Los Angeles Business Journal

Roobina Baghoomians, Tax Director, CBIZ MHM, LLC, the 8th largest accounting services provider in the nation, spoke as an expert accounting panelist at The Entrepreneurship Institute’s Southern California President’s Forum, “New Economic Outlook for 2013”, discussing the latest changes in tax laws. Roobina specializes in providing tax services to companies in the real estate, retail, wholesale, service, and manufacturing industries.

Brian Hollis, joined Vistamar as Director of Finance in 2013 after serving in the role as a consultant. A member of the Leadership team, Brian decided to join Vistamar primarily because of the organization’s mission of having a diverse student body but also because of the commitment exemplified by the Board of Trustees, Leadership Team, Faculty and Staff.
His wealth of experience has been gained mostly in corporate finance and accounting within Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial organizations in industries such as Education, Telecom, Entertainment, and Healthcare.
Originally from New York, Brian graduated from Hofstra University with a BBA with an emphasis in Accounting. He is a CPA (inactive) in the state of California. Brian currently resides in Culver City and in his free time enjoys working out, listening to jazz, and watching his favorite basketball team, the North Carolina Tarheels.

Pivot Interiors, California’s leading workplace solutions provider, is pleased to announce the addition of Donna Clervi as Vice President & Director of Healthcare. Donna brings 25 years of experience in creating spaces that support healing and caregiving. She will lead Pivot’s healthcare sales and new business development

Director Gloria Gray is the first African-American woman to serve as Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan Water District in the agency’s 85-year history. She was the first African-American woman elected to West Basin Municipal Water District’s Board and the only African-American appointed by former Speaker Bass to serve on the Delta Stewardship Council, a statewide water policy commission. Gray served 36 years with L.A. County Health/Human Services and has received numerous leadership awards.

We congratulate James McCabe (left), Senior Financial Advisor and Brian Firring (below), Senior Financial Advisor on being named to Barron’s Top 1,000 Advisors list. At Wells Fargo Advisors, we recognize the importance of service and dedication, and we proudly celebrate the accomplishments of James McCabe’s and Brian Firring’s inclusion in the list of Barron’s Top 1,000 Advisors.

This distinction is widely regarded as a benchmark for putting the needs of clients first — one of the core foundations of our firm.

Paul Gurrola has joined Buxbaum HCS as a Principal in charge of Business Development. Mr. Gurrola was previously with BDO and one of their top performers nationally while leading the Los Angeles business development efforts, which included their west coast private equity initiative.

Buxbaum HCS provides interim, project and permanent CFO resources to the western U.S. marketplace. Buxbaum has a particular focus on privately owned companies contemplating or actively involved in a strategic sale, acquisition or capital raise. Buxbaum is one of the fastest growing companies in the Los Angeles area.

Patrick J. McRoskey has joined CBRE, Inc. as Managing Director. Mr. McRoskey will lead CBRE leasing, property and project management on a regional portfolio of Class A office properties, which includes 2000 Avenue of the Stars and Century Plaza Towers in Century City and The Water Garden in Santa Monica. As the CBRE team leader servicing this portfolio, he will work closely with J. P. Morgan Asset Management – Global Real Assets, the advisors for the institutional investors who own the portfolio properties.

Mr. McRoskey’s career experience has included providing advisory services and directing marketing and leasing activities for real estate portfolios totaling in excess of 10 million square feet. For the past 16 years, he served as Vice President of Leasing for MPG Office Trust where he was responsible for all brokerage and leasing transactions within the company’s nine million square foot downtown Los Angeles portfolio. Prior to MPG Office Trust, he served as Director of Leasing for Hines in Los Angeles. Mr. McRoskey started his real estate career with CBRE in 1985. A graduate of the University of Southern California, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC), a nonprofit celebrating 35 years of service to women overcoming homelessness and poverty in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, was named California’s Nonprofit of the Year receiving the Governor’s Volunteering and Service Award. The Office of the Governor and CaliforniaVolunteers recognize DWC’s extraordinary ability to engage community volunteers in ending homelessness for women.

J. Scott Green has recently joined 1st Century Bank as SVP, BSA Officer. As BSA Officer of 1st Century Bank, Mr. Green will be responsible for overseeing adherence of the Bank’s policies and procedures to federal and state laws and regulations as well as developing, implementing and administering all aspects of the Bank Secrecy Act. Most recently, Mr. Green was SVP, BSA Officer, Privacy Officer and Information Security Officer at The Private Bank of California. Mr. Green has over 30 years of experience in Compliance and Operations as well as a background in all areas of Business

Steven Contreraz is business area manager and Wells Fargo’s L.A. Metro Community Bank vice president. Contreraz is responsible for all aspects of small business banking sales and business lending goals in the communities of Greater San Fernando Valley, Downtown Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, West Hollywood and West Los Angeles.

