Brian Howard
Founder and President
bhoward@stageequity.com
(847) 410-1076
Brian is responsible for managing all company transactions and developing and maintaining excellent relationships with partners, tenants, investors, lenders, architects and contractors. Brian has twenty five years of experience in commercial real estate investment, development and law, with a specialty in the healthcare industry. Brian understands both the uniqueness and complexities of medical real estate, including the nuances of medical facility design, construction, tenant adjacencies, technology, efficiency concerns, Stark law and property management.
Prior to founding Stage in 2009, Brian was Vice President of Development for Healthcare Development Partners, a national real estate company which developed ambulatory care facilities and medical office buildings for healthcare systems, hospitals and physician groups. Further, Brian was formerly the General Counsel for Baum Realty/Baum Development, where he oversaw all legal aspects of development and brokerage. At the onset of his career, Brian was an attorney with the real estate group at Jenner & Block, one of Chicago’s largest law firms. Brian is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree, with distinction, in political science from the University of Michigan. Brian is also a licensed Illinois Real Estate Broker.
Brian is actively involved in many civic and charitable causes, including a board member of Friends of Sinai Children, which supports the Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago and a board member of the Anti-Defamation League, Midwest Chapter.
Kristen Johnson
Vice President | Property Management
kristen@stageequity.com
(847) 324-9402
Kristen Johnson brings twenty five years of commercial real estate experience to Stage. At Stage, Kristen is responsible for all day-to-day operations of its medical office portfolio, utilizing her extensive knowledge of operations, budgets, construction and customer service management.
Prior to joining Stage, Kristen was a Senior Property Manager with Batavia Enterprises, where she was responsible for managing half a million square feet of privately owned commercial property. Kristen originally started her career with The Lurie Company in Chicago and later branched out with Draper & Kramer in Elk Grove, IL. Kristen credits her success on the diversity of properties that she has managed throughout her career.
Kristen earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and her Master of Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management. She spent many years serving on not-for-profit boards including a local chapter of United Way, Fox Valley Hospice and the Batavia Chamber of Commerce. Kristen lives in the northwest suburbs with her husband, Fred.
Jennifer Fisher
Director of Accounting/Controller
jfisher@stageequity.com
(847) 410-1089
Jen brings over ten years of financial real estate experience to Stage including financial analysis, budgeting, reporting, property accounting, and investor relations. At Stage, Jen is responsible for overseeing corporate, investor and property accounting and reporting.
Prior to joining Stage, Jen was a Senior Accountant at Brookfield Properties Retail Group / GGP Inc. for 8 years where she focused on joint venture reporting/relationships as well as property accounting for multiple portfolios. While at Brookfield, Jen was responsible for portfolios in total of over $3.0 Billion in assets. At the onset of her career, Jen was a Senior Accountant in the audit group for KPMG LLP. Jen holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Jen lives in the northern suburbs with her husband, Steve, and their two daughters.
Karen Johnson
Director of Asset Management
kjohnson@stageequity.com
(734) 672-7630
Karen Johnson is responsible for overseeing transaction due diligence and asset management at Stage. Karen has over thirty years of experience in real estate investment and asset management services for both private and institutional investors. She performs investment feasibility assessment, due diligence review, financing and closing administration on acquisitions, and oversees and monitors property management and leasing staff, budget and cash flow projections, loan management and investor reporting.
Prior to Stage, Karen worked for Zeller Realty Corporation and SN Phelps Realty, both in Chicago, where at each she served as Senior Vice President of Asset Management. Karen also worked at Travelers Insurance Company as an Asset Manager. Karen obtained a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Business Administration with a Real Estate Finance emphasis from DePaul University. Karen is a member of Commercial Real Estate Women of Chicago (CREW) where she serves on several committees, and was formerly the Chairperson of the Asset Management Committee for Building Owners and Managers Association from 2006 to 2008. Karen is also a licensed Illinois Real Estate Broker.
Fran Meziere
Assistant Property Manager
franm@stageequity.com
(847) 324-9403
Fran Meziere brings over eight years of commercial real estate experience to Stage. At Stage, Fran is responsible for assisting with all day-to-day operations of its medical office portfolio, including operations, budgets, construction, and customer service management.
Prior to joining Stage, Fran was a Tenant Service Representative with Jones Lang LaSalle in Northbrook, Il. where she handled full administrative support of the property management team overseeing the daily operations of six commercial properties totaling over 1 million sq ft.
Fran originally started her career with Strauss Realty Ltd. in Chicago as a Real Estate Administrative Assistant and later branched out into commercial leasing all throughout the Chicagoland area.