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 $2bn 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 $30bn of debt and equity investments. Mr. Grzeskowiak has a B.A. in Economics and International Studies from Rhodes College.

dgrzeskowiak@bellwetheram.com

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.

jmossotti@bellwetheram.com

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.

mbaracco@bellwetheram.com

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.

pfoley@bellwetheram.com

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.

dchalison@bellwetheram.com

Brian Abbott

Mr. Abbott joined Bellwether in 2023 and currently leads a team focused on debt asset management for Oaktree Capital. With over 20 years of commercial real estate experience prior to joining Bellwether, he most recently managed the corporate operations of Pacshore Partners, including overseeing management, leasing and development aspects of the investment portfolio.

Previously, he managed Gramercy Capital Corp.’s Los Angeles office and was directly responsible for operational management of a portfolio of specially serviced loans and REO assets. Brian earned a B.A. in Economics from The University of California at Los Angeles and an MBA from the Marshall School of Business at The University of Southern California. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and is a licensed Real Estate Broker in California.

babbott@bellwetheram.com

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.

jastik@bellwetheram.com

Ben Easton

Mr. Easton joined Bellwether in 2014 and will be responsible for opening and 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.

beaston@bellwetheram.com

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.

gfink@bellwetheram.com

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.

cleslie@bellwetheram.com

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 leading general contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area.

At Plant, he was involved in all aspects of the construction process from business development and preconstruction to project management and site supervision. Mr. Magoshi holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration with a minor in Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University.

mmagoshi@bellwetheram.com

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.

jshapiro@bellwetheram.com

Lauren Baker

Ms. Baker joined Bellwether in 2018 and is currently responsible for delivering market, property type, investor and competitor research functions, as well as leading the investor relations department. Prior to joining Bellwether, she worked at CoStar Group in the Analytics Division where she was dedicated to presenting, analyzing, forecasting and consulting on various market trends.

During her tenor at CoStar, she covered over 20 markets across the Southeast and the New York metro area. She has been quoted in Bloomberg, Globe St., National Real Estate Investor, Crain’s New York Business, Finance and Commerce and many other media outlets for her work. Ms. Baker holds a B.S. in Finance, Marketing, and Management from the University of South Carolina.

lbaker@bellwetheram.com

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.

bbuchfuhrer@bellwetheram.com

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 $3bn 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.

wfeltus@bellwetheram.com

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 $30bn 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).

pkim@bellwetheram.com

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.

ovargas@bellwetheram.com

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.

nwozniak@bellwetheram.com

Jared Wright

Mr. Wright joined Bellwether in 2019 and is currently responsible for underwriting debt investments. Prior to joining Bellwether, he most recently worked as an underwriter at Money360, an Orange County based bridge lender that has completed over $1bn 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.

jwright@bellwetheram.com