Our Team

Juniper’s leadership has diverse backgrounds including private equity, real estate development, investment banking, and engineering. They have over 120 years of combined institutional investment experience, having been involved with numerous high-profile projects and leading multiple investment funds. Adept at managing diverse portfolios and individual assets alike, our team is comfortable navigating complex transactions and varying economic environments.

The managing partners are supported by a strong team of in-house professionals who provide underwriting, origination, asset management, construction management, hospitality, legal, finance, accounting, fund management, and investor relations services.

Managing Partners

Jay Wolf

Managing Partner

Alex Krys

Managing Partner

Armand Reale

Managing Partner

Key Team Members

Nickolas Jensen

Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel

Dennis Onabajo

Managing Director, Head of Acquisitions & Originations

Carter Redd

President, Moncayo Development Project

Chris Kaplan

Director, Head of Asset Management

Greg Hanss

Managing Director, Head of Hospitality Operations

David Levy

Managing Director, Head of Construction

David Hild

Director

Weston Toste

Vice President of Finance

Jack Strain

Vice President

Jose Mercado

Vice President

Amit Gandelman

Associate

Christie Wilmot

Senior Paralegal

Jay Wolf

Managing Partner

Jay is a Managing Partner at Juniper Capital. Prior to Juniper, Mr. Wolf was a founding partner at Trinad Capital Management LLC, the manager of an activist hedge fund that focused on small-cap and distressed public companies. As a Toronto native, Jay spearheaded the successful turnaround of the Trump Toronto hotel which sold after being repositioned to the St Regis Hotel, Toronto in 2018 and subsequent sale of the rebranded St Regis Residences. Mr. Wolf began his career at Canadian Corporate Funding, Ltd. (CCFL Ltd.), a Toronto based merchant bank as an analyst in the firm’s senior debt department and subsequently as an Associate for Trillium Growth Capital, the firm’s venture capital fund.

Mr. Wolf currently sits on the Board of Salucro Healthcare Solutions, LLC. Mr. Wolf is also a member of the Board of Governors of Cedars-Sinai Hospital, and is chairman of the board of JCLPF Vegas, LLC, the owner of the Virgin Las Vegas Hotel.

Alex Krys

Managing Partner

Alex is a Managing Partner at Juniper Capital. Alex has a corporate background as CEO of multi-national operations combined with significant experience in the financial and operational restructuring of complex businesses and assets.  Alex is currently involved in a variety of investments at Juniper Capital.  Through an advisory agreement with Juniper, Mr. Krys served as the President and COO of Turnberry Associates. Turnberry is a Florida based developer, owner and manager of assets in the commercial, retail, residential and hospitality sector. Mr. Krys also led the investment and re-structure of the Gencom assets that included the equity investment in Ritz Carlton hotels in Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado, California and Hawaii. Alex previously served as President of Diageo Spain/Europe where he spearheaded one of Diageo’s four major worldwide markets, and President of Diageo’s Venture Markets Americas & Caribbean. 

Alex currently serves on the board of JCLPF Vegas, LLC, the owner of the Virgin Las Vegas Hotel.  Mr. Krys also serves on the Board of Directors of the Michael J Fox Foundation as well as the Systemwide Board of Nicklaus Children’s Health System and the Foundation Board of Baptist Hospital.

Armand Reale

Managing Partner

Armand Reale is a seasoned developer with 28 years of experience in land development and construction management. As Managing Partner of Juniper Capital, he leads deal origination and underwriting, focusing on value-add opportunities in real estate development. He also serves as President of Clean Soils Services Ltd., providing environmental services across Ontario, Canada. Armand is recognized for his honest, transparent approach to business and his ability to execute successful projects by aligning the right resources. His focus on integrity and long-term relationships has earned him a strong reputation in the industry.

He is also actively involved in charitable causes, including Autism Speaks and local food banks.

Nickolas Jensen

Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel

Mr. Jensen serves as Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel to Juniper Capital. Prior to joining Juniper, Mr. Jensen served as Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel for IMH Financial Corporation from 2015 to 2019. Prior to that, he was an attorney in two different AmLaw 200 law firms – Polsinelli and Lewis and Roca LLP. Before law school, Mr. Jensen worked in corporate finance for Honeywell International in its Defense & Space – Space division, where he was the lead finance analyst on Honeywell’s successful $700mm bid to provide avionics to the NASA Orion program.

Mr. Jensen is an attorney licensed by the State Bar of Arizona and is also licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) by the Arizona State Board of Accountancy.

Mr. Jensen received his B.S. in Accountancy from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in 2002, his J.D. from the University of Arizona (Rogers College) in 2009, and an LL.M. (Master of Laws) in Taxation from New York University School of Law in 2010.

