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Chairman and Co-CEO
Mr. Griffis brings 33 years’ apartment experience, consistently investing in apartments since the founding of the predecessor companies Griffis/Blessing, Inc. (1985) and Griffis Investment Company. Historical investment markets include: Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona.
Mr. Griffis is Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer sharing responsibility for strategic management of Griffis Residential and its investment activities. He is a member of the Griffis Residential Investment Committee.
Mr. Griffis has been involved with numerous nonprofits and charities. He is a former Trustee of Colorado College and is a member of the William Jackson Palmer Founders Society, The Fountain Valley School, and a member of the Casa Serena Society. Appointed by the County Board of Commissioners, Mr. Griffis is a former member of the El Paso County Facilities Corporation. He has also led various public/private initiatives including: the development of a 150-bed dormitory on the University of Southern Colorado Campus, the selection and acquisition of a new D-38 high school, four conservation easements, the assemblage and creation of a public 800-acre park, and the preservation of an archaeological site and section of the historic Cherokee Trail. This is the oldest pioneer trail in the State of Colorado for which he was awarded the Friends of the Oregon Trail award. Mr. Griffis is a founding board member of Griffis Residential Gives, a public non-profit formed to address affordability and homelessness and its contributing causes in the cities in which Griffis Residential owns apartments.
Mr. Griffis holds a B.A. from Colorado College.
Co-CEO
Mr. Birnbaum has been Co-Chief Executive Officer since the founding of Griffis Residential and the Prior Funds, sharing responsibility for strategic management of Griffis Residential and its investment activities. In addition to being a member of the Griffis Residential Investment Committee, he manages the execution of major investment activities and investor reporting.
Prior to Griffis Residential, Mr. Birnbaum was CEO of Tablogix, a European-based contract logistics and warehousing company. Founded in 1994, Mr. Birnbaum oversaw its expansion into multiple international markets and managed the company’s sale and relocation to London in 1998, where he continued as CEO until 2003.
Mr. Birnbaum holds a B.A. from Colorado College and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School. He currently chairs the Museum Committee for the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, is a trustee of the Denver Art Museum, and serves on the Russian and Eastern European Acquisition Committee for London’s Tate Modern Museum.
President and COO
Mr. Barta is responsible for Griffis Residential’s asset management initiatives and overseeing property operations and finance functions. Mr. Barta is a member of the Griffis Residential Investment Committee.
Prior to joining Griffis Residential in 2005, Mr. Barta served as Corporate Controller for Westmoreland Coal Company, a publicly-traded company, for four years, where he oversaw all financial and accounting functions. From 1994 to 2001, Mr. Barta was in the audit practice in the Denver, Colorado office of KPMG.
Mr. Barta holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Souther is the Chief Financial Officer for Griffis Residential and is responsible for finance, reporting, accounting, and tax administration. Prior to Griffis Residential, Mr. Souther was with Denver-based D4 Urban, LLC, where he served as Chief Financial Officer.
Prior to his move to Denver, Mr. Souther was Chief Financial Officer of the US subsidiary of a publicly-traded multinational property development and management company. Mr. Souther brings 20 years of accounting experience to Griffis Residential and an extensive background in leadership of key areas of finance for the real estate, construction, and professional services sectors. Mr. Souther serves as the Chief Compliance Officer in connection with Griffis Residential’s status as a Registered Investment Advisor.
Mr. Souther is a Certified Public Accountant and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Accounting from Wake Forest University.
Executive Vice President of Capital Markets
Mr. Stenovec is responsible for overseeing the firm’s capital raising, product development and client servicing efforts. Prior to joining Griffis Residential, he was a Team Leader in Global Client Relations at Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. and had also co-founded the hedge fund RBI Capital.
Previously, Mr. Stenovec was Executive Vice President and Co-Head of North American Client Relations and Marketing at Capital Guardian Trust Company where he also served on the Board of Directors. He started his investment career at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in private wealth management and then moved into institutional client relations at Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
Mr. Stenovec earned his B.A. in Economics from the Colorado College and his M.B.A. from Harvard University Graduate School of Business. He currently serves as a Trustee on the Board at the Colorado College
Sr. Vice President of Investments
Mr. DiRienzo is responsible for the acquisition, underwriting, due diligence, market research and disposition of investments. In addition, Mr. DiRienzo is a member of the Griffis Residential Investment Committee.
Prior to Griffis Residential, Mr. DiRienzo was with Northmarq Capital for six years where he was named “Analyst of the Year” and was further recognized with the “Analyst Excellence” and “Amerisphere Excellence” awards.
Mr. DiRienzo holds a B.S. in Finance from Colorado State University. He also represents Griffis Residential on the metro-Denver Economic Development Committee, served on Griffis Residential’s Customer Experience Management Team, and is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
Senior Vice President of Operations
Ms. Pichot maintains day-to-day responsibility for leading and managing all on-site property management initiatives for Griffis Residential having previously served in on-site and portfolio management roles for the company. Prior to joining Griffis Residential in 2007, Ms. Pichot was a community manager at Simpson Property Group. Ms. Pichot also serves on the Griffis Residential Investment Committee.