Our partners and advisors in the real-estate practice area focus their extraordinary experience and skills on all aspects of the domestic and international real-estate sector. We are an experienced team of real estate and finance professionals building a traditional asset-backed portfolio empowered by the synergies of the GTG technology and industries platform.
100 years of combined real estate and financing experience
Over $5 billion in real estate transactions:
• Acquisition, reposition, ground-up development of multiple asset classes including retail, hospitality, office, medical, multifamily, self-storage, and mixed-use • Domestic and international
Tier-1 institutional real world experience:
• Merger and acquisitions • Investment banking • Private equity • Venture capital • Wealth management with experience in public and private equities including REITs • Enterprise software and Internet technology
Structured finance and oversight:
• Legal and regulatory. • Corporate governance and investor relations. • Finance and accounting with experience in public finance and taxation.
Social impact investing:
• Affordable housing • Workforce housing • Senior housing
Strategy
Team
Robert is Founder, CEO, & investing principal of Global Trust Group & Ventures, with 30 years of experience in accounting, finance, investment banking, mergers, acquisitions, capital markets, private equity & venture strategy and management. Robert owns and has co-founded numerous businesses in regulated and diverse industries. He founded RS Development, which successfully developed and branded the “Manhattanization” of Las Vegas condominium properties on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Robert received an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business with joint coursework at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Kennedy School of Government and a BS from the Univ. of Alabama’s Culverhouse School of Accountancy.
Nick Gordon is a Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investing Officer of Global Trust Group. Nick serves as a board member of Global Trust Group’s Alternative Investment Board (GTG AIB. Previously, he was a Principal and Co-founder of Pinnacle Petroleum, LLC, an energy diversity platform designed to provide foreign and domestic access to partnerships with large independent and major oil producers in the US. Prior helping to build the GTG platform, Nick co-founded Empire Commercial and Empire Trading International, mirrored real estate development and overseas trading companies. The companies have worked in concert with Global Trust Group to manage multimillion-dollar commercial real estate projects, and international hotel designs. Empire Commercial/GTG recently completed the construction of 2 luxury mall projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In addition to Nick’s successful entrepreneurial endeavors, he has over 15 years experience in sales, management, holding various positions in multi-billion dollar companies like Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Medicis, and Johnson and Johnson where he received numerous awards and accolades: Sales Executive of the Year, 4 time Circle of Excellence winner. Nick attended Boston University and also has a Bachelor’s and a Master’s from UNLV.
William (Bill) Attinger is a Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Strategist of Global Trust Group. Bill has spent the last 20 years as a leader and innovator in growing, financing and grooming early stage and lower middle-market companies. Through his background in finance and investment banking, he knows how to quantitatively evaluate companies and advise them “by the numbers”. As a founder or co-founder of five companies and an adviser to dozens more, he has accumulated a depth of practical hands-on operational experience across a breadth of industries. As an investment banker for Morgan Stanley in the 1990’s, Mr. Attinger structured more than $1 billion of publicly-offered securities using innovative, derivative-based financing structures, and his derivative research has been published in the Financial Analysts Journal. Bill earned his Bachelors in economics and Masters in Finance from the University of Alabama.