A 15-year veteran of the company, Contreraz assumed his current position in 2013. He began his banking career with Wells Fargo in 1997 as a teller in the San Fernando Valley and has since held numerous retail banking positions. Previously, Contreraz served as store manager for the Panorama City, Balboa Devonshire, Van Nuys and Pacoima Community Banks in the San Fernando Valley.

The recipient of numerous awards and accolades for his leadership and performance, Contreraz has remained an active volunteer and supporter of numerous nonprofit organizations throughout the Greater Los Angeles community. He has served as Chair of the Finance Committee for Pacoima Beautiful and on the Advisory Committee for the San Fernando Valley Filipino American Chamber of Commerce.

Contreraz resides in San Fernando Valley Porter Ranch community with his wife.

Christine Cho has been named general manager of the new Olive Garden located at 1866 Montebello Town Center Dr. in Rosemead, which opened on May 6. Cho has been with Olive Garden for seven years, most recently as general manager in Arcadia. Olive Garden honored Cho by setting her name in stone, placed prominently by the restaurant’s front door.

Jerome ‘Otis’ Odell, AIA, LEED®AP has been named a partner of PBWS Architects, LLP, Pasadena. Prior to joining PBWS in 2011, Otis directed his own architectural practice in Denver, completing over 5,000 units of multi-family residential work over a 16-year period. He heads PBWS’ multi-family residential group, focusing on senior housing, student housing, transit oriented development, affordable/workforce housing, and market rate housing. Otis is a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Housing Initiative Council.

Pivot Interiors, the largest Herman Miller dealership in the US, is pleased to announce the strategic addition of Rick Golden as Vice President of Sales in its Los Angeles office. In this role, Rick will be responsible for developing Pivot’s non-Healthcare sales team and growing client relationships.

The Madison Square Garden Company announces that Jason Lombard will serve as workforce outreach coordinator for the renovation of the legendary Forum in Inglewood. Jason will promote local participation in construction jobs and subcontracting opportunities. He previously directed outreach for the $40 million transformation of Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

Land use attorney Robert I. McMurry has joined Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP as partner in the firm’s Government, Land Use, Environment and Energy Department. For more than 30 years, McMurry has successfully represented major land development projects in obtaining complex development entitlements. He has been lead counsel in some of California’s highest profile CEQA litigation. Mr. McMurry will be based in Los Angeles and will work on projects throughout the state. RMX@JMBM.com

NSBN LLP, CPAs & Business Consultants in Beverly Hills (www.nsbn.com) announces that Robin Weyl Brock and Eliza Minassian were admitted as Partners in the Entrepreneurial Services department. They each provide taxation, accounting and consulting to clients including closely-held businesses, individuals, real estate entities, estates, trusts, private foundations, and nonprofit organizations.

Fred Córdova and Christine Deschaine, two of commercial real estate’s most respected brokers on the West Coast and in the nation, have joined the brokerage team in the Beverly Hills headquarters of international real estate investment and services firm Kennedy Wilson. In addition, Ryan Eddy, formerly with Córdova at Colliers International, has joined the firm. “Since our acquisition of Sachse Real Estate in 2010, the addition of Fred, Christine and Ryan reaffirms our commitment to building an ‘All-Star’ brokerage team at Kennedy Wilson as part of our investment and services platform,” said Jim Rosten, president of KW Properties Group, a division of Kennedy Wilson.

Since the first quarter of this year, Kennedy Wilson has added seven veteran brokers, including three in Los Angeles, two in Northern California and two in Austin, Texas. Córdova, whose expertise is institutional real estate investment sales, takes on the position of executive vice president of KW Properties Group at Kennedy Wilson and Deschaine, who was formerly a partner with Lee & Associates and one of its top retail brokers, is senior vice president of KW Properties Group at Kennedy Wilson. “We are thrilled to have Fred, Christine and Ryan join us at Kennedy Wilson,” said Ed Sachse, executive managing director of KW Properties Group at Kennedy Wilson. “Fred, who has clearly demonstrated why he is one of the nation’s top real estate investment sales experts, will help Kennedy Wilson continue to grow our investment sales brokerage service capabilities and Christine further solidifies our commitment to retail brokerage. As a veteran of the Los Angeles market, Christine’s ability to work with municipalities is a tremendous addition to our distinguished team.”

