Lydia is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the AICPA.

Sisilyn Tait Executive Assistant/Office Manager

Sisilyn is the Executive Assistant & Office Manager where she focuses on assisting in the day-to-day operations of Mandrake Capital Partners. Additionally, Sisilyn provides support to all the Partners and other staff members as needed. Prior to joining Mandrake, Sisilyn worked as the Facilities & Office Manager at York Capital Management for 14 years. Before that, she was the Office Manager at Apax Partners, a leading global private equity firm.