Team

Dennis Grzeskowiak

Mr. Grzeskowiak co-founded Bellwether in 2013 and has 20 years of experience in asset management and special servicing. At Bellwether, Mr. Grzeskowiak focuses on portfolio management and technology initiatives, with particular asset management expertise in debt as well as multifamily equity investments totaling over 33k units.

Prior to forming Bellwether, he was Vice President of Asset Management at Trimont Real Estate Advisors, where he was responsible for a $2 billion portfolio of performing and non-performing commercial real estate investments related to multiple property types throughout the United States.

During his time at Trimont, Mr. Grzeskowiak developed a proprietary valuation cash flow model used to analyze over $30 billion of debt and equity investments. Mr. Grzeskowiak has a B.A. in Economics and International Studies from Rhodes College.

Joseph Mossotti

Mr. Mossotti co-founded Bellwether in 2013 and has 18 years of experience in private equity asset management and institutional corporate finance. At Bellwether, Mr. Mossotti focuses on corporate FP&A, organizational and talent management and corporate and transaction advisory.

Prior to founding Bellwether, he worked at JER in the Asset Management/Portfolio Management group at JER Partners, a Washington D.C. based private equity firm. At JER, he was responsible for investment- and fund- level modeling as well as the disposition and workout of the remaining portfolio. Before joining JER, Mr. Mossotti worked at Billy Casper Golf Management. Mr. Mossotti holds a B.S. in Finance from Siena College and is a licensed CPA.

Michael Baracco

Mr. Baracco has been a part of Bellwether since its inception and currently focuses on commercial real estate investments throughout the United States, with expertise in office and hospitality. Prior to joining Bellwether, he was a Senior Project Engineer at Lockheed Martin Corp. where he supported multi-billion-dollar contracts including satellites, flight modernization systems and submarines. Mr. Baracco has an M.B.A. from the University of Denver and a B.S. in Physics from Washington & Lee University.

David Chalison

Mr. Chalison joined Bellwether in 2016 and is responsible for leading the Portfolio Management functions for Bellwether’s equity and debt clients.  David has over 10 years of corporate FP&A experience, most recently as the Director of FP&A at Chronos Solutions (now part of Covius).  Here, he helped lead the closings of several strategic acquisitions along with conducting all of the firm’s reporting requirements.  Prior to Chronos, he was at Tower Energy Group, a Southern California based oil wholesaler and operator.  Mr. Chalison received a B.S. in Finance from Santa Clara University and holds a M.B.A. from Loyola Marymount University.

Patrick Foley

Mr. Foley joined Bellwether in 2014 and is responsible for managing Bellwether’s Salt Lake City Office and overseeing corporate, development and residential investments in the United States. He has expertise in homebuilding, hospitality, manufacturing and other corporate investments with a focus on FP&A, strategic planning, talent management and organizational design. Mr. Foley has a B.S. in Economics with a concentration in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jigar Astik

Mr. Astik is a Managing Director and the Global Head of the Corporate Advisory Practice. His focus is primarily around leading large-scale transformation and restructurings across various industries including industrials, technology and consumer packaged goods. He has 15+ years of experience across the M&A lifecycle, with extensive experience leading complex buy and sell-side transactions, including sourcing/target identification, formulating deal thesis, commercial and operational due diligence, integration/divestiture management, synergy identification/capture and post-deal value creation. He has also served as the Chief Restructuring Officer for numerous organizations in the industrials and consumer packaged good sectors. He is a frequent speaker on the topics of automation, robotics and M&A trends.

Prior to joining Bellwether, Mr. Astik was a leader at EY-Parthenon and their transactions practice and before that, he was a founding member of McKinsey’s Recovery and Transformation Practice. Mr. Astik is a proud Alum of the University of Michigan.

Ben Easton

Mr. Easton joined Bellwether in 2014 and is responsible for leading Bellwether’s London Office and overseeing the European real estate portfolio. His current role is overseeing the domestic logistics portfolio in the United States and leading a team focused on debt asset management. In addition to industrial, he has extensive experience leading and overseeing office, multifamily and CRE non-performing loans investments.

Before Bellwether, he gained valuable experience at NMS Properties and Mesa West Capital, both prominent Los Angeles-based real estate companies. He holds a B.A. degree in International Business from Loyola Marymount University.

Will Feltus

Mr. Feltus joined Bellwether in 2019 and is currently responsible for leading the multifamily vertical. Prior to joining Bellwether, he was Director of Asset Management at Strata Equity Group, a private San Diego-based multifamily real estate investor with over $3 billion in AUM. Prior to that, he was a senior associate at Kettler, a multifamily investment/development sponsor based in Washington, DC with a portfolio of nearly 20,000 units. Mr. Feltus holds a B.A. in Communications with a minor in Business from Virginia Tech and a M.S. in Real Estate and Infrastructure from Johns Hopkins University.

