About Center City Partners,
L.L.C.
Managing Executive Officers
EFSTATHIOS VALIOTIS
ALMA Realty Corporation, President & Founder
NICHOLAS TSAPATSARIS,
P.E. R.A.
Nick Tsapatsaris & Associates, President & Founder
COMPANY OVERVIEW – Nick Tsapatsaris & Associates
Nick Tsapatsaris founded Nick Tsapatsaris & Associates in Ridgewood, New Jersey in 1990. Holding licensures in Architecture, Structural and Civil Engineering as well as in Real Estate Development and Construction Management, the office of Nick Tsapatsaris & Associates offers a convenient array of complimentary services to our clients. With a strong collaborative team of in-house architects engineers and construction managers, the firm has been recognized with a number of awards. Currently, our competition winning design, Center City, for a mixed-use development comprising over 1,500,000 sf of Retail, Commercial and Residential structures has begun the revitalization of downtown Paterson, NJ, with a planned completion in 2008. The Caldwell Community Center, a Senior Center, Indoor Pool and Gymnasium in North Jersey, was completed in 2001, with future plans for a Day Care and Library expansion. These projects have been merited by our firm’s visionary planning for communities.
PROJECT EXPERTISE
Nick Tsapatsaris and Associates has worked both nationally and overseas on a variety of public and private works. The office has extensive experience with institutional work, including a state of the art hospital in Brooklyn; medical buildings throughout New Jersey, and child care design. Other works include mercantile, such as retail and department stores. Our residential projects include apartment homes as well as single-family residences. Several of our projects involve renovation and expansion of historically important structures, such as the Playhouse in the Village of Ridgewood, NJ.
NICHOLAS
TSAPATSARIS, P.E. R.A.
President & Founder
Mr. Tsapatsaris is President of Nick Tsapatsaris & Associates. Under Nick’s leadership, the firm has achieved all phases of a building’s lifecycle: Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Real Estate Development, Marketing, Leasing and Asset Management.
Projects under his direction include site design and engineering, architecture, structural engineering, assessment of existing buildings, expert witness, and feasibility studies for public and private entities. The firm provides contract administration and technical guidance for the implementation of private and municipal construction projects.
As President of Lakos Construction, Inc. (founded 1990) the firm constructs projects designed by Nick Tsapatsaris & Associates. Projects include office, medical and industrial facilities.
Mr. Tsapatsaris holds a Masters of Science Degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a concentration in Real Estate Finance, Economics, Law, Portfolio Management, the Politics of Land Use, and Management. He also holds both a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (with distinction) and a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is licensed to practice Engineering in NJ, NY, MA, AZ and European Union as well as a Registered Architect in NJ.
Mr. Tsapatsaris has also been published in: Artificial Intelligence, Civil-Comp
Press, Edinburgh, UK., 1989, and ASCE proceedings, national conference, structures
Congress, San Francisco, CA and by the Department of Urban Studies and Planning
at MIT. His professional affiliations, include Village of Ridgewood Historic
Preservation Commission, Village of Ridgewood Planning Board, Engineer
for the Borough of Rockleigh, Engineer for the Borough of Rockleigh Planning
Board Greek American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, American Society
of Civil Engineers, International Council for Shopping Centers, MIT Center
for Real Estate Development Alumni Association.
SIMONE
TSIGOUNIS, AIA
Director of Design: NJ, NY, NCARB licensures
As Director of Design, Ms. Tsigounis oversees all aspects of the design process, from inception to completion. She is the principal contact with the client and, in this capacity, is responsible for establishing the programmatic requirements of each project. She oversees each phase of the design process, from schematic to design development to construction documents. Her responsibilities continue into the construction phase in contract administration, where weekly job meetings between client and contractors are scheduled to make sure that the project is delivered on time and within budget.
Ms. Tsigounis holds an undergraduate degree in Art and Design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a Masters in Architecture from MIT. Ms. Tsigounis has had extensive experience with the educational facilities, including renovations to existing school buildings and the design of new schools, primarily in both Hudson County and Bergen County, New Jersey . Her professional experience extends into the classroom where she holds a position as adjunct faculty, teaching introductory architecture studios as well as developing course curriculums. She is often called in to guest critique at local schools of interior design and architecture.
Ms Tsigounis volunteers her time, serving her community as a member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment in Cresskill, NJ, and serving her alma mater, as an Educational Counselor responsible for interviewing MIT undergraduate applicants. She is a very active member of her professional organization, The American Institute of Architects, where she serves on the Board of Trustees and is a part of the editorial staff for the newsletter of her local chapter in Northern New Jersey .