James (Jim) Nashman is real estate advisor to Global Trust Group and the founding partner of ComTerra Group, ComTerra Development, a co-founding partner of CTG, Development, Biscayne Realty Capital, the past co-founder of Pelican Bay Developments, Inc., and numerous other single asset development entities. Jim is currently active in both commercial and residential acquisitions and development. Jim’s current and past activities at ComTerra, CTG, and Biscayne involves the development and growth in specialty retail, grocery-anchored, community shopping centers, multi-family projects, waterfront condominiums, medical office buildings, self-storage, and hospitality/resort hotel projects. Currently, Jim is involved in a number of ground-up retail, hospitality, and residential build to suit developments, as well as grocery-anchored, drugstore, mixed use, multi-family, health projects. In addition, he has been active in large land tract residential and commercial acquisitions. Over the past 24 years, Jim has developed or is currently active on over $500 million of real estate. Jim began his real estate career with the May Department Stores Company in retail business development. In 1985, he joined the Colliers Turley Martin Company (now DTZ) to focus on site acquisitions for retail, office, apartment, and hotel developments. In 1991, Jim joined The Michelson Organization, a regional real estate development and investment holding firm, continuing to pursue primarily retail and multi-family acquisitions, dispositions, and development. In 1994, Jim joined The Midland Development Group (sold to Regency REIT), where he became a development partner focusing on the acquisition/development of commercial projects, as well as build to suit opportunities in Texas, Colorado, Michigan, and Florida. In 1995, Jim co-founded Pelican Bay Developments, Inc. with his late partner Richard Lauer. Completing their first project, a Publix anchored retail center in Bonita Springs, Florida, Jim grew the firm’s presence throughout Florida specializing in ground-up build to suits, and acquisition added value opportunities. Having established relationships with retailers such as Publix Supermarkets, INGLES, Kroger, King Soopers, Safeway, Sweet Bay, Fresh Market, CVS, Walgreens, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree, and various other retailers. Jim continues to expand his retailer development program with new opportunities being explored in ground-up and acquisition/reposition projects principally in Florida. Jim’s development background and expertise has greatly expanded over the past 23 years to include the development, acquisition, entitlement or repositioning of lifestyle and mixed-use centers, medical and office developments, apartments, boutique and major brand hotels, marinas, self storage facilities, residential condos, luxury homes, and large land tract entitlements. Jim founded or helped co-found the firms of ComTerra Development, LLC, CTG Development Inc., Biscayne Realty Capital, Situs Realty Group, LLC, and numerous other single asset entities, in his continuation to navigate and oversee the direction, vision, and growth of his real estate developments. He has expanded his acquisition and development activities throughout the Southeastern United States. Jim graduated from the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce, majoring in accounting and finance.
Roman Petra CCIM, CRE is Real Estate Legal Advisor as well as an attorney with Nelson Mullins. He is a member of the firm’s Affordable Housing, Banking & Financial Services, Blockchain & Digital Currency, Private Equity, Public Finance, Real Estate, Real Estate Capital Markets and Technology. Over the course of his career, he has advised, negotiated, structured and closed billions of dollars in commercial real estate transactions. The facets of a transaction include acquisition, construction, development, disposition (single asset and portfolio), financing, management, and zoning. The majority of the transactions he has handled includes sophisticated and complex real estate matters with numerous layers of equity and debt financing. Roman advises clients on different facets of commercial real estate transactions, from property rights to tax matters. He advises clients on public and private securities transaction. He is also well-versed in alternative capital formation options, including crowdfunding, cryptocurrency, online platforms, and Regulation A+. Roman earned his CRE® designation, one of the highest recognition in the real estate industry. In 2013, he received the national Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation from the CCIM Institute. Roman is a graduate of CCIM’s 2014 Jay W. Levine Leadership Development Academy. He also holds an active real estate license as a broker-associate and is a licensed Florida real estate instructor. He is also a Florida Realtor® faculty member. Additionally, he is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and three states, Florida, Illinois and Missouri, as well as before the United States Tax Court. Roman has achieved an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating with Martindale-Hubbell, which is the agency’s highest mark for both competency and ethics. He was listed among the “Florida Legal Elite” by Florida Trend magazine. Roman is listed in the Bond Buyer’s Municipal Marketplace, a Red Book Directory. Roman graduated from Georgetown University Law Center with an LL.M. in Taxation; University of Miami School of Law with an LL.M. in Real Property and Development; Valparaiso University School of Law with a Juris Doctor, cum laude and senior honors; and Illinois College with Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude. Roman has a robust network on LinkedIn with over 10,000 members. His network is primarily geared towards real estate practitioners throughout the globe. He actively posts on different topics related to real estate.
Scott Marchand is real estate advisor for Global Trust Group . Scott has been involved in real estate development and finance since 1993. Scott is a managing partner of CTG Development. which is a development arm of Comterra Development Group. He is also is a principal of Whitestone Realty Capital. From 1993 through 2006, he was involved in many aspects of the real estate field that included appraisals, mortgage brokerage, construction management, project development, and commercial finance. Scott is currently involved in transaction origination and account management with a mixed-use resort and master-planned residential developments nationwide. His most notable project is the 175 room Hyatt House located in Orlando, Florida. Scott is prolific on social media and continues to grow his network. Scott primarily devotes his time on social media to real estate topics. He has grown his social network (personally and groups that he started) on LinkedIn to over 225,000 members. Scott is easily able to get thousands of views on his posts.
Cynthia C. Shelton, CCIM, CRE, is a real estate advisor to Global Trust Group and Sr. Managing Director of the Investments and Capital Markets division at Landqwest Commercial in Orlando, Fla. She has over 42 years of commercial real estate experience and specializes in the disposition of retail investment properties including grocery-anchored, power shopping centers, single-tenant, net leased (NNN) properties and retail strip centers. Shelton has been a CCIM Institute instructor since 1997 and served as the President of CCIM Institute in 2002. She also received the received the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) 2012 Distinguished Service Award, which is presented annually to no more than two of NAR’s members and honors Realtors® with outstanding contributions to the real estate industry and who serve as leaders to the real estate industry and their local communities. Shelton earned her Bachelor degree in accounting and business management from the University of Tennessee.
Bill Shoaf has over 40 years of international experience with luxury resorts, hotels, and private clubs and has been instrumental in the development and operation of properties recognized as the best in the world for service, quality, and innovation. Bill’s background includes hotel management, construction management, concept development, and re-engineering for resorts, hotels and private clubs worldwide. Properties where Bill has brought his skillset to bear include Sky Lodge and Sundance Resort in Park City UT, Elbow Beach Resort – Bahamas, San Ysidro Ranch – Santa Barbara, The Bungalows at Mauna Lani Bay Hotel – Hawaii. Bill is an honors graduate of Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration. Bill has spoken at the United Nations Conference of Sustainable Cities discussing the economic and environmental dynamics of Robert Redford’s Sundance Resort. Bill founded the American Harvest Workshop in 1986 for Cakebread Cellars.
Russ Taylor is a real estate advisor to Global Trust Group and Vice President of Development and Finance at Lifestyle + Hotel Group. Russ has a 20 year career in structuring equity transactions and asset management in the industries of real estate, finance, transportation, and oil and gas. Russ has been a partner in Highpoint Holdings since 2003, a private firm active in real estate circles, oil and gas as well as other private equity investments. Russ has focused on hotel, multifamily and student housing and residential development in the south managing land acquisitions, financing, entitlements, road and utility infrastructures. He is a graduate of finance from Auburn University.
After spending 4 years in Japan learning the language and earning a Masters Degree in Economics, George’s father, Joel Bergman, encouraged George to attend Architecture School and become a member of the BWA team. Utilizing his experience and varied skillsets, George works with clients across a broad spectrum of professions and cultures to develop some of the most exciting and successful projects in Las Vegas and around the world. George works as a Project Executive and leads our Architectural and Interior Design Team. As one of our lead Master Planners, George enjoys working hand-in-hand with our clients and their teams in the realizing of their vision and program into exciting and successful projects.
Sandy Selman is an Advisor to Global Trust Group in Real Estate & Blockchain. Sandy co-founded CPROP in early 2017 to develop blockchain-enabled data solutions across the real estate value chain. CPROP has emerged as an industry thought leader on practical implementations of blockchain for mainstream businesses in brokerage, insurance, title, finance and investment management. CPROP is partnering with these businesses to develop proprietary and white-labeled solutions that reduce costs, capture new revenue and/or reduce risk.
Sandy previously co-founded Sanus Connect Inc., an IoT and data science company, where his team designed and launched a powerful new business solution for JLL’s property management business that helps asset managers allocate capital with improved financial outcomes.
Earlier in his career, Sandy managed an early-stage venture fund that deployed over $100 million to disruptive clean technology businesses in North America and Europe, helping its portfolio companies transition from pre-revenue experiments into global, profitable enterprises.
