TEAM

As Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of CEI, Alla Sorochinsky oversees the execution of the CEI vision. Heading finance, asset management and development, she ensures that CEI functions at the highest level of efficiency, integrity and quality.

Between 2001 – 2010 Alla managed the company’s 3,500 unit value-add portfolio, adding significant value through heavy renovation, effective financing strategies and top notch asset management. When the company shifted its focus to ground up Class A development, Alla became instrumental in creating an asset management platform for new development assets.

Previously, Alla was the financial controller of several publicly traded technology companies. Alla graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a degree in International Economics and received a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California.

Bruce Fairty joined Cypress Equity Investments as Chief Operating Officer with thirty-five years of multifamily real estate development experience and investment background as a principal. Immediately prior to joining CEI, Bruce was active as a developer in the San Francisco Bay Area, first as a partner with the Castle Group Company and then as a partner with Thompson-Dorfman Partners. At Thompson-Dorfman and the Castle Group Bruce oversaw the acquisition, entitlement and development of approximately 4,400 units in San Francisco and the Bay Area. At Castle he led the company’s efforts in the use of modular construction processes for multifamily projects.

Prior to moving to San Francisco Bruce was a developer in Florida and founded Heritage Development Company in 1996 in partnership with Chicago’s Pritzker family where he oversaw all aspects of the development process for over 5,600 units. Between 1990-1995, he acquired over 6,000 REO and distressed debt units as Co-founder of Bailey Capital Company in partnership with the Whitehall Fund and Apollo Real Estate Advisors.

Previously, Bruce was CFO of Trammell Crow Residential’s Central Florida Division and later Area Partner, responsible for overseeing the development of 8,500 multifamily units across four regional divisions. Mr. Fairty received his undergraduate degree from Drew University and MBA from Rutgers University.

As Senior Vice President of Acquisitions, Adrian is responsible for sourcing and analyzing new investment opportunities, including real estate acquisitions and equity co-investments across the US; as well as fostering and growing CEI’s network of equity partners, lenders and brokers.

Adrian’s acquisitions focus includes: (a) land for multifamily development, (b) value-add retail, office and multifamily properties, and (c) GP and LP Equity co-investments with sponsors and operators.

Adrian brings over 15 years of business development experience in roles in New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. Prior to joining CEI in 2015, Adrian lived in New York where he grew a successful real estate brokerage business focused on investment sales and retail leasing.

Adrian is originally from Sydney, Australia and completed his MBA at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management in Sydney in 2004. He also has an Advanced Diploma in Telecommunications Engineering from the Lidcombe College of TAFE in Sydney.

As Senior Vice President of Development, Blake Ingram oversees all development activities for CEI throughout Texas.  Additionally, Blake supports Cypress’ acquisitions and capital markets efforts and is involved in investment underwriting, due diligence, project capitalization, and asset disposition.

Blake has over 18 years of commercial real estate experience, focused on multifamily development and capital markets in and around Texas.  Prior to joining CEI, Blake spent 13 years with JPI, a national multifamily developer.  During his tenure Blake had significant experience in multifamily development, acquisitions, project capitalization, asset management, asset dispositions and has assisted in the development and/or asset management of over 4,500 multifamily units.

Blake received his BBA in Marketing from Texas Tech University, Rawls College of Business.

As Vice President of Development, Laura is responsible for delivering mixed-use projects in markets across the US.  Prior to joining CEI, Laura was a Development Associate at CIM Group in Los Angeles working on the entitlement, design and construction of both commercial and residential mixed-use projects.

Prior to joining CIM Group, Laura was a Development Manager focused on high-rise residential development in Canada. Laura has over 10 years of real estate experience as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and MBA from the University of Calgary.

As Vice President & Financial Controller, Josh supervises the CEI’s financial reporting and cash management functions. His responsibilities include construction and property management accounting, construction draws, financial reporting, financial projections and cash management. He also provides support in acquisitions, loan origination and deal closings.

Prior to joining the team, Josh worked as Controller at Fortress Builders, a real estate developer in Atlanta specializing in single family home development projects. Josh graduated from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Accounting. Josh has also been a Certified Public Accountant since 2014.

As Vice President of Acquisitions, Tim oversees all new property acquisitions on the East Coast.  His responsibilities include sourcing, underwriting, closing of acquisition opportunities and managing the due diligence, project management and entitlement process.

Prior to joining CEI, Tim worked as the Director of Acquisitions for prominent real estate investor R.A. Cohen & Associates in New York. Tim spent 6 years effectually acquiring multifamily assets throughout New York City and executing on their value-add strategy. Tim has his Masters in Real Estate Development (MSRED) from NYU, and graduated from the University of Washington with his Bachelor’s degree.