Greg Fink

Mr. Fink joined Bellwether in 2021 and is primarily responsible for expanding the Bellwether client base of institutional investors, real estate sponsors and related entities. Greg has over 25 years of institutional finance, private equity and real estate experience, most recently as Head of Capital Markets for Champion Real Estate, a Los Angeles based real estate developer and family office.

Previously, he provided capital advisory services at Moss Adams Capital, was a member of the principal investment team at IHP Capital Partners and began his career at Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Fink holds an M.B.A from UCLA Anderson and an A.B in art history and economics from Stanford University.

Mike Holford

Mr. Holford joined Bellwether in 2023 as part of the transfer of Victoria Asset Management with the opening the Bellwether UK London office. At Victoria Asset Management, Mr. Holford was the Head of Development & Construction, overseeing active developments as well as technical due diligence on pipeline projects across the European region across a range of different asset classes. Prior to this, he was Global Head of Capital Management for Goldman Sachs’ corporate real estate team, including the delivery of their 1 million square feet EMEA HQ development, 2 million square feet New York HQ refurbishment and the establishment of their Dallas Campus. Mr. Holford was previously the head of the London Commercial Developer team at Turner & Townsend. He is a member of the RICS and has over 20 years’ experience of delivering commercial developments.

Carlton Johnson

Mr. Johnson joined Bellwether as a Managing Director in 2024 and is currently responsible for leading a team focused on equity asset management. He has 20+ years of commercial real estate experience, comprised of portfolio and asset management, buy/sell side and financing transactions, as well as market selection and development across multiple sectors, including hospitality. Mr. Johnson holds a B.B.A in Finance from Texas A&M University.  His current and past association involvements include The Real Estate Council, Urban Land Institute, NAIOP and NHMC.  Additionally, Mr. Johnson and his family are actively involved in their community through Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, Feed My Starving Children, See Effect and YoungLife Capernaum.

Paul Kim

Mr. Kim joined Bellwether in 2020 and is responsible for supporting portfolio management functions for Bellwether’s institutional clients. Prior to joining Bellwether, he was a Vice President at CIM Group, a vertically integrated real estate investment company with $30 billion in assets under management. Prior to that, he was a Director at Westchester Group, a Nuveen company. Mr. Kim holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science and a M.S. in Financial Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mr. Kim is a CFA charter holder and a certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM).

Carolyn Leslie

Ms. Leslie joined Bellwether in 2020 and currently leads the company’s office investment vertical.  Carolyn has over 20 years of commercial real estate experience, most recently as the Director of Asset Management at Atlas Capital Group, a New York based owner and developer, and oversaw the redevelopment of ROW DTLA.  Before joining Atlas Capital Group, she was at Watt Companies as a Senior Asset Manager responsible for an office, retail and multifamily portfolio.  Ms. Leslie has a B.A in economics from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School.

Mitch Magoshi

Mr. Magoshi joined Bellwether in 2018 after 15 years of experience in the construction industry. Prior to joining Bellwether, he worked as a senior consultant with Gardiner & Theobald, Inc., an international construction project and cost management firm. Before G&T, Mr. Magoshi was a Construction Manager and Partner at Plant Construction Company, L.P., a prominent general contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mr. Magoshi leads the construction management and oversight group at Bellwether. He holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration with a minor in Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University.

David McDonnell

Mr. McDonnell joined Bellwether in 2024 and is currently responsible for leading the company’s Industrial vertical. In his 20+ year career, he has managed over $10bn of equity investments in Industrial assets ranging from small bay product up to big box logistics centers. Prior to joining Bellwether, Mr. McDonnell was the Director of Asset Management at Deutsche Bank/RREEF wherein he oversaw a 22mm SF portfolio of Industrial and Office Assets. Earlier in his career Mr. McDonnell was the Vice President of Acquisitions & Development for Overton Moore Properties where he acquired/developed over 3.5mm SF of Industrial product. He began his real estate career as a broker at JLL. Mr. McDonnell received a B.A. degree in Political Science from Tufts University and an M.B.A. with an emphasis in finance from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Jim Mosier

Mr. Mosier joined Bellwether in 2024 and is primarily responsible for managing Bellwether’s debt asset management clients. Mr. Mosier has over 20 years of industry experience in lending, capital raising, asset management and acquisitions. Prior to co-founding Grove Ventures, he held various positions at AIG Investments and recently at Ares Management where he was a Principal and headed up West Coast debt originations. Mr. Mosier holds an M.B.A. from UCLA Anderson and a B.S. in finance from the Penn State.

Michael Nagin

Mr. Nagin has 25+ years’ experience as both a lender and equity investor across all major asset classes and risk profiles. Over this period, he has closed over $5 billion of real estate investments, with responsibilities ranging from analyzing, sourcing and structuring transactions to asset management. Most recently, Mr. Nagin was an Executive Director at JP Morgan in the Real Estate Bank where he led business development and client management for the Los Angeles region. Prior to that, Mr. Nagin held debt and equity origination and team leadership positions at Wells Fargo Bank, Gramercy Capital, PCCP and Canyon Partners. He serves as the Board Chair of Economic Resources Corporation and is a member of the ULI Industrial Office Property Council, City of Hope’s Real Estate & Construction Industries Council, and Make-a-Wish’s Los Angeles Real Estate Cabinet. Mr. Nagin holds a B.A. in Human Biology with a concentration in Economics and Environmental Management from Stanford University.

Jonathan Shapiro

Mr. Shapiro joined Bellwether in 2023 and currently leads a team focused on debt asset management across multiple clients. Prior to joining Bellwether, he was a Director at Lightstone Capital, leading the debt asset management efforts for the company’s rapidly growing real estate debt platform. Previously, he was a loan originator at Revere Capital and Maxim Capital Group and a debt asset manager at NorthStar Realty Finance Corp (NYSE: NRF). He holds a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University, and a M.S. in Real Estate Development from the New York University Schack Institute of Real Estate.

Omar Vargas

Mr. Vargas joined Bellwether in 2018 and has over 20 years of professional experience. Prior to joining Bellwether, he was the Corporate Controller at Landmark Dividend LLC, a Los Angeles based real estate company. At Landmark Dividend, he was responsible for all aspects of the accounting, financial reporting and asset management functions. Before joining Landmark Dividend, Mr. Vargas was an Audit Senior Manager at Deloitte, where he was responsible for overseeing various teams on several real estate engagements. Mr. Vargas holds a B.S. in Accounting from California State University, Long Beach, and is a licensed CPA.

Jared Wright

Mr. Wright joined Bellwether in 2019 and is currently responsible for leading the underwriting vertical of debt and equity investments in the United States. Prior to joining Bellwether, he most recently worked as an underwriter at Money360, an Orange County based bridge lender that has completed over $1 billion in transactions. Before joining Money360, Mr. Wright was a Commercial Real Estate Appraiser at Integra Realty Resources (“IRR”). At IRR, he was involved in appraisal and consulting projects of all different asset classes. Mr. Wright holds a B.S. Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from California State University, Fullerton.

Alexa Bisbas

Ms. Bisbas joined Bellwether in 2022 and is currently responsible for all aspects of Recruiting. Prior to joining Bellwether, she was a Senior Corporate Recruiter at Irvine Company responsible for Development, Finance, Investments, Accounting, and IT full cycle recruiting. Prior to that, she was an Audit Associate at KPMG. Ms. Bisbas holds a B.A. in Psychology and Master of Accounting from the University of Southern California.

Branigan Buchfuhrer

Mrs. Buchfuhrer joined Bellwether in 2022 and is responsible for leading all aspects of Human Resources. Mrs. Buchfuhrer has 15 years of HR experience, including nine years acting as Head of HR in various industries. Most recently, Branigan acted as Head of HR at Ampaire, Inc., an aerospace company that developed and flew the first hybrid-electric aircraft.

Previously, she acted as Head of HR to Moose Toys, a top 10 global toy company, and Puma Biotechnology, who developed a breast cancer drug and achieved FDA approval. In each role, she was responsible for developing, implementing and managing end-to-end HR programs and HRIS systems, as well as contributing as a valued member of the leadership teams. Mrs. Buchfuhrer is PHR and SHRM-CP certified and holds a B.S. in Business Management from CSU Northridge.

Ariel Cole

Ms. Cole joined Bellwether in 2020 and leads a team focused on debt asset management for Invesco. Prior to joining Bellwether, she was on the originations team in the Commercial Real Estate group at Bank of America. Prior to that, she spent five years at Wells Fargo in the Middle Market Banking group in various roles, most recently as a Relationship Manager. Ms. Cole holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of La Verne.

Logan David

Mr. David joined Bellwether in 2017 and is currently responsible for coverage of hospitality and residential development investments. Prior to joining Bellwether, he worked at EY on the Transaction Real Estate team where he was involved with valuation, audit assist and due diligence work for nearly all asset types. Mr. David holds a B.S. in Hospitality Management from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

Brenden Estrada

Mr. Estrada joined Bellwether in 2022 and assists in leading a team focused on debt asset management for Oaktree Capital Management. Before joining Bellwether, he was a Vice President on the Asset Management and Servicing team within Situs AMC, a leading independent solutions provider to the real estate finance industry, working on multiple institutional clients. Mr. Estrada holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Rockhurst University.