Before joining Kennedy Wilson, Córdova was executive vice president at Colliers International and a national executive director and chairman of the National Steering Committee for Colliers Investment Services Group. He was a vital component of the revitalization of Downtown Los Angeles where he sat as Chairman of the Economic Development Committee of the Century City Association of Los Angeles and executive director of B.O.M.A. of Greater Los Angeles. In addition to more than $6 billion of real estate purchased, financed, developed, leased and sold over his 30 years in commercial real estate, Córdova has keen expertise ranging from hospitality, office, retail, residential and industrial. While his list of transactions is a who’s who list of clients, one of his crowning achievements was the sale of the largest adaptable reuse project in the history of Downtown Los Angeles that totaled more than 800,000 square feet of buildings and 60,000 square feet of land.

In 2008, Córdova, a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Business School, was named one of “LA’s Best Brokers Specializing in Capital Markets” by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

“My decision to join Kennedy Wilson was an easy one because of the company’s reputation and relationships with financial institutions globally,” said Cordova. “Additionally, Kennedy Wilson’s investment and services platform allows me to offer unique capabilities and resources to my clients and to my team.”

Deschaine, who joins Kennedy Wilson as a retail expert, has more than 20 years experience in landlord and tenant representation and urban redevelopment. At Lee & Associates, Deschaine was instrumental in the resurgence of neighborhoods such as Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, downtown Burbank Village, Hollywood Boulevard, Marina del Rey and Culver City. Her unique ability to work with city planners and officials has allowed her to champion projects through these municipalities and identify and secure a successful tenant mix. Since 2010, Deschaine has completed more than 269,000 square feet of transactions totaling about $40 million in revenues. Her work has earned her numerous awards including “Women at the Top Award 2012” (CREW-LA); “Volunteer of the Year 2012” (Los Angeles Business Journal); and the Commercial Real Estate Award-Landlord Representative Restaurants 2010 (Los Angeles Business Journal).

A graduate of the University of Nevada and current nominee for the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2013 Women Making a Difference Award, Deschaine is also involved in charity groups and spends at least four weeks a year in Africa volunteering to help a small village in Uganda.

Eddy, who has 10 years of in acquisitions and ownership of institutional assets, was with Colliers since 2010. His expertise is in investment sales of office, industrial, retail and multifamily buildings in Southern California and the West Coast. Before Colliers, Eddy was a partner at the RIO Company where he helped in negotiating more than $160 million of multifamily acquisitions and managed the acquisition/asset team.

A graduate of UC Davis, Eddy was also an analyst at RREEF, where he was involved in the acquisitions of more than $500 million of institutional office, industrial, retail and multifamily assets.

Steven Contreraz is business area manager and Wells Fargo’s L.A. Metro Community Bank vice president. Contreraz is responsible for all aspects of small business banking sales and business lending goals in the communities of Greater San Fernando Valley, Downtown Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, West Hollywood and West Los Angeles.

A 15-year veteran of the company, Contreraz assumed his current position in 2013. He began his banking career with Wells Fargo in 1997 as a teller in the San Fernando Valley and has since held numerous retail banking positions. Previously, Contreraz served as store manager for the Panorama City, Balboa Devonshire, Van Nuys and Pacoima Community Banks in the San Fernando Valley.

The recipient of numerous awards and accolades for his leadership and performance, Contreraz has remained an active volunteer and supporter of numerous nonprofit organizations throughout the Greater Los Angeles community. He has served as Chair of the Finance Committee for Pacoima Beautiful and on the Advisory Committee for the San Fernando Valley Filipino American Chamber of Commerce.

Contreraz resides in San Fernando Valley Porter Ranch community with his wife.

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP has promoted Pantea Yashar to partner in the firm. Ms. Yashar’s practice covers an array of business litigation, including breach of contract, unfair business practice, and employment disputes. Ms. Yashar represents clients in federal and state courts, as well as in arbitrations and mediations.

Bank of Manhattan welcomes Cameronne Mosher to its expanding commercial banking team. Mosher will serve as Senior Vice President and Regional Manager based out of Pasadena, CA. With specific expertise in commercial and industrial lending, real estate financing and relationship banking, Mosher has received numerous awards in a career spanning more than two decades. Mosher will lead a team of experienced bankers in contributing to the continued success of this growing Southern California based bank. To contact Mosher call (626) 243-1913. BankofManhattan.com

The Music Center’s Board of Directors has elected Lisa Specht, a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, as board chair. Specht has served on the board since 2007 and as vice chair since 2009. Recognized as one of the “Most Prominent Attorneys in Los Angeles County,” Specht is consistently included in the Best Lawyers in America guide. The Music Center is one of the largest, most highly regarded performing arts centers in the country.

Topa Management Company has announced the appointment of Jeanne Lazar as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Jeanne is responsible for Topa’s finance and accounting operation, serving a company owned portfolio in excess of 3 million square feet located throughout California and Hawaii. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Jeanne joins Topa with over 20 years of finance and accounting experience. She most recently served as Chief Accounting Officer of MPG Office Trust, Inc. in Los Angeles.