Team

Matthew Krell
Matthew S. Krell

Matthew Krell is the Managing Director for Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions. For nearly two decades Matthew has strategically assisted in reshaping the retail landscape across the United States. While based in Manhattan, he has advised both tenants and landlords in transactions spanning from Rodeo Drive to Madison Avenue, the River North District to Georgetown, and from North Congress to North 6th Street. While his main focus will always be retail, Matthew has completed investment sales, industrial and office deals in key markets throughout the country. Matthew’s clients know whether it’s The Pearl District or Pearl Street, he will quietly and diligently work as their trusted advisor in any and all real estate transactions.

Currently, Matthew is responsible for strategy and real estate decisions for iconic brands such as Patagonia and Kendra Scott. He also works on behalf of retailers such as Lush Cosmetics, Kitchen United and El Cap Gyms (Earth Treks, Movement Climbing + Fitness and Planet Granite). His past landlord representation experience includes assignments on behalf of Asana Real Estate Partners, Empire State Realty Trust, APF Properties, ASB Real Estate Investments, L3 Capital, The Olnick Organization, Nuveen, The Durst Organization, Winthrop Realty Trust, Morgan Stanley, and The Helmsley Organization. Prior to forming Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions, Matthew was a Senior Managing Director at Newmark and spent 9 years before that at CBRE in various roles.

Office: 212-328-8537
Email: mkrell@ampsre.com

Rebecca Fitts

Rebecca Fitts is a SVP, Business Strategy at AM-PS. She specializes in business development, retail real estate strategies, and omni-channel solutions in the physical space. Her expertise lies in connecting brands to the right spaces at the right time and negotiating leases. She loves being part of the continuing evolution between landlords and tenants.

She’s had the pleasure of working with digitally native and traditional retailers to help them navigate the disruptive retail landscape starting in 2008 with her own brand and series of pop-up shops in New York City. Before her adventures in real estate, she spent a decade working for retailers such as Vera Wang, Playboy and Steve & Barry’s in their public relations and marketing departments.

Most recently, Rebecca worked at Leap, a retail platform for physical stores. Prior to Leap, she was on the Warby Parker real estate team. Rebecca was also part of the shopping center industry for GGP/Brookfield and Westfield (now Uniball­Rodamco) in omni-channel solutions, retail and business development positions helping attract new retailers to the portfolio.

Email: rfitts@ampsre.com

Max Swerdloff

Max Swerdloff joined the New York office of Alvarez and Marsal in March of 2024 as a Senior Analyst Mr. Swerdloff was previously the Director of Retail for Kushner Companies and was responsible for overseeing leasing and management of 2.2 million square feet of retail space. Max is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in real estate management, underwriting, and brokerage. With a background in overseeing retail portfolios in prominent locations, Max has completed transactions in market changing developments with Target and Whole Foods to name a few. In 2019 Max was named to Commercial Observers illustrious Top Young Professionals list. Before his tenure at Kushner Companies, where he played a pivotal role in managing their retail portfolio, Max served as an Associate Director at Eastern Consolidated. He continues to leverage his skills and experience to drive value for landlords and tenants on every project he undertakes. Max is a licensed real estate broker in New York and has a Bachelor of Science in finance from Syracuse University.

Email: mswerdloff@ampsre.com

Christian B. Stanton

Christian B. Stanton is a Senior Vice President with AM-PS and has over fifteen years of commercial real estate experience. Mr. Stanton has distinguished himself as a multi-market expert across an impressive institutional client base, specializing in both tenant and landlord representation. He has been involved with a multitude of lease transactions throughout New York City the United States. His Focus is on strategic planning and the development and execution of leasing strategies for multi-national retailers and Landlords. In the past ten years, Mr. Stanton has successfully completed transactions valued in excess of $1 Billion.

Mr. Stanton’s career is marked by long-standing relationships with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 firms that value his market insight and the dedication he brings to the day-to-day management of their real estate needs. He continues to formulate in-depth development plans for Samsung’s experience stores nationally. He represented Nike and was involved in the transaction at 529 Broadway totaling more than 50,000 SF of flagship retail space in Soho. On behalf of TF Cornerstone, he completed a 25,000+ SF lease with the Target Corporation on the Upper East Side in one of TF’s prized properties, The Fairfax.

In 2014, Mr. Stanton was recognized as Cushman & Wakefield’s top brokerage professional. The annual distinction is bestowed upon the up-and-coming professional who has made significant contributions to the firm’s success, while displaying a clear ability to originate and close transactions in a sophisticated manner. Prior to getting involved with real estate, his career focused on advertising sales where he engaged a multitude of fortune 500 advertising brands for the CBS Corporation. While developing strong sales skills in a highly competitive environment, he maintained and maximized revenue potential for a wide range of national and international accounts. Mr. Stanton graduated from Susquehanna University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in Corporate Communications and Business.

Email: cstanton@ampsre.com

Libby Miller

Libby Miller is a Senior Analyst at Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions. Libby has experience working with landlords, principals, and tenants across the retail, office, and industrial sectors. Prior to joining AM-PS, Libby was a Senior Associate at Cushman & Wakefield working in Global Brokerage and Retail Services. Libby has in-depth experience on the investment side of the industry, handling acquisitions across all asset classes in Manhattan for a boutique investment fund. This included managing the full process of the investment life cycle, inclusive of sourcing, conducting in-depth due diligence, market research, cash flow modeling, structuring, closing, and disposition of real estate investments. Prior to that, Libby began her career in New York City as a commercial leasing broker at Oxford Property Group.

Email: lmiller@ampsre.com

Lucas Kooyman

Lucas Kooyman is a Vice President at Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions. Lucas handles leasing on behalf of both local and national retailers, as well as independent, multi-generational, and institutional landlord organizations. With more than a decade in the industry, Lucas has completed transactions across all five boroughs and throughout the greater Tri-State Area. He emphasizes creativity, flexibility, and attention to detail in helping both tenants and landlords realize the best leasing results.

Prior to joining AM-PS, Lucas was a Director at Newmark. He has worked with tenants such as Citibank, Crunch Fitness, The Shade Store, Guess, Cipriani, Nusr-Et/Dogus Group, SPiN, Westside Market, Café Metro, Dr. Smood, and Nightingale Veterinary Group. On the ownership side, he has represented landlords such as Hyatt, Friedland Properties, Cohen Brothers Realty, Alexico Group, Weinreb Management, Charles H. Greenthal & Co./Mark Greenberg Real Estate, and Roxann Management.

Lucas is a licensed real estate salesperson in the state of New York and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and philosophy from Tufts University.

Email: lkooyman@ampsre.com

Daisy Flotron

Daisy Flotron is an Associate for Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions in the New York City office. Ms. Flotron works alongside AMPS’ senior leadership, assisting the team’s advisory group both locally and nationally. Prior to her position at AM-PS Daisy worked in life science consulting sales. Daisy graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a degree in Computer Science. Her knowledge of information systems brings a unique perspective to the AMPS team.

Email: dflotron@ampsre.com

Cindy Gecaj

Cindy Gecaj is an Analyst for Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions in its New York City office. Ms. Gecaj works alongside AM-PS’ senior leadership, assisting the team’s advisory group both locally and nationally. Prior to her position at AM-PS, Cindy worked for several fashion brands where she was involved in retail strategy, planning, and operations. Cindy graduated from New York University with a B.S. in Real Estate, and  she is a certified LEED Green Associate and an FSA Level II Candidate. Her real estate knowledge, experience in the fashion industry, and commitment to sustainability-focused practices affords Cindy a unique perspective benefiting both owners and occupiers in the real  estate industry.

Email: cgecaj@ampsre.com

Josh Lewin
Josh Lewin

Josh Lewin joined Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions in December of 2021. For nearly two decades Josh has represented top-tier fashion, luxury, and lifestyle brands in their North American real estate endeavors and selectively represented premium properties that are synergistic with the caliber of his clientele. His expert knowledge of commercial real estate, proven negotiation experience, strong relationships, communication skills, and commitment to ethical client service has enabled Josh to transact on behalf of brands that reflect the growing intersection of urban and outdoors lifestyles. Recognizing the enduring importance of physical settings in an omni-channel environment, Josh has transacted on behalf of Acne Studios, Stone Island, Alexander Wang, GANNI, KENZO, Totême, Proenza Schouler, Forty Five Ten, Mulberry, AG Adriano Goldschmied, Fjällräven, Black Diamond Equipment, Moose Knuckles, Herno, Woolrich, Aether, Rains, etc.

Josh’s landlord representation experience includes significant property assignments on Madison Avenue; the Gansevoort Row assignment in the Meatpacking District; and leasing assignments throughout SoHo where his innovative brand placement has transformed lower SoHo’s value to landlords and tenants. Josh also has experience with office/showroom leasing and disposition in NYC. Prior to joining AM-PS, Josh spent 17 years at Isaacs and Company Commercial Real Estate and started his professional career at BlackBook magazine. Josh graduated from Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. (’97) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (’01) with a B.A. in Communication Science. He resides in Port Washington, NY with his wife Laurie, son Chase, and twin daughters Dylan and Taylor.

