Leadership
Prime Group is led by industry veterans, strategic thinkers and bold visionaries who are committed to propelling the growth of Prime for all stakeholders.
Robert Moser is an accomplished entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience as an owner, operator and developer of institutional real estate that currently totals over $12 billion. Mr. Moser oversees all acquisitions, operations, strategic initiatives and investment activities of Saratoga Springs, NY-based Prime Group Holdings. At Prime Group, he serves as CEO, Owner and Principal and is actively involved in virtually all day-to-day corporate activities; Mr. Moser also is a member of the company’s Investment Committee.
Mr. Moser founded Prime Group in 2013 to consolidate fragmented, “need-based” real estate assets, with a particular emphasis on self storage. In 2014, Mr. Moser started the private equity arm of the company, which he continues to oversee. Since 2014, Prime Group’s private equity division has raised over $4 billion of institutional capital in a series of three alternative real estate funds. The firm’s flagship fund, Prime Storage Fund III, LP, raised over $2.5 billion in 2021-22 and is currently being deployed.
Mr. Moser began his career in commercial real estate in 1995 as a senior in high school, at which time he obtained his real estate license. In 1998, as a Junior at Union College, Mr. Moser obtained his real estate broker’s license (under RJM Properties), originating investment acquisitions and sales throughout the United States. At Union College, he earned a BA, with Honors, in Economics. Mr. Moser’s college thesis focused on the valuation of income-producing investment real estate, using hedonic and non-hedonic regression analysis methods for valuing manufactured housing communities.
Douglas Kotelly is Chief Investment Officer of Prime Group Holdings, a private equity company that is among the largest owners of self storage real estate in the world. Having joined Prime Group in 2014, Mr. Kotelly is responsible for several interdependent platforms and initiatives within the firm, including investment originations, business development, fundraising and portfolio construction. Mr. Kotelly has participated in the dramatic growth of the company’s asset base, including the successful fund-raise of several private equity real estate funds, all of which have exceeded their targeted total commitments.
Mr. Kotelly has over 35 years of experience in virtually all U.S. property and capital markets, having worked for a diverse set of investors ranging from boutiques to major institutions such as UBS, Sun Life Financial and Bank of America. Prior to joining Prime Group, he originated direct real estate investments and joint ventures totaling well over $2 billion in capitalization. From 2004 to 2014, Mr. Kotelly ran the real estate platform for Boston-based Overland Capital, where he originated and managed equity investments in U.S. real estate on behalf of European and Asian institutional clients.
Mr. Kotelly earned an MBA, magna cum laude, from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. He has a BS, summa cum laude, from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, where he double-majored in Finance and Human Resources Management. At BC, Mr. Kotelly ran Varsity Track & Field; he also earned membership in Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit universities. Mr. Kotelly has a Real Estate Development Certificate from The Urban Land Institute.
Brianna Pearce implements and monitors the activities, policies and protocols of the company and its funds, runs its compliance division, and oversees the legal affairs of Prime Group. Before joining Prime Group in 2017, Ms. Pearce was Associate General Counsel for Ayco, a large SEC-registered investment adviser owned by Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS). She earned her JD, magna cum laude, from Albany Law School, MBA from Clarkson University (formerly Union Graduate College) and BS in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Brian Patterson oversees all portfolio management and accounting activities on behalf of Prime Group, including functions related to revenue optimization, accounts payable, payroll management and portfolio analysis. Prior to joining Prime Group in 2018, Mr. Patterson oversaw multiple teams of fund accountants at LeverPoint Management LLC. Before that time, he served various Controller positions for Centerbridge Partners, a private equity firm, where he ran and grew the accounting function in its Luxembourg office. Mr. Patterson also has accounting experience at Fortress Investment Group and Deloitte & Touche. He earned a BSBA in Accounting from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Stacey Farnham is responsible for leading the Human Resources division of Prime Group and implementing Prime Group’s human capital strategy, including recruitment, compensation and benefits, and talent management. Ms. Farnham has over 25 years of institutional experience in all aspects of the human resources function. Prior to joining Prime Group, she was Senior Human Resources Director for ExodusPoint Capital Management. Ms. Farnham also held senior human resources positions at Clarion Events, Thesys Technologies, CRT Capital, Point 72 Asset Management and RBS Greenwich Capital (now part of NatWest Group). She holds a MS in Human Resources and Employment Relations from Penn State University and a BS in Human Resource Management from Western Governors University.
Ilan Zachar is responsible for Prime Group’s technological initiatives, strategy and implementation. Mr. Zachar has over 15 years of experience as a global technology executive, mostly with real estate investment trusts/companies. Prior to joining Prime Group, he was Chief Technology Officer at Carr Properties; Mr. Zachar also held similar positions at Gazit Group USA and Equity One. He holds a BBA in Finance from American InterContinental University. Mr. Zachar developed a property management application that was later patented.
David Galkiewicz coordinates the closings of all property acquisitions and refinancings, and serves as a liaison with all lenders. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Mr. Galkiewicz also manages the implementation of Prime Group’s computer systems. He has over 15 years of real estate industry experience, having joined a predecessor organization to Prime Group in 2003. Mr. Galkiewicz attended Siena College.
Grant Rickelman leads several key projects that augment Prime Group’s business offerings, particularly with respect to expanding Prime Group’s access to the capital markets. Prior to joining Prime Group, Mr. Rickelman was the head of Northern Trust’s wealth management banking practice for the Northeast United States. He has an extensive credit and relationship management background. Mr. Rickelman earned a BA degree from Northwestern University.
James Schukal leads key projects that expand Prime Group’s business offerings, helping the company grow in key areas. He is assisting in building out Prime Group’s investor relations division and helping to grow its investment platforms. Mr. Schukal joined Prime Group from Northern Trust, where he held various roles in investment management and relationship management. He previously worked at AllianceBernstein, managing global equity portfolios for institutional clients. Mr. Schukal has over 20 years of investment management experience and earned an MBA from Pace University and a BS from University at Albany. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Christopher Kirby coordinates all fund and investor reporting and oversees all capital calls and investor distributions. Prior to joining Prime Group, he was a Senior Manager for Ultimus Leverpoint, where he had increasing levels of responsibility over his 8-year tenure and ultimately managed a team of 10 members and $5 billion in assets. Mr. Kirby also was an Operations Analyst for Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. He has an MS in Accounting from The College of Saint Rose and a BS in Accounting from Siena College.
Stacie Grimes is responsible for asset-level accounting activities of Prime Group. She has over 25 years of experience in the financial field, having had CFO-level and controller positions in retail, manufacturing and commercial real estate. Ms. Grimes joined a predecessor organization to Prime Group in 2008. She has a BS in Accounting from SUNY Geneseo.
Maggie Lipkin leads Prime Group’s investor relations team. In this capacity, she serves as a liaison between Prime Group and its diverse investor base. Prior to joining Prime Group, Ms. Lipkin held senior investor relations and institutional sales roles at Raymond James, AMP Capital, Deerpath Capital and other wealth management and private equity companies. She has a BS in Finance from Boston College.
Tammi Steinberg is responsible for various internal accounting activities of Prime Group. She has over 20 years of public accounting experience, having managed the audit departments of two prominent Rochester, NY-based accounting firms. Ms. Steinberg has a BS in Accounting, with Honors, from Binghamton University.
Taylor Wegman, CPA is responsible for overseeing in-house tax accounting matters, including tax savings and compliance with tax law. Prior to joining Prime Group, Ms. Wegman held various accounting-related roles at Rochester-based DeJoy, Kanuf & Blood, LLP. She earned a BS in Accounting from SUNY Geneseo.
Dimitrios Papiris is responsible for asset-level operations of properties owned and managed by Prime. Prior to joining Prime Group, Mr. Papiris was VP of Operations for Treasure Island Management. Prior to that time, he spent a decade at Manhattan Mini Storage in roles of increasing responsibility, including VP of Operations and Business Development. Mr. Papiris attended Hunter College. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Self Storage Association.
Thomas Richardson manages and coordinates all construction and development activities of Prime Group. He has over 25 years of experience in ground-up construction, cost estimation, design and project management. Prior to joining Prime Group in 2017, Mr. Richardson held senior project management responsibilities for several Albany-area commercial real estate development companies, including Bonacio Construction, Bast Hatfield, Gordon Development and NewGround. He also is a licensed Real Estate Broker.
John Burke oversees the leasing and revenue optimization of all commercial real estate within Prime Group’s self storage portfolio. Mr. Burke has a diverse real estate background, including being a founding member and former CEO of the Upstate New York franchise of Select Sotheby’s International Realty and a Managing Director of Core BTS. He earned a BS in Marketing and Management from Siena College. Mr. Burke is a licensed Real Estate Broker.
Samir Kulkarni oversees all information technology initiatives for Prime Group. He has over 15 years of diverse experience in IT infrastructure management, network administration and systems implementation. Prior to joining Prime Group, Mr. Kulkarni worked as an IT management consultant for several mid-sized businesses across New York State. He has an MS in Information Technology from Clark University and a BS in Engineering from Savitribai Phule Pune University.
Heather Stinson is responsible for all training protocols for field personnel. She trains employees in disparate locations and implements a standardized, customer-oriented approach to all facility-level policies and procedures. Ms. Stinson formerly held positions of increasing responsibility in the Sales Development division of Charter Communications. She earned a BS in Marketing and Management from Siena College.
Brad Blom is responsible for driving operational efficiency and enhancing performance of properties owned and managed by Prime. He serves as a key liaison between all field employees and Prime’s headquarters office. Prior to joining Prime Group, Mr. Blom held diverse roles of increasing responsibility at Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. Mr. Blom earned an AS from SUNY Adirondack and completed an internship with The Walt Disney Company.
Robert Munster is responsible for driving sales and identifying business development opportunities for Prime Storage. Prior to joining Prime Group, Mr. Munster had over 15 years of progressive operational and sales experience, most notably at Manhattan Mini Storage. He earned a BA in Communications from Molloy University.