Front Row, left to right: Herb Manig, Lana Ruch, Rob Kapusta, Marian Moss, Robert Schlager Second Row, left to righ: Mark Dattel, Keith LaShier, John Hereen, Gary Phillips Third Row, left to right: Jeff Hilst, Denny Pottenger, Morgan Wolaver, Gary Poelstra
Gary Phillips, President of GP West, Inc., has 30 years of experience developing USPS leased facilities. Additionally, Gary designs, builds, renovates and handles Indefinite Quantity Contracting for USPS owned postal buildings and works with the USPS on facility consolidation projects.
Mark Dattel, is President of Dattel Realty Company. He graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis,TN, with a degree in Urban Development and joined his dad, Samuel Dattel (a founding member of AUSPL), in the business in 1994. Mark has built and leased over 200 post offices and other governmental buildings and still owns and manages many of them, as well as other commercial and residential properties.
Lana Ruch is well versed in advertising, marketing and public relations, having spent more than 25 years in the profit and not-for-profit industries, including serving as broadcasting director of ALSAC-St. Jude Children’s Hospital. She currently works at Dattel Realty, where she manages 40+ government leased facilities throughout the U.S.
Morgan Wolaver has been AUSPL’s President since his election on May 2, 2012. Morgan is a second-generation postal property investor. During high school and college, Morgan worked on postal facilities and residential construction projects for his father, who built more than 150 facilities over a 33-year period. After college, Morgan spent 17 years in the construction sector of the oil industry. In 1995, he began managing his family’s investments, which include interests in 55 postal facilities in nine states. He has also participated in construction of new leased facilities. Today, he manages his family’s postal properties, including negotiating leases with USPS®.
John Heeren heads the brokerage arm of SMPO Properties, a post office development, management and brokerage firm. SMPO negotiates with the Postal Service on all phases of the leasing program.
Jeffrey Hilst is a principal in Watermark Investment Group, which specializes in the acquisition, renovation, leasing and redevelopment of apartment complexes, retail centers and industrial facilities. His family has built and leased post offices for many years.
Robert Kapusta, Jr. has been practicing law for 25 years and specializes in real estate, tax, lease and estate planning. He is also a CPA and owns post offices and medical office buildings.
Keith LaShier, a member of Real Estate Asset Counseling, is an expert in acquisitions, lease negotiation and real estate finance. He is well versed in USPS operations, having managed the USPS Western FSO and was Acting Vice President of USPS Facilities.
Herb Manig has been investing in income properties since 1962 and acquired his first post office building in 2002. Currently, Herb and his family own nine post offices across the U.S. Herb’s career has been primarily in Association management, including over 30 years with the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Nevada Farm Bureau Federation, and the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation. In addition, Herb served for five years as Executive Vice President of the North Dakota Farm Bureau and as a consultant for one year. He retired in 2005.
Marian Moss’s father began building post offices in the 1970’s. Marian and her family own many postal facilities. A former Dean of the College of Education at University of New Orleans, Marian returned home to Florida in 1988 to help her father run the family business.
Gary Poelstra owns and operates Poelstra Properties, a real estate firm specializing in USPS and GSA sales, management, consulting, and appraisal services. His expertise includes lease negotiations. Gary is a past president of AUSPL.
Dennis Pottenger has been buillding USPS leased facilities since the 1960s. In 1974, he formed D&L Constructors, Inc., a family-owned and operated construction company, which has built 44+ post offices in the midwest and western region, as well as multiple office/warehouse buildings in Colorado. Denny also manages and negotiates leases for 50 + leased facilities and other commercial real estate.
As president of Bulfinch, Robert Schlager directs and oversees the development, construction, leasing and property management activities for all Bulfinch assets. Under his tutelage, Bulfinch has permitted, developed, constructed and otherwise entitled several million square feet of commercial office, industrial and retail space. Robert was recognized by USPS with several commendations for fast-tracking post office construction.
Terry Phillips is president of Ocean West Nevada Corp., which specializes in building post office facilities and other commercial real estate. Terry has 50 years of experience working with USPS both as a builder and lessor. Terry is a past president of AUSPL..
Larry Schlager is one of the founding members of AUSPL, which had its origins in the late 1970s. In 2014, he retired from AUSPL’s Board of Directors after nearly 30 years of service. Larry was instrumental in establishment of the Lease Amendment Program (LAP) in 1980, under which, in return for rent reductions and fair market value purchase options, the USPS accepted Maintenance Riders giving the USPS maintenance responsibilities. At the time, the LAP was very important for postal lessors, who had maintenance costs skyrocket due to the high inflation levels. In addition to his work with AUSPL, Larry serves as Chairman of the Board of The Bulfinch Companies, Inc., and as President of Island Estates, a custom home builder in Florida.