Email: jlewin@ampsre.com

Fritz Kemerling

Fritz Kemerling joined the New York office of Alvarez and Marsal Property Solutions in November of 2021 as a Senior Director. Over the past decade Mr. Kemerling has worked with an extensive array of both occupiers and owners of space which include SL Green, RFR Real Estate, Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp, Life Time Fitness, Indochino, Capital One Bank and Lindt Chocolate. In 2019 Mr. Kemerling was won the prestigious REBNY “Most Ingenious Retail Deal of the Year” award for his work representing Life Time Fitness on their 74,000 square-foot lease at Macklowe Properties’ 1 Wall Street. Mr. Kemerling joins AM-PS with 13 years of experience in the real estate industry after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from The University of Michigan. Fritz previously was a principal at L3 Capital, a real estate investment firm and prior to that, he worked at The Dartmouth Company.

In addition to his successful career in tenant representation, Fritz has demonstrated his ability to merchandise and lease streetscape portfolios in markets including North 6th Street in Williamsburg, Newbury Street and Harvard Square in Boston, Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles and Fulton Market in Chicago.  His extensive contacts within the tenant and advisor communities have proved invaluable in the execution of project leasing across the country.

Email: fkemerling@ampsre.com

Tanner Himmelman

Tanner Himmelman joined Alvarez and Marsal Property Solutions in 2021 and serves as an integral part of the AM-PS leasing and advisory team. He is responsible for assisting with the creation of all client related materials for the team’s high profile landlord and tenant relationships. He is often referred to as the glue that holds everything together.

Prior to joining AM-PS Tanner spent seven years working for Cushman & Wakefield. Mr. Himmelman graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Political Science. He was a member of Alabama’s Ice Hockey team that won the University’s first Southeastern Conference Championship in hockey as well as their first National Championship tournament appearance.

Email: thimmelman@ampsre.com

Dan Bodner
Daniel A. Bodner

Daniel Bodner is a Senior Vice President at Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions. Daniel serves as an advisor for both high-growth retailers and for landlords in the leasing and repositioning of their buildings. With more than 17 years of experience, Daniel has completed transactions across the United States on behalf of retailers and office users, most recently for Bluestone Lane and Insomnia Cookies.

Prior to his position at AM-PS, Dan was a partner at Retailworx, a portfolio company that incubated, invested and created retail brands in health, fitness and wellness. Before his time at Retailworx, Daniel was the Director of Leasing at Kushner Companies, overseeing the leasing efforts and transformation of former printing facilities into a five-building, 1.2-million-square-foot campus, rebranded as DUMBO Heights. Daniel was responsible for all broker and tenant outreach, term sheet and lease negotiations and deal specific financial analysis. Under his guidance over 50% of the office space at Dumbo Heights was pre-leased, including Etsy’s 225,000-square-foot headquarters (amongst the largest deals in Brooklyn, in a decade), WeWork’s first Brooklyn location (160,000 square feet). Daniel previously spent 7 years at CBRE, highlighted by the repositioning of the Empire State Building, which included an aggressive consolidation plan and several of the buildings largest transactions. Mr. Bodner received his MBA from Baruch College and B.S. from Binghamton University.

Office: 212-401-0039
Email: dbodner@ampsre.com

Jake Gdowski
Jake Gdowski

Jake Gdowski is an vital part of the AM-PS team as he heads up their research, data and analytics work. Mr. Gdowski oversees the creation of best in-class, proprietary products for AM-PS clients. He specializes in site selection advisory and provides a wide range of services including but not limited to GIS mapping, psychographic segmentation, competitive analysis, portfolio optimization and predictive customer analysis. Mr. Gdowski has an extensive research background which utilizes his knowledge of various resources to develop better deliverables. Prior to AM-PS, Jake was a Research Manager with Alvarez and Marsal’s Insight Center in Denver. He attended Colorado State University where he received his degree in Real Estate and Finance.

Mike Marsal
Michael Marsal

Michael brings more than 10 years of experience to AM-PS and is a co-founder and Partner of Alvarez & Marsal Property Investments, a vertically integrated commercial real estate firm under Alvarez & Marsal, Inc.. Michael oversees the tenant sourcing and relationships for each of the A&M Family Portfolio properties while also developing and managing the firm’s growing investment management and asset management practice. His experience in real estate is focused on leasing services, asset management, and hospitality. He works closely with the team on the firm’s operation and growth and its subsidiary companies. Michael graduated from LaSalle University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

Victor Alvarez
Victor Alvarez

Victor brings over 20 years of experience to AM-PS and is a co-founder and Partner of Alvarez & Marsal Property Investments, a vertically intergraded commercial real estate firm under Alvarez & Marsal, inc. Victor is a seasoned investor with experience in a wide range of Real Estate & Venture Capital. For the Alvarez & Marsal Family Portfolio, Victor primarily oversees all Strategic Business Direction, Acquisitions & Dispositions, Capital Sourcing, and Portfolio Financial and Operational Management. Victor earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Tulane University.

