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Westdale Asset Management
Westdale Asset Management

Executive Team

Joe Beard, President & Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Beard co-founded Westdale in 1991 as a start-up and subsidiary of Canada-based Westdale, to pursue and sponsor investments in distressed commercial and multifamily properties. Owned and controlled with a large Canadian family office co-investment partner, Westdale has consummated over 300 acquisitions while creating a nationwide real estate investment, property management, leasing, and construction firm. Based in Dallas, Westdale and its 1200 employees operate from six regional offices located in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Chicago. Controlling a capital base in excess of $5 billion, Westdale currently manages or has previously managed equity investments committed by a broad base of institutional investors, including many leading global fund sponsors, such as GE Capital, CarVal, and Sterling Equities, along with a variety of family offices. 

His experience includes an active role in all areas of the real estate investment management process. Prior to forming Westdale Asset Management, Mr. Beard was responsible for the development and acquisition of over 10,000 apartment units. He was selected as a member of the distinguished business leaders of Dallas. He received the Forty Under 40 award by the Dallas Business Journal in 1994. Mr. Beard graduated in 1983 from Southern Methodist University with a degree in History with minors in Political Science and Psychology. He was a four-year letterman in football and was consensus all Southwest Conference and honorable mention All American.

Evan Griffiths, Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Griffiths is responsible for the performance and coordination of property operations, asset management, construction and insurance for all investments managed by Westdale Asset Management. He has been associated with the apartment industry for over 20 years. Prior to joining Westdale Asset Management in 1997, Mr. Griffiths served as the Director of Research Services with M/PF Research, Inc., served as Vice President of Erickson Capital Group, and as an analyst with The Worthing Companies. Mr. Griffiths is a 1985 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.

Ken Carlson, Chief Investment Officer

Mr. Carlson joined Westdale in 1992, establishing and directing the fiduciary policies of the accounting and cash management operations of Westdale for over 25 years. Mr. Carlson has implemented capital financial structuring strategies, both debt and equity, of all company acquisitions, development and redevelopment activities; transactions valued in excess of $5 billion. He continues to execute all capital transactions as well as managing and monitoring the investment strategy, activities and reporting of Westdale and its affiliates. He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada in 1983 and holds a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant designation.

Trevor Bert, Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Bert is responsible for all financial and accounting activities, timely investment reporting, and information technology at Westdale. Prior to joining Westdale in 2001, Mr. Bert was a Senior Manager with KPMG where he focused on the real estate industry for 7 years. Mr. Bert graduated from Texas A&M University in 1994 with degrees in Accounting and Finance. Mr. Bert is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas.

Cindi Scoggins, Executive Vice President - Residential Operations

Ms. Scoggins is responsible for the performance and coordination of property operations for all investments managed by Westdale Real Estate Investment & Management. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Local, State and National Apartment Associations, chairing several committees and is the past President of AATC. Ms. Scoggins has been in the business since 1984. Prior to joining Westdale in 1993, she worked for Gibraltar Properties and Trammell Crow / Brentwood Properties. She has her CAPS designation, NAA Lyceum Candidate and studied at the University of Texas in Arlington.

Jeff Allen, Executive Vice President - Commercial

Mr. Allen serves as a Managing Principal overseeing the acquisition, underwriting and management of retail and office properties. Mr. Allen has compiled over 25 years of commercial real estate experience that includes direct development, acquisition, disposition and operational roles at both public and private companies. Through October of 2009, Mr. Allen was employed by Trademark Property Company for 11 years while serving as Senior Vice President – Director of Acquisitions and Asset Management handling more than 4 million square feet of retail and office space with a total asset value in excess of $1 billion. Trademark is a regional commercial real estate firm based out of the DFW area that specializes in retail and mixed-use development in Texas and surrounding states.

Prior to Trademark, Jeff served as a Partner & President of Huff, Brous, McDowell and Montesi Management, Inc. from 1993 to 1998 where he oversaw a staff of 35 employees that provided third-party management and leasing services to various private and institutional owners for a portfolio of office, retail and industrial projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with a total size of 6.4 million square feet.

Jeff Allen’s experience also includes approximately four years as a Vice President – Senior Asset Manager for CBRE Realty Investors (pension fund advisory group). He served in this capacity in both Dallas and Los Angeles offices of CBRE as the asset manager on a portfolio of Class A office, retail and industrial projects located in the western portion of the US. Jeff was also responsible for successfully disposing of a distressed REO portfolio located throughout the western US for a third-party client valued at $80 million while at CBRE. Mr. Allen earned a BBA from Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) with a concentration of coursework in real estate and finance. He has been a licensed Texas real estate broker since 1987.

Brian Barton, Vice President - Asset Management and Construction Services

Mr. Barton joined Westdale in 2001 and provides operation oversight for the multifamily portfolio. He also handles ancillary income opportunities, energy management, property tax appeal and national purchasing agreements. Mr. Barton has been involved in the apartment industry for 24 years. Prior to joining Westdale, Mr. Barton served as Senior Vice President of Basic Capital and as an Assistant Asset Manager with Bluebonnet Savings Bank. Mr. Barton graduated from Texas Tech University in 1987 with a degree in Economics.

Kevin Jennings, Managing Principal - Multifamily Acquisitions

Mr. Jennings directs multifamily acquisitions in the Southwest and Southeast at Westdale. He joined the firm in 1991, and he has taken the lead in acquiring over 250 properties located in 20 cities. He is a veteran in acquiring opportunistic properties, where value can be created by repositioning or redeveloping projects that have the potential for enhanced value by completing significant upgrades in unit finishes and exterior property enhancements. Mr. Jennings is also responsible for sourcing new financing, and for realizing profits by consummating exit strategies. Prior to Westdale, Mr. Jennings was the Director of Acquisitions at First Worthing, where he acquired 25 multifamily properties valued at $500 million. He graduated from SMU in 1986, earning a B.S. degree in Business Administration.

Andrew Schmeltekopf, Managing Principal - Distressed Debt Acquisitions

At Westdale, Mr. Schmeltekopf is responsible for acquiring and managing investments in distressed debt. Since joining Westdale in 2008, Schmeltekopf and partners have acquired several hundred million dollars in distressed commercial loans. The Westdale Capital team has also built a best in class loan management division that manages all acquisitions as well as provides fee management for strategic partners.

Prior to joining Westdale, Mr. Schmeltekopf worked for FirstCity Financial Corporation from 1994-2008. As a Senior Vice President at FirstCity, he was charged with the oversight of portfolio acquisitions in the Unites States. Mr. Schmeltekopf was the Manager of U.S. Acquisitions from 2001 to 2009 and managed the investment of over $700 million during that period. In that capacity, Mr. Schmeltekopf was responsible for due diligence, pricing, investor participation, and funding. Mr. Schmeltekopf holds both a BA and MBA from Baylor University.