MEET THE TEAM

George Michelis has been in the real estate industry for over two decades, directing RockFarmer Properties’ business development, financial performance, and strategic planning. As the Managing Principal of the company’s development, funding, financing properties, and management services, George ensures that the success of our partners, investors, and clients remain a top priority.

Michelis has been directly responsible for the acquisition, debt strategy, strategic development, and construction of more than 2 million square feet of multifamily, office and retail properties representing a total value of more than $2 billion.

Today, the company’s investment and management portfolio includes over 2,200 residential and commercial units. George Michelis is also a Managing Principal of Douglaston Realty Management Corp. (“DRMC”), the company’s property management affiliate.

George has been on eight co-op and condominium boards in New York City, affording him special insight into the inner workings and complexities associated with both the ownership and management of this unique type of real estate, and the strategies that provide for their long-term growth and sustainability.

Growing up in NYC and raised by immigrant parents has given George a very grateful and open-minded experience and perspective. He carries this through his business practices and relationships.

An active community philanthropist, George is the founder of the Hellenic American Educational Foundation, which sponsors and funds educational and athletic programs for children. He is a graduate of Hofstra University with a BA in Finance. Prior to his involvement in real estate, George worked on Wall Street for seven years and became a partner at Schonfeld Securities.

Since the inception of RockFarmer Properties in 2006, Petras has been directly responsible for the acquisition, debt strategy, strategic development, and construction of more than 2 million square feet of multifamily, office and retail properties representing a total value of more than $2 billion.

With a focus on creating truly transformative properties, Petras is a firm believer in forming strategic, longstanding, and collaborative relationships with key market participants, including lenders, owners, partners, and investors.

Petras also spearheads Rockfarmer’s new aero communities’ brand focused on curating a portfolio of cohesive multifamily communities. The brand is RockFarmer’s approach to the “missing middle” in the multifamily space: providing housing that is both affordable and thoughtful in nature and design, while anchored in a hospitality mindset.

A Queens native, Petras began his career in fashion and merchandising. In 1986, he founded Alexis & Gianni, a successful retailer and manufacturer of luxury woman’s outerwear. From the onset, Petras had a passion for real estate, purchasing and operating multiple investment properties before selling his business in 2006 to pursue real estate full time.

Petras serves as Managing Principal of Douglaston Realty Management Corp., RockFarmer Properties’ property management affiliate. Petras is a graduate of Long Island University/CW Post and New York University, where he holds a BS in Accounting and an MS in Finance, respectively.

Petras currently serves on the Board of Directors of Project Nyame Nsa, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing a safe and loving home for vulnerable children throughout its newly built villages in both Ghana and Zambia. Its mission is to transform children’s lives by offering hope and instilling values, along with a sense of purpose so that their full potential can be realized. Petras also serves on Board of Directors of the Hellenic American Education Foundation, a not-for-profit which sponsors and funds educational and athletic programs for children.

Gregory founded Douglaston Realty Management in 1977, a property management firm and established a team to capitalize on the many underutilized, undervalued properties he encountered as a licensed real estate broker in New York City.

Through savvy investments, excellent banking relationships, and strategic investment partnerships, Gregory grew Douglaston into the real estate leader it is today, with over 2,000 units under management.

Gregory oversees strategic direction, property acquisitions, investment partnerships, and building inspections. Gregory also sits on RockFarmer’s Investment Committee and provides keen insight utilizing his vast experience.

Gregory was one of the initial founders of Marathon Bank and served on its Board of Directors since 1990 up until December 2012 when the bank was acquired by Investors Bank.

His foresight and insight have yielded exceptional returns for RockFarmer’s investment clients. He credits the company’s success to a unique vision, seizing opportunities in the market, providing an enhanced living experience for tenants and owners, and uplifting neighborhoods and communities along the way.

Kostas is the Chief Operating Officer at RockFarmer Properties, Douglaston Realty Management Corp. and its affiliates.

Kostas joined RockFarmer Properties in 2016. He is responsible for leading and executing the company’s strategic business policies, financial reporting, investor relations, building operations and he oversees the administrative support of the companies. Prior to joining RockFarmer/Douglaston he was at Blackstone and George Comfort & Sons.

While at George Comfort & Sons, Kostas oversaw the day-to-day accounting operations & investor reporting for various REITs, pension funds and private equity firms of approximately 6 million SF institutional class A quality office buildings in the tri-state area. Working in concert with the firm’s asset management team, Kostas lead the accounting team in the refinancing of approximately $2.3 billion mortgages, the partial $1.45 billion sale of Worldwide Plaza, and $800M in acquisitions. Some notable trophy properties that Kostas worked on include Worldwide Plaza, NYC (2M SF), 200 Madison Avenue, NYC (750K SF), 757 Third Avenue, NYC (500K SF), The Centre at Purchase (1M SF) & Shippan Landing, CT (780K SF).

While at Blackstone, Kostas carried out all aspects of GAAP & Tax reporting, compliance and for large, class A office, hotel and multi-family portfolios for the GP of funds BREP I BREP II, BREP III ($1.5B), BREP IV ($2.2B), BREP V ($5.25B), BREP International (€800M), BREP International II ($2.01B), BRE Distressed Debt ($3.25B). Kostas was proud to have participated in the $4.1B Initial Public Offering of “BX” through the preparation of various historical financial statements and supporting schedules.

