Many of our team members have worked together over 20 years in development, management, and leasing commercial real estate throughout Florida
OUR AMAZING TEAM:
W. has been with Courtelis Company since 1965 and together with Alec Courtelis, built the company into one of Florida’s most recognized commercial property development and management companies. Pitts is a member of the Board of Directors
of the Everglades Foundation, Devcon Corporation, and past director for Audubon Association of Florida. ELIAS VASSILAROS, President,
Development and Asset Management Services
Elias M. Vassilaros has over thirty-five years of experience in all aspects of real estate development including acquisitions of entitled and developed properties that lend themselves to redevelopment, or un-entitled tracts of land that are master planned for mixed use developments; planning and development; financing; horizontal and vertical construction of improvements. Elias Vassilaros has been the Executive Vice President of Courtelis Company for over 15 years responsible for the day to day operations. Vassilaros was Vice President and General Manager of Florida Ecological Company, an underground utility construction company. Vassilaros holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science from the University of Miami. ROGERS, Director of Finance,
Development and Asset Management Services
Charles F. Rogers has thirty six years of experience in commercial real estate finance. Prior to joining Courtelis Company in 1983, he was Vice President of Dade Federal Savings and Loan Association, who he joined in 1972. As Director of Real Estate Finance, his primary area of responsibility has been to secure acquisition, construction and permanent debt for the Company’s various real estate activities. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University, B.S. in Business Management/Finance in 1971. In addition, he has successfully completed his MAI courses 1A and 1B. DOUGLAS PITTS, Jr., President
Courtelis Construction Company
Mr. Douglas Pitts, Jr. joined Courtelis Construction Company in 1991 and since 1998 he has served as President. Since joining Courtelis Construction Company, Mr. Pitts had overseen the construction of over 1.8 million square feet of commercial projects and over 1800 residential units. Prior to joining Courtelis Construction Company, Mr. Pitts served as a Project Manager for Tramell Crow Residential managing the construction of over 650 residential units. Pitts obtained his Bachelors of Building Construction from the University of Florida in 1985. CASTAN, SCLS, President,
Leasing and Property Management Services
Rod L. Castan has been in the commercial property development, sales, leasing, and management business since 1985. He is President of the Leasing and Management Division, and has been with Courtelis Company since 1995. Prior to joining Courtelis Company, Rod Castan was Vice President/District Leasing Manager with Balcor Property Management where he was responsible for the leasing of 1.7 million square feet of shopping centers in the Southeast United States. Rod Castan is the Southern Division Operations Chairman of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), past State Director for ICSC in Florida, and a Senior Certified Leasing Specialist (SCLS). He has been a lecturer and guest speaker at real estate programs at ICSC, ULI, University of Florida, FSU, FIU and Miami Board of Realtors. Rod is on the Executive Committee and Advisory Board of the University of Florida’s Masters in Real Estate program, member of the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami and member of the Board of Directors of Naples Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District. He holds a B.B.A. degree in Finance from FIU. GEORGE MYERS, Director of Property Management,
Leasing and Property Management Services
George Myers has over twenty-five years of experience in real estate and property management in Washington, D.C. and Miami. He has been with Courtelis Company since 1985, where he has professionally managed a number of Southwest Florida properties. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and has been a licensed Florida Real Estate Broker since 1990. JAMES ZAYDON, Senior Leasing Manager,
Leasing and Property Management Services
Jim Zaydon has extensive experience in commercial real estate sales, leasing and restaurant development. He is currently the Senior Leasing Manager at the Courtelis Company. Prior to joining the Courtelis Company, Jim Zaydon was the Real Estate Representative for Burger King Corporation’s Eastern Region, which included 26 states. He has also been employed at such firms as The Brandon Company and Trammell Crow Company where he handled in excess of 350,000 square feet of real estate transactions which valued over $28 million. Jim Zaydon is a Florida Licensed Real Estate Broker and a graduate of Barry University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. CAMMI GOLDBERG, Senior Leasing Manager
Ms. Goldberg has 18 years of experience in the shopping center industry. She was formerly at JLL Brokerage as VP of Retail Brokerage, Franklin Street Real Estate as Director of Leasing and Tenant Representation. While at JLL Brokerage and Franklin Street she was responsible for third party brokerage of over 1.5 million square feet of grocery-anchored and ground up retail developments. Prior to JLL and Franklin Street she worked at RAM Realty Services specializing in shopping center leasing for Landlord owned value-add assets, ground-up developments, and mixed-use projects throughout the State of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia where she generated approximately 2 million square feet of retail and restaurant leases with an estimated value of more than $170,000,000. Goldberg attended the University of Miami and holds a real estate license in Florida. She is active in the brokerage community and is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. She has served on ICSC committees in Broward
BRIAN F. KIELY, Treasurer/CFO | Accounting
Brian F. Kiely has over twenty-five years of experience managing the financial, accounting and administrative activities for real estate and service companies. With over fifteen years in the real estate industry, Mr. Kiely has been involved in both the commercial (retail, office and industrial) and residential (land and apartments) development and property management. In addition to his current position as Chief Financial Officer for Courtelis Company, where he is responsible for the financial and tax reporting of over thirty operating and investment entities, he has held both positions with the Michael Swerdlow Companies and Rosen Associates. Kiely has graduated from Colby College with a B.A. in Administrative Science and from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania with an MBA in Finance. He is also a licensed Florida Certified Public Accountant. DEBORAH J. MORRIS, AAT, Controller,
Accounting
Deborah J. Morris has over eighteen years of experience in accounting for commercial property management. She has held the position of Controller with the Courtelis Company since 2001. Her responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day functions of the accounting department including the preparation of the financial statements. Mrs. Morris has also worked for such firms as Cushman & Wakefield and Terranova Corporation where she gained her experience of thirty-party management having direct communication with the owners. She is certified by the Association of Accounting Technicians, Derby, England. YANINA YEFIMOVA, Marketing Director/Leasing Associate
Yanina was born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine. After, in 2010 she moved to Miami to study at Florida International University. Yanina has been working at Courtelis Company as a marketing director since September 2015 right after she earned her Master’s degree of Science in International Real Estate from Florida International University (FIU). She is also a Licensed Real Estate Associate in Florida, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Advertising from Kiev National Trade and Economy University, and Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from FIU. Yanina is fluent in English, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, and has a working knowledge of Italian and Polish. Yanina is very disciplined and competitive thanks to her past professional tennis career. Yanina enjoys a range of hobbies including tennis, ice skating, traveling, car racing, and architecture. She relishes talking about philosophy, history, real estate, and economics.