Dennis Onabajo

Managing Director, Head of Acquisitions & Originations

Dennis is a Managing Director at Juniper Capital. Prior to joining Juniper, Dennis was a Vice President at Bloomfield Capital, a direct capital provider for middle-market equity and debt transactions. He successfully opened the New York office and assisted in the firm’s growth through leveraging existing and new sourcing relationships to originate real estate opportunities across various asset classes and geographies. Before Bloomfield, he was an Associate of Fortress Investment Group, a $70 billion diversified global investment manager, where he focused on investing in opportunistic equity and debt real estate transactions. At Fortress Investment Group, Mr. Onabajo has acquired and managed over $1.5 billion of real estate investments. Prior to that, he was a Senior Analyst at The Milestone Group, where he was responsible for real estate underwriting, due diligence, acquisition, and asset management of a portfolio of multifamily assets in excess of $1 billion. He has also worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and JP Morgan Chase, where he started his career as a banking analyst.

He holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Texas at Arlington and a M.S. in Applied Economics from Southern Methodist University.

Carter Redd

President, Moncayo Development Project

Carter Redd’s career in hospitality and real estate development spans over thirty years and began after college and post-graduate work at The School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

In 1991, Carter began building and leading teams at The Commonwealth Club in Richmond, Va. After 3 years, he was recruited to the historic Jefferson Hotel as GM of Lemaire Restaurant winning the AAA 5 Diamond award for the restaurant.

His love of the operations and hospitality led him back home to Florida where he became the Director of Dining Services at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Palm Beach. After a successful stretch with Ritz, Carter was recruited back to the private club sector, serving as GM/ COO for seven years at The Ocean Club of Florida.

His operations background and familiarity with Bahamian culture and boating led Mike Meldman of renowned private club/ community developer Discovery Land Company to tap him to lead the company’s newest project in the Northern Bahamas. For nearly eight years, Carter served as General Manager and Managing Director for the 600-acre Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club. Amongst a talented team, Carter led a $500 million development project to turn the remote island of Guana Cay into a highly successful real estate development with 500 home sites, a Tom Fazio designed golf course, a 200-slip mega-yacht marina, a private club, and an on-site power, water, and sewer utility company.

Carter was next recruited to Charleston, South Carolina by The Beach Company, developers of Kiawah Island, leading the development of Kiawah River, a 2,000-acre master-planned community on nearby Johns Island. There, Carter assembled a synergistic team of land planners, architects, and professionals crafting an award-winning community with iconic branding and positioning. It was this remarkable land and compelling story that Carter leveraged to help recruit Auberge Resorts Collection to develop The Dunlin, now under construction, opening Summer 2024. Today, Kiawah River has 15 custom home builders and over 200 completed luxury, coastal inspired homes.

In 2021, Carter was next recruited by MSD Partners, the family office of Michael and Susan Dell to join the firm’s hospitality team. There, he lead asset management of the South Florida Club and marina portfolio, including the Boca Raton and Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club. Additionally, Carter led all club development, sales/ marketing and public relations for Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort now under development in Naples, Florida. Under his leadership, NBC secured over $800mm in contracts for the initial 50 branded luxury condominiums.

Chris Kaplan

Director, Head of Asset Management

Chris is a Director at Juniper Capital. Prior to joining Juniper, Chris was a Vice President of Asset Management and Underwriting at IMH Financial Corporation, a middle-market direct portfolio lender, where he was responsible for the management and disposition of the firm’s $250M+ portfolio of real estate owned as well as the origination of new investments across all real estate asset classes. Prior to joining IMH, Mr. Kaplan worked as a realtor specializing in single family residential properties in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

Additionally, Mr. Kaplan spent more than eight years at Communication Links servicing the golf and hospitality industry in public relations, marketing and advertising including the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Frys.com Open.

Chris received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Ohio University and is an active member of Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors.

Greg Hanss

Managing Director, Head of Hospitality Operations

Greg is a Managing Director at Juniper Capital. Prior to joining Juniper, Greg was responsible for overseeing all hotel and restaurant operations at IMH Financial Corporation, the owner of the MacArthur Place Hotel in Sonoma, CA, and the previous owner of the L’Auberge de Sedona Resort & Spa in Sedona, AZ. A senior hospitality executive with 33 years of experience in the luxury travel industry, he is a recognized leader in the hospitality field for his accomplishments spearheading luxury hotel and resort openings, structuring effective leadership teams and developing and sustaining profitable assets for the properties with which he has worked. Greg served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for MetWest Terra Hospitality, which boasts a dynamic collection of eight hotels nationwide including Hotel Terra and Teton Mountain Lodge in Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa in Sausalito, Calif.; The Lodge at Tiburon in Tiburon, Calif.; and Topnotch Resort & Spa in Stowe, Vt., among others. Hanss also played a leading role in launching the award-winning InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa in Paradise Valley, Ariz. and previously honed his hotel marketing and sales skills at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale where he served as Director of Marketing for eight years.

Greg received his Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Public Relations & Marketing from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

David Levy

Managing Director, Head of Construction

David is a Managing Director at Juniper Capital.  Prior to joining Juniper, David was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs within its construction group, where he oversaw the execution and underwriting of over $15 billion in ground-up development across a wide range of asset classes, including senior housing, multi-family, hospitality, office, retail and industrial. Most notably, David led the expansion of Goldman Sachs’ Senior Housing platform to over 30 assets across the U.S.  Prior to Goldman Sachs, David worked at Sierra Cardona Ferrer Architects and Caribbean Project Management, where he was the design manager for the modernization of over eighty public schools in Puerto Rico and was an owner’s representative on several high-profile luxury housing projects.

