Financial consulting firm continues aggressive expansion plans

Real Estate Weekly, April 5, 2006

As a continuation of its aggressive, firm-wide expansion plans launched in mid-2005, The Schonbraun McCann Group (SMG), a national real estate financial consulting firm, has announced that Harvey Weinreb has joined the firm as a principal, and Deborah S. Friedland, Steven J. Kurtz and Ronald M. Shapiro have joined SMG as department directors.

Harvey Weinreb, CPA, joins SMG's Tax Consulting practice as a principal. With more than 30 years of real estate industry experience, he specializes in the taxation of real estate partnerships, opportunity funds and REITs.

Weinreb previously was a tax principal in Ernst & Young's New York real estate practice, serving public and private REITs and opportunity fund clients investing both domestically and internationally.

He also served as director of taxation for Arlen Realty & Development Corporation, a $2-billion, NYSE-listed real estate developer, owner and operator of a diverse portfolio of real estate holdings, as well as general partner of a private real estate investment firm.

He received an MBA in taxation and a BBA in accounting from Baruch College of the City University of New York.

With more than 15 years of real estate and hospitality industry experience, Deborah S. Friedland serves as director and co-head of SMG Hospitality Consulting Services.

Prior to joining SMG, she served as a director at Horwath Horizon, a real estate and hospitality consulting firm. Friedland began her career as a senior consultant in the Real Estate Services Group at Arthur Andersen & Co. Thereafter, she spent six years as a senior equity research analyst at Salomon Smith Barney, Dain Rauscher Wessels, and ABN Amro.

Her investment banking experience included lead-managed initial public offerings, secondary offerings, private financings, M&A and advisory services. During her career, she has supervised and performed market feasibility studies, appraisals, and operational analyses for over 100 real estate and hospitality-related projects.

She also previously served as an adjunct professor at New York University. Friedland received her MS and BS degrees from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

Steven J. Kurtz, MAI, joins SMG as director of Valuation Services where he will focus his practice on real estate valuations, partnership issues, eminent domain, purchase price allocations, ad valorem taxation, litigation support, public offerings, portfolio analysis and estate planning/ gifting.

For the past 14 years, Steven has built his career providing real estate consulting and valuation services to leading real estate companies throughout the U.S. Most recently, he was an associate director at Integra Realty Resources.

Steven holds a BA from Lehigh University and is an MAI designated member of the Appraisal Institute.

Ronald M. Shapiro, CPA, joins SMG as a director in the firm's Lender Services division, where he will manage and direct the contract underwriting and due-diligence services for publicly traded and privately held real estate mortgage lending firms, including financial institutions, investment banks, insurance companies, rating agencies, pension advisors, opportunity/hedge funds and real estate investment trusts.

Prior to joining SMG, he was director and Mid-Atlantic regional manager with Artesia Mortgage Capital Corporation, where he originated, analyzed, underwrote and structured commercial real estate loans for securitization.

Shapiro has also held positions at Spencer Savings Bank, First Union National Bank (n/k/a Wachovia), and Prudential Insurance Company of America. A former adjunct assistant professor at NYU's Real Estate Institute and a former Board of Governor of the New Jersey Mortgage Bankers Association, Shapiro earned an MBA in finance and accounting from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and a BA in economics from SUNY at Stony Brook.

"This significant expansion of senior industry talent provides our clientele with more leading-edge resources than ever. Harvey, Deborah, Steve and Ron bring exceptional talent and true industry leadership to the firm and we look forward to their contributions," said SMG Managing Partner Bruce Schonbraun.

With offices in New York, New Jersey and Florida, The Schonbraun McCann Group LLP, (SMG) is a national, real estate financial consulting firm.

Established in 1973, the firm currently has a staff of more than 175 professionals and 10 partners. The Schonbraun McCann Group is among the 75 largest consulting and accounting firms in the U.S.