Kostas is a graduate of St. John’s University. He serves as Board President of the 82nd Street Partnership, an award-winning neighborhood development organization serving Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, Queens. Additionally, he serves as President on the Parish Council of his church. Kostas led the fundraising and capital improvement effort. He successfully raised over $2.5M towards this project. In his spare time, Kostas enjoys large-format cooking and deep-sea fishing; he lives on Long Island with his family.

David is a Principal and Head of Capital Markets for RockFarmer Properties. With over 23 years of experience in the real estate industry, David has completed over $18.5 billion in transactions through a variety of disciplines including lending, private equity, and commercial brokerage.

David most recently was Managing Director and Head of Real Estate for Mirae. Within this role, David was responsible for all aspects of the business including overall strategy, investment activity, and capital raising.

Previously, Mr. Krantz served as Senior Managing Director within the Capital Markets Group at Savills USA, a global commercial real estate advisory firm. While at Savills, David was one of four partners overseeing a national platform focused on executing real estate investment sales, equity and debt transactions, regulated security transactions and capital market advisory services. In total, the team had worked on more than $5.5 billion of total transactions across 17.9 million SF in multifamily, office, hospitality, student housing, and land / development. Prior to Savills, David served as a Senior Vice President at CBRE in the Investment Properties Institutional Group focused on multifamily, residential conversion, and development transactions in New York City. As Co-lead in the Investment Properties Institutional Group overseeing the multifamily and development vertical, David originated and closed more than $2 billion of transactions representing both institutional and non-institutional clients. Deal highlights include Kips Bay Court ($620 million), The Buchanan ($270 million), River Tower ($390 million), 80 South Street ($390 million). Additionally, while at CBRE, the team was ranked in the top 5 Worldwide and achieved #1 ranking worldwide in his first year.

Earlier in his career, David was a member of The Praedium Group, an institutional fund manager, where he was responsible for the acquisition, asset management and disposition of assets in the U.S. While at Praedium, Mr. Krantz was responsible for all acquisitions, dispositions, financing, and asset management for investments made in New York City and the Midwestern region of the United States while supporting other efforts around the country. In total, David participated in the origination, analysis, and purchase of approximately 30,000 apartments and 4.3 million square feet of mixed-use, office and industrial properties. In addition to those responsibilities, Mr. Krantz was also the primary manager of four side-vehicle funds and an integral member of the firm’s primary fund vehicles responsible for execution of fund strategies and its portfolio assets. In total, David worked on approximately $5.2 Billion of transactions ranging from acquisition, financing, and disposition.

David began his career in the Commercial Real Estate Lending Group at Commerce Bank where he underwrote commercial mortgages for a broad range of clients as well as a variety of asset types including multifamily, development, office and retail.

Tad Brittingham is the Vice President of Acquisitions at RockFarmer Properties where he leads the firm’s investment platform, guiding deals from initial identification through closing.

Prior to RockFarmer, Brittingham was an acquisitions associate at Velocis, a Dallas-based real estate private equity fund manager. At Velocis, his focus was on underwriting and analyzing value-add investments in office, medical office, and retail throughout the Sunbelt and Mid-Atlantic. Over his career, he has completed more $550,000,000 in transactions than across various asset classes.

Brittingham received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and has a Master’s degrees in Finance and Real Estate Development from Vanderbilt University and Harvard University, respectively.

He is a Chartered Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and is a member of the Real Estate Advisory Council at the UT’s McCombs School of Business.

Sabine joined the RockFarmer team in 2024, with over 24 years of experience, as a VP of Asset Management and focuses on operational and financial performance of the portfolio.

Prior to RockFarmer, Sabine was the Regional Vice President within Asset Living’s multi-family division in Dallas, TX, where she was responsible for the operational and financial performance of a 45-asset (~5000+ Units) portfolio.

Prior to Asset Living, Sabine was a Director of Property Management at Presidium Property Management in Dallas TX, where she oversaw the operational and financial performance of a 15-asset portfolio of multi-family assets located in Dallas, Austin TX and Maine. While at Presidium, Sabine was awarded the prestigious Presidium Leadership Award four out of the eight years she was there. Her responsibilities generally included creating and managing annual operating and capital budgets; reviewing and analyzing operational metrics and creating business growth opportunities; creating and monitoring policies, procedures, and compliance policies; and overseeing capital improvements, ranging from full scope renovations to stand-alone capital projects.

Prior to Presidium Property Management, Sabine spent 12 years at Capstone Real Estate Services as a Regional Director, where she oversaw operations of multiple communities throughout Texas.

Sabine is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA where she graduated with a degree in Psychology.

Annie joined the RockFarmer team in 2022 as an associate and focuses on sourcing, researching, and underwriting potential acquisitions.

Prior to RockFarmer, Annie completed her Undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia with a B.A in Urban Planning and minors in Architecture and Global Sustainability in 2017.

After college, Annie moved to South Carolina to work for the City of Charleston’s Design Division, where she worked in public engagement meetings and advised the Mayor on design components of major city initiatives including flood mitigation projects, Charleston’s “Lowcountry Lowline” greenway, and mobile food vending ordinances.

Annie completed her Master’s in Real Estate from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in 2022, where she focused her studies on real estate finance, adaptive reuse, and innovative development practices. While in graduate school, Annie worked as an editor for the Harvard Real Estate Review and held leadership positions running both the 2021 and 2022 Harvard Real Estate Symposiums.