Grant Schoenthaler
Grant Schoenthaler

Grant brings more than 10 years of experience to AM-PS and is a co-founder and a Partner of Alvarez & Marsal Property Investments, a vertically integrated commercial real estate firm under Alvarez & Marsal, Inc.. Grant oversees all operations and financial aspects of A&M Family-Owned properties, manages a team of over 30, and oversees five service lines’ operations. Grant’s expertise is company & portfolio management, operational risk management, and investor/lender relations for the real estate business. He has been a part of $300+ million in acquisitions and established back-end protocols and practices across multiple companies. Grant attended the Jack Welsh School of Business at Sacred Heart University.

Kevin Halm
Kevin Halm

Kevin Halm is responsible for overseeing property management operations for Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions and is based in their Chicago office. Kevin is an industry veteran who constantly demonstrates the ability to implement successful and visionary property management strategies on behalf of his clients. Over the course of his 15 year career, Kevin has worked on assignments totaling more than five million square feet on a local, regional and national level.  Prior to AM-PS, Kevin spent nine years with CBRE.  Mr. Halm earned a bachelor’s in finance from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. He is an active member of the Building Owners and Managers Association and on the Board of Directors. Kevin earned the Real Property Administrator (RPA) designation through BOMI International and the LEED Green Associate designation through the US Green Building Council. 

Pete Kontos
Pete Kontos

Pete Kontos is the Managing Director of Project Management Services at AM-PS. Pete’s tenacious approach carries through at every stage of a project, from pre-lease planning to management of design and construction. His detail-driven approach allows him to successfully guide a client’s goals forward, maintain team & consultant expectations and adhere to project schedules and budgets, leading the team all the way through close-out. Pete’s background is in architecture and he has more than 17 years of experience in commercial interiors, re-positioning, landlord capital & spec improvements.

Prior to joining and leading the Project Management division at AM-PS, Pete was a Director at Chicago-based architecture & planning firm, Partners by Design, specializing in corporate interiors. He has overseen and completed a varied portfolio of projects ranging from technology firms and corporate professional services to law firms.

His experience as a licensed architect has instilled a unique skillset and perspective to his role as an owner’s representative. Pete’s expertise in architecture allows him to assess and provide valuable input on the feasibility of proposed project scope, helping the owner make informed decisions that align with their vision, budget and schedule. Pete continues to successfully serve as a project manager and mitigate project risks on behalf of retail, corporate workplace and landlord clients across the nation. He is a licensed architect in the State of Illinois and earned his bachelor’s in architectural studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Pete is an active member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Office: 312-606-0966

Zach Kutsher
Zach Kutsher

Zach Kutsher is the in-house General Counsel handling all of its legal and transactional needs. Zach brings nearly 20 years of real estate experience to the team and has been responsible for over $10 billion in real estate transactions in connection with the purchase, sale, workout, financing, refinancing, and leasing of commercial, mixed-use, distressed and residential real estate properties throughout the U.S. and abroad for private equity shops, institutional lenders and investment banks. Previously, Zach practiced law at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Duval & Stachenfeld. Zach graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and cum laude from Fordham University School of Law where he was a member of the Fordham Law Review. Zach was admitted to the New York Bar in 2000.

Annette Perez
Annette Perez

Annette Perez is the Director of Accounting. Annette brings over 10 years of commercial and residential real estate experience to the team and is responsible for the day-to-day accounting as well as monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting. Annette earned her bachelor’s in computer science and a minor in business from St. John’s University in Queens, NY and a master’s degree in accounting and financial management from Keller Graduate School of Management.

JT Garofalo
J.T. Garofalo

J.T. Garofalo is a Senior Project Manager with Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions. His diverse background in commercial real estate project management, historic preservation, corporate interior design & architecture provides him with an advanced skill set to execute a diverse range in project types. He currently excels at providing a full scope of project management services for our clients from strategy and design to implementation. J.T. is known for his strong leadership skills, ability to maintain schedules and budgets, expertise in FFE procurement and his strong rapport with colleagues, clients, brokers, consultants, vendors and contractors.

Prior to joining AM-PS, J.T. was a Sr. Project Manager at Tishman Speyer where he managed tenant build-outs, capital improvements and amenities for several of their properties throughout their Chicago portfolio. In addition, J.T. served many clients as a Sr. Project Manager with CBRE, overseeing client projects from start to execution on projects ranging from small expansions to massive buildouts such as that for Motorola Mobility (600,000 SF at the Merchandise Mart). He has also worked extensively as a Project Director and Studio Lead for several notable Interior Design & Architecture firms including Stantec, IA & Partners by Design. J.T. earned his Bachelor of Science in Community & Regional Planning degree from Iowa State University and attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for Master of Science Studies in Historic Preservation.

Office: 312-606-0966

600 Madison Ave, 8th Floor
New York, New York 10022

205 West Wacker
Chicago, Illinois 60606