Movers & Shakers: HTG hires Crescent Heights’ former general counsel & more

Housing Trust Group’s COO was previously general counsel for Crescent Heights

Michael S. Sheitelman and Josh Bank
Michael S. Sheitelman and Josh Bank

UPDATED, June 15, 2:40 p.m.: Crescent Heights’ former general counsel Michael S. Sheitelman has jumped over to Housing Trust Group. Sheitelman is now chief operating officer of HTG, a major affordable housing developer. He is responsible for overseeing all of the company’s real estate functions, including land acquisition, entitlements, construction and finance.

HTG has more than 7,000 affordable and market-rate units throughout Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona, and another 2,000 units in the pipeline. Prior to Crescent Heights, Sheitelman was a shareholder at Gray Robinson in Fort Lauderdale.

Josh Bank was named managing director and market leader of CBRE’s Miami office. Bank, previously a managing director of CBRE’s Advisory & Transactions Services, is now overseeing the Miami office’s operations and growth strategy for all advisory services. He reports to Tripp Gulliford, executive managing director of CBRE’s Florida region.

CBRE restructured its South Florida operations over the past month. Arden Karson, who was senior managing director of the tri-county region, left to launch her own firm on June 1, while David Bateman left NAI Partners in Houston to become managing director of CBRE for Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Christian J. “CJ” Johannsen joined BGI Capital as a managing director. He will oversee the alternative lending and commercial real estate debt provider’s expansion in South Florida alongside Managing Partners Robert Barthelmess and Kenneth Baboun. Johannsen has worked for NAI Merin Hunter Codman and NAI Miami, Colliers International South Florida and Thomas D. Wood and Company.

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BGI Capital also recently opened an office in Boca Raton to mark its expansion to Palm Beach County. Gregory J. Laskody was hired as a managing director. Laskody previously worked at Lee & Associates, Deloitte and Nomura Capital.

Marcus & Millichap promoted Ronnie Issenberg and Gabriel Britti to senior managing director of investments in the brokerage’s Miami office. The two brokers, who lead the Issenberg Britti Group, specialize in net-leased assets throughout the U.S. with a focus on essential businesses such as pharmacies, service stations and automotive tenants. They have closed more than $2.5 billion in commercial real estate transactions, according to Marcus & Millichap.

Bill Isenberg joined Boca Raton law firm Howard Law Group as of counsel. Isenberg has represented lenders in mortgage default cases, including foreclosure trials and the defense of Florida’s Consumer Collection Practices Act and the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Ozzie Gonzalez joined JAG Insurance Group to lead a new employee benefits division. Gonzalez joined the South Florida-based insurance agency from Worldwide Assurance, where he was president.