Meet the Expert Team Behind Southern Realty Trust
“At Southern Realty Trust, we take pride in our exceptional team of professionals, each with a deep-rooted commitment to excellence and a profound understanding of the nuances within the Southern real estate market.”
–Brian Sedrish, Partner & CEO
MANAGEMENT AND ORIGINATION
PLATFORM SUPPORT
Alfred Trivilino
Managing Director
Mr. Trivilino has over 30 years of experience in real estate credit and private equity. Previously Mr. Trivilino was Managing Director and Head of U.S. Real Estate Finance at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (“CDPQ”) responsible for overseeing the implementation and expansion of the U.S. commercial real estate financing strategy. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director at Related Fund Management and Head of Originations for the high yield credit strategy. Mr. Trivilino has held various principal/senior management positions in private real estate equity and debt platforms over his career including Gramercy Capital, BayNorth Capital (formerly Charlesbank) and Apollo Real Estate Advisors.
Will Rotatori
Vice President
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.
Stephen Tannenbaum
Associate
James Velgot
Chief Marketing Officer
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.
Brandon Hetzel
Chief Financial Officer
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.
Gabriel Katz
Chief Legal Officer
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.
Martin Bixler III
Vice President, Construction
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.
Matt Freindlich
Vice President
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.
Stuart Swann
Managing Director
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.