STACEY
VLAVIANOS
Managing Director: Asset Management, Operations and Leasing
Ms. Vlavianos is responsible for implementing the company’s business plan, as well as overseeing all aspects of the company’s day to day operations, with an emphasis on the development and management of financial strategies, programs and procedures. Areas of managerial responsibility encompass cash management, accounting and finance, financial reporting, cost control, forecasting, policy development, and strategic opportunity assessment. Oversees all aspects of commercial office, retail and residential development and leasing for NTA and CCP.
Ms. Vlavianos is responsible for preserving and enhancing NTA & CCP operating portfolio by providing property management and services to all NTA and CCP buildings and their tenants. Services include the formulation of management systems for the firms, including standardized preventative maintenance, building inspection procedures, tenant complaint and billing systems, financial reporting formats and ownership reports.
Prior to this role, Ms. Vlavianos has served in an uninterrupted 18 years of executive roles within the Investment Banking firms of Deutsche Bank, Bear Stearns and Citigroup. Ms. Vlavianos served as Chief Operating Officer to a CIO of an 850-person division. Responsibilities included Asset Management, Financial Control, Expense & Cost Control, Project & Resource Control, New Technologies, Marketing, Communications, Training and User Documentation, HR, Floor Operations, and Special Events Planning.
A native of Queens, NY, and currently residing in Ridgewood, NJ, she holds a Bachelor of Science in both Business Management and Information Technology from New York University’s Stern School of Business with a concentration in Real Estate and Property Management. Ms. Vlavianos has also completed Continuing Education credits in both Dale Carnegie and Philip Crosby Colleges with a focus in “Quality Improvement Process Management.” NJ RE licensed.
ROBERT
P. DE PIPPA, RA
Senior Project Architect, NJ, NY, Washington DC licensures
Mr. De Pippa oversees all aspects of the construction of a project. He is responsible for all Construction Documents and Specifications. Serving in this capacity, he is extremely knowledgeable of the International Building Code and is disciplined all local codes applicable to each project. Mr. De Pippa makes it his responsibility to personally submit drawings to the building department, thus expediting the review process. Upon commencement of construction, he is present at the job site, making sure that all work is in accordance with plans.
Mr. De Pippa is in charge of our office Information Technology. With this knowledge, our office collaborative is networked and capable of sharing information regardless of our project location and therefore enhancing our mobility.
In addition, Mr. De Pippa has worked on several schools in the Orange-Ulster B.O.C.E.S. area, three schools for autism in New Jersey and several Day Care facilities. He is also knowledgeable with all type of construction including wood, steel and concrete. Mr. De Pippa holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the New York Institute of Technology.
MICHAEL
STEVEN SAS
Mr. Sas is our chief CAD operator involved in the production of each project’s drawing package, beginning with the preparation of zoning analysis to site plans and construction documents. His proficiency with AutoCAD and 3-D rendering software allows our office the capability of illustrating to our clients the vision of our projects in a virtual world.
A recent Graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, Mr. Sas holds a Bachelors of Science in Architecture. Mr. Sas has traveled extensively throughout Europe. His artistic capability lends him exceptional talent in design.
Mr. Sas furthermore has direct experience working in the construction industry, overseeing the construction of custom homes as well as working as an Interior Finisher. He has also worked in various lumberyards making him very familiar with the costs and supplies of materials.
ALMA Realty Corporation
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Alma Realty Corporation (Alma) was founded in 1988 in Queens , NY by Mr. Efstathios Valiotis to develop and manage various real estate projects. Since that time Alma has grown into a comprehensive real estate organization that offers a full range of real estate related services including but not limited to development, management, brokering, and construction services. Alma maintains a management portfolio consisting of approximately 6,000 units and over 1,200,000 square feet of commercial retail and office space.
The management department includes 21 property managers (at various locations), 3 in-house attorneys, 5 accountants, and 12 staff members. Alma fully executes the process of condominium and cooperative conversions, including the writing of Red Herrings to the Attorney General’s office and the preparation of Black Book offerings. Alma handles in-house all day-to-day management operations of real estate properties and auxiliary matters concerning tax abatements and exemptions, refinancing, and bulk purchase energy savings.
Vordonia Construction Corporation (Vordonia) is a subsidiary of Alma and is manned by 130 employees. Vordonia is the general contractor for all of our developments including rehabilitation and new construction. Currently, Vordonia is the general contractor and construction manager for over $200 million and 2,000,000 square feet works in progress. Our Development Team is comprised of several key directors and managers including 2 in-house licensed engineers, 3 in-house registered architects, 2 expeditors and 4 project managers.
EFSTATHIOS VALIOTIS
President & Founder
Efstathios Valiotis was born June 16, 1946 in Vordonia , Greece . He immigrated to the United States in the early part of the 1970’s. Mr. Valiotis established a custom-made furniture business Knossos, Inc. in Astoria Queens in 1976. Within two years the business was expanded to include a showroom on Manhattan ’s Park Avenue and a furniture-manufacturing factory in Queens . Mr. Valiotis continued to own and actively manage Knossos, Inc. until 1994.
In 1978, Mr. Valiotis began his highly successful career investing in real estate. From 1978 to the present, the successful acquisition and development processes stemming from purchase, sale, construction, and management of both residential and commercial real estate have contributed to Mr. Valiotis expertise in real estate transactions.
In 1985, Mr. Valiotis, along with three associates, founded the ASCOT Management Corporation. ASCOT managed all of Mr. Valiotis’ real estate holdings from the period of 1985 through 1988. In 1988, Mr. Valiotis established a construction company named Vordonia Construction Corporation. Presently Vordonia Construction serves as the General Contractor for the majority of Mr. Valiotis’ projects.
In 1988, Mr. Valiotis founded his own firm, known as Alma Realty Corporation. ALMA serves as the vessel by which Mr. Valiotis develops, builds, manages, and acquires real estate.
In 1989, Mr. Valiotis, along with several other investors, formed Marathon National Bank. Mr. Valiotis served on the board of Directors for 8 years. Marathon was acquired by Piraeus National Bank of Greece in 2001. Mr. Valiotis remains a 5% shareholder of Marathon National Bank.
Mr. Valiotis has built a portfolio in the last 3 decades approaching 600 million dollars. Mr. Valiotis is dedicated, enthusiastic and optimistic in foreseeing a path continued with growth, success and profit.
BA - Philosophy, University of Athens
ABRAHAHAM PHILIP, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
In 1985 Abraham Philip came to the United States , in search for a new beginning. Within three weeks he found an entry-level position with Ascot Management Corp. There he made strong ties with Efstathios Valiotis, who would be his employer for the next 20 years.
Mr. Philip holds bachelor and postgraduate degrees in finance related fields. In 1989 he successfully passed the New York State CPA examination.
Mr. Philip has past experience with U.S. Bankruptcy Reorganization Plans, Condominium/COOP Offering Plans and Conversions, Mortgage Financing, Feasibility Studies, etc. Throughout his years Mr. Philip has engaged in over 400 real estate transactions. Experience along with his postgraduate education propelled him to Chief Financial Officer of Alma in 2000.
Along with Mr. Valiotis, Mr. Philip is looking forward to the future in continuing their profitable and successful relationship.
BS - Finance and Investments, Kerala University , India
MS - Accountancy, Finance, Kerala University , India
SOPHIA VALIOTIS
Chief Operating Officer
Ms. Valiotis is an admitted attorney in New York and New Jersey . She is responsible for the management division of Alma . In the past Ms. Valiotis has negotiated contracts with vendors, public entities, tenants and other real estate related firms. Ms. Valiotis currently heads the operation of the corporate headquarters, along with four satellite offices in the tri-state area. She is ultimately responsible for 325 employees.
Her legal training enables her to draft, review and prepare residential and commercial leases, closing documents and all other necessary legal instruments. In addition, she handles all legal correspondence with numerous attorneys that Alma Realty employs for land acquisitions, mortgage financing and landlord-tenant matters.
She is focused on expanding the firm her father founded. Ms. Valiotis is a vital component to Alma ’s success.
B.A. - Economics, Barnard College
J.D. - Brooklyn Law School
JOHN MAVROUDIS
Development Specialist
Mr. Mavroudis has worked the last 8 years in the real estate profession. As a licensed salesperson he engaged primarily in brokerage services and real estate transactions. His experience with applications including foreclosures, distressed properties and vacant land is vast.
Wanting to expand upon his real estate background, Mr. Mavroudis attained a position with Alma Realty Corp. as a property manager in 1999. Within two years of his employment he was advanced to Asset Manager for Alma ’s New Jersey holdings.
As Mr. Mavroudis gained experience, Alma promoted and transferred him to the corporate office in New York . There, Mr. Mavroudis became and currently holds the position Development Specialist. Mr. Mavroudis has assisted Mr. Valiotis with several development deals and is gearing his career in that direction.
Most recently Mr. Mavroudis’ work has culminated in the acquisition of the historic Luckey Platt building in Poughkeepsie , NY through an RFP process.
BA – History, Queens College
MBA – Finance, Baruch College