Daniel Fine

Mr. Fine joined Bellwether in 2022 and is currently responsible for office investments. Prior to joining Bellwether, he was a Vice President at Arc Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based real estate private equity firm. Prior to Arc, he has held positions at HRI Properties, a New Orleans-based developer, Watermark Capital Partners, a Chicago-based real estate investment advisor and JLL Hotels. Mr. Fine holds an M.B.A. from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a B.S. in Hospitality Management from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. Mr. Fine is the Treasurer of FEAST, an LA non-profit focused on promoting food education, health and wellness in underserved Southern California communities.

Steve Harvey

Mr. Harvey joined Bellwether in 2024 and is primarily focused on debt asset management. Prior to joining Bellwether, he worked at Cliffwater, where he focused on private real estate debt fund investments and co-investments. Prior to Cliffwater, he has held positions across real estate private equity and debt at Hines, Heitman and RealtyMogul. Mr. Harvey holds a B.A. in History from Yale University.

James Heermans

Mr. Heermans joined Bellwether in 2023 and is responsible for supporting portfolio analytic functions for Bellwether’s institutional clients. Prior to joining Bellwether, he was a Senior Vice President in the Structured Product valuation team within Houlihan Lokey, a global investment bank headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Prior to that, he was a Senior Vice President at Oaktree Capital Management leading the Portfolio Analytics, Risk and Reporting team. Mr. Heermans holds a B.A. Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting at California State University, Fullerton, an inactive CPA, and a CFA charter holder.

Henry Lacson

Mr. Lacson joined Bellwether in 2022 and spearheads the company’s IT infrastructure, overseeing the network, servers, cybersecurity, cloud systems, hardware and overall IT infrastructure improvements. Before joining Bellwether, he served as the Head of Software Architecture and IT Infrastructure at both Sugarfina and International Market Centers, the latter being part of the Blackstone portfolio. Mr. Lacson earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and a Master of Business Administration, both from Upper Iowa University and a Master of Science in Information Systems from the University of Colorado-Denver.

Eugene Lim

Mr. Lim joined Bellwether in 2020 and is responsible for overseeing portfolio and property level FP&A and analytics. He has eleven years of experience in FP&A and analytics within the private equity real estate space. Prior to joining Bellwether, he was Manager of Strategic Planning & Analysis at CIM Group where he performed forecast processes across a multitude of investment types and fund structures. Mr. Lim has a B.A. in Economics from UC Riverside and an M.B.A from the Graziadio School of Business.

Gerson Monzon

Mr. Monzon joined Bellwether in 2015 and currently leads a team focused on servicing, debt asset management and portfolio management across multiple institutional clients. Before joining Bellwether, he was an assurance professional within Ernst & Young’s real estate practice. Mr. Monzon has a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in Accounting from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Marc Mossotti

Mr. Mossotti joined Bellwether in 2019 and is currently responsible for corporate FP&A, coverage of corporate, development and residential investments in the United States. Prior to joining Bellwether, he served in the US Army for seven years as a Special Forces Medic. Mr. Mossotti has a B.S. in Finance from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.

Chantalle Rochel

Ms. Rochel joined Bellwether in 2018 and is responsible for overseeing the company’s industrial and studio space portfolio across the United States. Prior to joining Bellwether, she worked in the Capital Markets group at Cushman & Wakefield where she specialized in the analysis, lease-up and disposition of industrial buildings, adaptive re-use investments, and entitled mixed-use development sites. Ms. Rochel has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business. She also received her Master of Real Estate Development degree from the University of Southern California, Price School of Public Policy.

Casey Schmidt

Ms. Schmidt joined Bellwether Asset Management in 2020 and is responsible for office and multifamily investments. Prior to joining Bellwether, she was at Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), where she was focused on equity investments in distressed assets across various markets and product types. During her time at Starwood, she also supported the CMBS investment team with loan underwriting and credit analysis. Ms. Schmidt holds a B.B.A. degree with a concentration in Finance from McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

Natalie Wozniak

Ms. Wozniak joined Bellwether in 2018 and is currently responsible for the development and maintenance of Bellwether’s information technology platforms. Prior to joining Bellwether, she worked at Zillow Group as a Data Integration Analyst responsible for cleansing, analyzing, transforming and deploying residential data sets. Prior to that, she was a Data Warehouse Engineer at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a health insurance company based in Baltimore, MD. Ms. Wozniak holds a B.S. in Statistics from Loyola University Maryland.