Prior to that, Sandy was a project finance banker and financial advisor specializing in infrastructure finance and M&A, especially in emerging markets. He began his career as an engineer in the manufacturing and utility sectors.
Sandy holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering (with Distinction) from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a MBA in Finance and Investments from The George Washington University.
Alex Landa is a Global Trust Group Advisor and an International Sales & Business Developer with over 25 years of experience in establishing new business relationships between individuals, family offices and corporate businesses in the United States and Latin America.
Born in Mexico City, Alex speaks fluent Spanish, English and basic German, due to his family heritage. He studied Business Administration at Universidad Anáhuac del Norte.
Family businesses and investments opportunities brought him to Houston, while establishing solid business and personal relationships, he also learned and acquired extensive experience on marketing and research development of commercial and residential real estate properties throughout Texas, plus his friendly and service-oriented attitude will benefit your real estate goals, and projects, as he strongly believes that success is determined by integrity, professionalism and outstanding results of satisfied clients.
He also enjoys playing the piano and spending time with friends and family.
Ofir Ventura is an advisor and investing principal of Global Trust Group. Ofir Ventura is a Nevada licensed Attorney and has been practicing law for over 10 years. His past experience consists of working for a real estate developer in converting two large apartment complexes into condominiums. Ofir also has extensive practice in dealing with real estate land use zoning approvals, financing and purchase agreements. Over the past several years he has experienced real estate development from the early stages of obtaining financing, until the final stage of disposition. His knowledge and expertise also covers various aspects of real estate acquisitions.
Experiential Hotel Brands
Global Trust Group is partnering with Lifestyle + Hotel Group and Meredith Corporation to develop a unique collection of luxury hotel properties in the USA. Meredith is the largest public publishing company (NYSE: MDP) with over 120 million people regularly engaging with their printed magazines, digital properties and TV/media stations.
Our partnership will leverage Meredith’s breadth and depth of first-party data to target audiences through various channels, devices and platforms — including print, online, mobile, video and email. We are developing unique experiential properties in underserved locations and Qualified Opportunity Zones within metropolitan centers with recognized brands that will ensure high occupancy rates.
Brands Include:
Examples of properties:
Opportunity Zones
Opportunity Zones were established in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 with extraordinary tax incentives to drive long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities nationwide. Capital deployed in these zones receive tax benefits similar to a 1031 real estate exchange but applied to all types of capital gains.
Through this legislation, profits made through Capital Gains can be invested in Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds that if setup strategically can potentially double after tax profits from successful projects.
There are three tax advantages that come from this legislation:
Deferral of Capital Gains:
Any Capital Gains can be invested into a Qualified Opportunity Fund. Invested Capital Gains do not need to be recognized when the investment is sold or exchanged until the end of 2026.
Reduction of Capital Gains:
After a fund investment of 7 years, Capital Gains tax on the original Capital Gains is reduced by 15%. This is the equivalent of a 15% step up of basis in the original investment.
No Capital Gains Tax on Fund Profits:
After holding the investment for 10 years the Opportunity Fund’s profits will not result in any additional federal income taxes.
10 Year Timeline
Qualified Capital Profile
Qualified long and short-term capital gains for investment into these zones include gains recognizable from taxable transactions (within 180 days of realization) including: the sale of stocks, bonds, properties, partnership interests, etc. Gains taxed as ordinary income and gains from certain derivative contracts are not qualified. Individuals, C corporations (including REITs and RICs), partnerships and trusts can defer Capital Gains through Opportunity Zone investment.
If you have a $1M capital gain through stock, bond, business or property sale, instead of paying $238,000 in taxes, you invest $1M into the Activated Capital Opportunity Zone Fund that is focused on double bottom line returns. Let’s say in 2028, the Fund returns almost $2M including the original investment considering 8% ROI. No taxes are due on the $1M gain. You'll only pay $202,300 in deferred capital gains on first initial sale.
Where Are Zones Located?
Opportunity Zones are designated throughout the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. You can explore sites in detail with this map.