David is a Cornell Architecture graduate with over 20 years of experience in the construction industry.

David Hild

Director

David is a Director at Juniper Capital. Prior to joining Juniper, David was a Principal at Piermont Investors, a real estate investment and advisory firm that he founded in 2018. At Piermont, David was responsible for sourcing, structuring, and underwriting new investment opportunities, as well as managing all the firm’s investor relationships. Since inception, Piermont has executed equity and debt capital placement for investments totaling $585M in gross asset value across the US. These investments span the entire capital stack with a focus on multifamily, hospitality, student housing, seniors housing, non-performing loan and office acquisition and development projects. Previously, he worked at ESPN on a team that was responsible for integrating a data driven, biddable and automated ad buying platform into the company’s Customer Marketing and Sales division. During this time, he also spent two years playing for the New York Lizards as part of Major League Lacrosse. David began his career as an Analyst within J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank in New York.

David holds a B.A. in Political Science from Middlebury College where he was a Captain and two-time All American on the Men’s Lacrosse team.

Weston Toste

Vice President of Finance

Weston Toste is Vice President of Finance of Juniper Capital. He oversees accounting and controllership, financial planning and analysis, tax, and treasury operations for Juniper Capital. Before joining Juniper in 2023, Mr. Toste served as Controller—Senior Director of Accounting for Discovery Land Company, a private luxury real estate development company and hospitality operator. In addition to his experience at Discovery, he has significant experience serving in corporate accounting roles for a broad range of companies in various industries, including software, facilities management, water resource management, food processing and distribution. Each role has been marked by a dedication to refining financial operations and contributing to the fiscal health and expansion of the organization he served. Prior to his career in corporate accounting, he was an Audit Associate for RSM US LLP.

Weston received a BS in Accountancy from Northern Arizona University in 2015, and his MBA from Grand Canyon University in 2022.

He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed by the Arizona State Board of Accountancy.

Jack Strain

Vice President

Jack is a Vice President at Juniper Capital. Before joining Juniper, Jack was an Associate in JLL’s Hotel and Hospitality Group, a leading hotel and hospitality investment sales and structured finance advisor. He served as a member of the dedicated financing team, where he helped raise debt and equity for hotel owners and developers, managed the due diligence process, and closed loans. He also worked with the investment sales team and performed preliminary valuations of full-service hotel assets. Before JLL, he was an Analyst at CCRE, a prolific non-bank lender in the CMBS space, where he focused on securitization, underwriting loan packages (all property types), crafting and issuing term sheets, reviewing internal and external loans for disclosure, managing loan data tapes, and creating models. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Bates College.

Jose Mercado

Vice President

Jose serves as Vice President of Finance and Accounting for Juniper’s Moncayo development project. Jose is a finance and accounting professional with over 15 years of experience in alternative investment, asset management, audit and accounting oversight. Prior to working with Pacific, Jose was a Senior Vice President at Blackrock, the largest asset manager in the world. He led the NAV oversight and operations group of the US Real Estate platform with over $13 billion in AUM. He also managed the strategic efforts and control implementation of Blackrock’s Alternative Investment group. Jose also spent 10 years at Goldman Sachs as head of the NAV oversight team for Hedge and Private Equity funds of funds. He was responsible for the valuation, accounting and reporting for 200+ onshore and offshore funds with an AUM of $20B+. In this capacity, Jose also managed the operational due diligence process for prospective hedge and private equity investments. Jose also has experience in the public accounting world, working 4 years in PricewaterhouseCoopers. He served as a senior associate, mainly in the banking industry. Jose is a CPA and graduated from University of Puerto Rico with a BBA in accounting.

Amit Gandelman

Associate

Amit is an Associate at Juniper Capital. Prior to graduating from the University of California Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, Amit served in the Israeli Defense Forces’ Air Force and Army. During his time at UCLA, Amit worked at investment bank Houlihan Lokey and real estate investment and development firm Lion Real Estate Group as a summer analyst and interning analyst, respectively.

Christie Wilmot

Senior Paralegal

Christie is a Senior Paralegal at Juniper Capital.  She is a Cleveland, Ohio native and has over 25 years’ experience as a paralegal in a variety of areas, including general litigation, insurance defense and securities.  Since moving to the Phoenix area in 2005, her focus has been on commercial real estate and financing, handling complicated, multi-million dollar transactions.  Her current role includes assisting Juniper’s general counsel and chief compliance officer with real estate transactions, fund administration, and SEC compliance matters.  She holds an Associate of Applied Business in Paralegal Studies.  Christie also volunteers her time as a title reviewer of a religious organization to ensure properties in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas are free of encumbrances and ownership documents are correct and up-to-date.   

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