As Vice President of Construction, Rudy Valeros oversees construction projects on the West Coast. Rudy brings over 20 years of experience in various sectors of the construction industry including commercial, hospitality, retail, entertainment, and residential

Prior to joining CEI, Rudy worked as a Senior Project Manager at Swinerton on several large mixed-use projects in downtown Los Angeles.  Rudy’s career experience includes numerous multifamily residential projects throughout California.  He has also worked as a construction manager on a variety of entertainment and tenant improvement projects.

He received a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern California and a MS in Construction Management from California State University, Long Beach.

As Vice President of Development, Jessica is responsible for delivering multifamily and mixed-use projects in markets across the US. Jessica joins CEI following a career as a civil engineer, both in transportation planning and construction management.

Jessica holds degrees in business administration and engineering. She completed her MBA in 2020 at the UCLA Anderson School of Management where she graduated with honors and a specialization in real estate. Prior to returning full-time, she spent five months working at CEI as an MBA summer associate. Jessica received her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 2011.

Jessica is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the Commercial Real Estate Women’s Network (CREW), and the UCLA Real Estate Alumni Group (REAG).

As Vice President of Development, Jacob oversees the full development cycle for mutlifamily projects across the US. Jacob joins CEI with experience in construction management and real estate consulting.

Prior to joining CEI, Jacob worked for DAVIS Construction, managing the construction of Class-A office and residential projects in the Greater Washington, DC area. He has also interned with RCLCO, providing consulting services and research for residential developers. Jacob received his MBA from UCLA Anderson and his BS in Mechanical Engineering from The George Washington University.

As Vice President of Acquisitions, Brad is responsible for sourcing and analyzing new real estate investment opportunities throughout Texas. He also oversees the due diligence, project management, and entitlement process through closing.

Brad has over six years of real estate experience focusing primarily on multifamily, retail, and self-storage development throughout the US. Prior to joining CEI, Brad served as Director of Business Development for The Michaels Organization where oversaw all new business in Texas, Tennessee, and Florida major markets. He was responsible for sourcing and analyzing multifamily development opportunities to maintain a pipeline of $200mm in closed transactions per year.

Brad was born and raised in Louisiana and attended Tulane University where he earned his BSM in Finance and Business Management.

As a Senior Associate, Andy Syang focuses on asset management of the CEI portfolio. His responsibilities include managing the initial launch and lease-up of recently delivered projects, overseeing the operations of stabilized assets, and executing the disposition process through sales, recapitalizations, and refinancing.

As a Senior Associate, Cristian supports various development activities on multifamily projects in markets across the US. Cristian’s responsibilities include underwriting new opportunities, creating complex financial models, conducting market research, and assisting in capital markets and due diligence efforts. He joins CEI following a career working on the owner side of multifamily investments.

Prior to joining CEI, Cristian was a Senior Associate of Asset Management at Essex Property Trust, where he oversaw the development of value-add strategies for a region of 35,000 units. He has also worked in multifamily acquisitions for the investment arm of Beijing Construction Engineering Group, a top 50 ENR general contractor. Cristian received his BS in Business Administration from The Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

As a Senior Associate, Tom focuses on acquisitions, capital markets and underwriting. Prior to joining CEI in 2021, Tom worked as an Associate at Intesa Sanpaolo, a leading European bank, where he provided non-recourse financing for over $6 billion of large-scale real estate and infrastructure transactions worldwide.

Tom graduated from the University of Southampton in the UK with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics

As Senior Associate of Development, Brian is involved with the full development cycle of multifamily projects across the US. Brian assists with overseeing active construction projects, entitlements, underwriting, and due diligence for new projects.

Brian has over five years of experience as an architectural project manager, where he oversaw and facilitated all phases of the design and construction process, from initial feasibility studies to substantial completion. Prior to joining CEI, Brian spent his MBA summer internship as an MBA Development Associate with Alliance Residential Company, supporting the entire development cycle on projects throughout Southern California.

Brian earned his MBA at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, with specializations in Real Estate and Social Impact. He earned a BS in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a minor in Business.

As a Legal Associate, Natalie assists in all legal aspects of the company. Her responsibilities include the formation and maintenance of limited liability companies in various states and assisting the CFO in the review and drafting of legal contracts and real estate agreements. Natalie also acts as our real estate closer. She manages the process and ensures the accuracy of closings on our land acquisitions, construction loans, and debt and equity raises.

Before joining CEI, Natalie worked as a legal analyst for a private equity firm focused on developing operating companies for a variety of markets including esports and video gaming, and digital content production. Natalie specialized in contract review, legal agreement drafting, entity management, and sports, production and labor law. Natalie has also worked as a defense litigation paralegal for major medical and pharmaceutical class action lawsuits.

Natalie has been a certified paralegal since 2017. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley.