Meet the Expert Team Behind 
Southern Realty Trust

Mr. Rotatori has over 8 years of real estate, private equity, credit investing and investment banking experience. Previously Mr. Rotatori was a Vice President at AFC Gamma, a publicly traded mortgage REIT focused on commercial real estate lending. Prior to joining AFC Gamma, Mr. Rotatori worked as an investment banker at Baird. He graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) focused in Economics.

Mr. Velgot has over 30 years experience with strategic brand development, content marketing and creative services. In 2018, Mr. Velgot created the VELGOT group specializing in helping companies develop and grow both their brand and revenue. Mr. Velgot formerly worked as the Chief Marketing Officer for Fifth Street Asset Management, rebranding the firm in the private equity space, while also creating a content marketing and creative services platform. Prior to joining Fifth Street, Mr. Velgot spent over 20 years at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. and Alliance Bernstein, where he rebranded the company in 26 countries around the world and created one of the most respected internal communication agencies on Wall Street. He is a graduate of Pratt Institute with a BFA in Communications Design.

Mr. Hetzel joined the Company’s external manager in September of 2020 as Controller and has been its Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since March 2023. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Hetzel served as VP of Finance for a real estate development and asset management company and spent seven years with PricewaterhouseCoopers where he was a manager in the REIT audit practice. Mr. Hetzel has over fourteen years of real estate and financial management experience focused on real estate and REITs, including multi-family properties, hotels, office buildings, malls, strip centers and condominium development. Mr. Hetzel received a Master of Business Administration, Accounting BSBA and Finance BSBA from the University of Central Florida and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Mr. Katz has over 10 years of experience advising public and private companies in acquisitions, debt and equity financings, corporate governance matters and continuous reporting obligations. He previously worked in the corporate and securities groups at national law firms and prior to joining he led the corporate legal team at a unicorn technology company. Mr. Katz received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.S. from the University of Maryland.

Mr. Bixler has an excess of 20 years’ Project Management and Executive Leadership experience in various sectors of the Construction Industry having completed more than $100,000,000 worth of capex projects. Mr. Bixler began his career in the Heavy Highway/Civil sector being involved in projects such as the repair of the subway tunnels and construction of the Transit Hall at the former World Trade Center site in New York City. During his career he has also been involved in Residential, Industrial, Hospitality, Institutional and Commercial sectors. Mr. Bixler graduated cum laude from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Science and Management and also holds degrees in Industrial and Construction Engineering.

Mr. Freindlich has over 8 years of real estate, private equity, credit investing and corporate strategy experience. Previously Mr. Freindlich was a Senior Associate at AFC Gamma, a publicly traded mortgage REIT focused on commercial real estate lending. Prior to joining AFC Gamma, Mr. Freindlich worked as a Private Equity Associate at New Fortress Energy. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a (BSBA) in Finance and a (BS) in Economics.

Mr. Gioia has over 12 years of private credit, real estate and private equity investing experience, and an additional two years of investment banking and capital markets experience. Previously Mr. Gioia served as Head of Real Estate Originations at AFC Gamma, a publicly traded mortgage REIT, for three years. Prior to joining AFC Gamma, Mr. Gioia worked at ArmaVir Partners, a private equity firm he co-founded with over $375 million in assets under management. Prior to that he worked at Cowen in private equity investing and investment banking roles. He graduated with an A.B. in English Literature from Princeton University.

Mr. Swann has over 15 years of experience in real estate and private equity. Prior to joining Southern Realty Trust, Mr. Swann was the Managing Partner at Belair Property Group. Formerly Managing Director at BentallGreenOak, where he performed due diligence and deal execution since 2010.

Mr. Sedrish has over 20 years of leadership experience within real estate private equity, focusing on institutional commercial real estate opportunities. Formerly a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Related Fund Management (“RFM”) and the Head of Commercial Real Estate Acquisitions Special Situations for Deutsche Bank.