Meet The Team

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

Beth Jo Zeitzer is the President and Designated Broker of R.O.I. Properties. Beth Jo has 20+ years of experience in the legal and real estate industries. She has a strong background in the turnaround, repositioning and disposition of distressed real estate assets, from single family residential to income producing properties of all types, including multi-family, retail, office and industrial properties. Prior to founding R.O.I., Beth Jo was the Director of Commercial Properties at Del Webb. She managed a $96 million, 600-acre commercial property portfolio including neighborhood and regional retail centers, corporate, medical and professional offices, business parks, light industrial, public use and multi-family properties. She supervised all phases of commercial development including planning, entitlement, infrastructure delivery, budgeting and financial oversight, marketing analysis, sales and marketing, contract negotiation, design review and construction monitoring. Beth Jo also developed and implemented the Strategic Plan for all commercial properties which involved the vision, project positioning, budgets, and marketing/image planning.

Beth Jo, an attorney by training, began her legal practice performing loan workouts and real estate transactions during the RTC period.  She is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a B.A. in General Studies (with Real Estate and Marketing Emphasis) and the University of San Diego Law School, where she was the Research Editor of the Law Review and the recipient of the Hahn Award for Excellence in Real Estate. 

Beth Jo is a licensed attorney in the States of Arizona and California, as well as a licensed Real Estate Broker in Arizona.  Beth Jo is the past President of AZCREW (Arizona Commercial Real Estate Women), a current board member of TMA (Turnaround Management Association), and a member of Valley Partnership, the Arizona Bankers Association, the Arizona Credit Union Collectors Council, Risk Management Association and other Real Estate and Banking trade organizations.

Beth Jo has three adorable boys, and spends her spare time going to basketball games and tennis matches. In addition to following her children’s activities, Beth Jo and her husband are avid movie goers.

Tina has over 17 years of financial management experience in Real Estate. Tina has provided financial consulting services to Phoenix area property owners, homebuilders and land developers since 1992. She got her start as a Staff Accountant at Del Webb Corporation, and worked her way up to Director of Finance for Pulte Corporation. Tina has significant experience in the performance of financial reporting, feasibility studies, financial modeling, process analysis and improvement, forecasting, and accounting management and controls. Her industry experience includes real estate, homebuilding, financial institutions and mortgage lending. Tina graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in Accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Arizona.

OPERATIONS

Heather, a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Arizona since 1999, has over 17 years of real estate experience including resale and homebuilding work. Since joining R.O.I. Properties, Heather put her Associate Broker’s license to good use as manager of the buyer’s agent program. In addition to her work with R.O.I.’s agents, she also functions as a Transaction Manager. Heather has remarkable attention to detail, drive for results and a commitment to making every transaction go as smoothly as possible.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AGENTS

For the past ten years, Don served as the Executive Vice President and Designated Broker for Coldwell Banker Commercial METRO CENTRAL. He has over 30 years of service in the commercial real estate industry. Specializing in the sale of apartments in the Investment Properties Division of Coldwell Banker Commercial METRO CENTRAL, his major clients included: Bank One, Wells Fargo, Del Webb Corporation, Westcor, U-haul International, and the Voit Companies.

He is knowledgeable in all types of commercial real estate transactions: Office, Industrial, Retail, Land, and Multi-Family. Don fully cooperates with all brokers in all sales of properties. He is formerly the president of Bay Financial Corporation/NYSE.

Before joining R.O.I., John was the chair of the Multi-Family Group at Coldwell Banker Commercial, and he was a Southwest Region Chairman for the National Multi-Family Group. He achieved #1 agent status in 2005; #2 agent status in 2006 and #3 agent status in 2007. John finds satisfaction in helping his clients turn their properties around by managing their properties for them and greatly improving their overall operations. By finding and incorporating strategies to improve property appearance and rent-ability, and offering many successful marketing strategies, he has been able to dramatically increase the overall occupancy and cash flows at his clients’ properties. Being a former apartment owner himself, John takes pride in helping his clients maximize their return on investments, and he works hard to provide customized service that fulfils their individual needs. Be it selling apartments for the highest price possible or providing quality service to asset managers, special servicers, trustees, bankruptcy trustees, property managers, borrowers, or buyers and sellers, John goes the extra mile to see his properties close and keeps his clients as friends and repeat customers for future opportunities and investments.

Andrea’s start in commercial real estate began with an internship at Colliers International where she provided research and marketing support to a team of commercial real estate agents specializing in leasing and sales of commercial properties Valley wide.  Prior to joining R.O.I., Andrea worked with Marcus & Millichap where she worked with a Senior Investment Broker gaining extensive experience in researching, underwriting, marketing and brokering multi-family properties.With her Phoenix market expertise and ability to market to the most qualified buyers, Andrea is committed to achieving the best results for her clients and maximizing value.  Her focus on distressed assets gives her clients a significant advantage when seeking out investment opportunities in Phoenix.  Andrea brings experience, persistence and professionalism to each transaction. 

An Arizona native, Andrea attended Arizona State University where she received a Bachelors degree studying Economics and Business. 

Andrea is an active member of Arizona Commercial Real Estate Women, where she is currently a committee chairperson.

Clayton specializes in the distressed assets division of R.O.I. commercial properties and is a member of the R.O.I. Multi-Family Group. Representing lenders, owners, and investors, Clayton has a diverse range of knowledge of the Phoenix metropolitan commercial real estate market. His strengths include a client-focused approach to every transaction by placing a priority on the property, by doing extensive research of the targeted submarket, like kind properties, and locating the most possible investors. He has great success using effective and cutting edge marketing to achieve great sales results for his clients. He also specializes in helping lenders and borrowers with loan modifications and is very knowledgeable about the short sale, note sale, and REO process. As a native Phoenician, he takes pride in his extensive geographical knowledge of the metro area and the State of Arizona as a whole. His ancestry has roots in Phoenix dating back to the 1860’s before Phoenix was incorporated. Clayton went to high school in Phoenix attending Brophy College Preparatory and then moved onto the University of Arizona where he studied regional development and business administration. Clayton began his real estate career in Phoenix at Coldwell Banker Commercial where he was a member of the national multi-family group.

Ross began his career in real estate by co-founding a residential investment firm based here in the Valley. Having enjoyed success repositioning assets across Arizona, he took a job with ViaWest Properties, a local commercial development firm that specializes in ground-up development, acquisitions and general advisory services.Ross’ responsibilities ranged from entitling large industrial parcels to facilitating residential condo conversions from acquisition through sale. He began his brokerage career with Cavan Commercial (which became Logan Commercial), a local firm that focused on office condos and small to mid-sized user deals. Working for the largest third-party broker of office condos in the Valley provided him with an extensive background in sale / lease transactions and well as developing a large database of both users and investors.

Having noticed a significant slowdown in activity in May 2007, Ross began to cultivate relationships with financial institutions long before the precipitous drop that the Valley’s commercial RE market values experienced in late 2008 and that continues today. Ross first listed commercial product for a lender in 2007 and currently services more lender-owned office listings than any broker in the Valley. He sits on the board of the Young Leaders’ Group of the Urban Land Institute as well as several local charity-related organizations.

Ross holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Economics from Duke University.

As a Real Estate Agent and holding qualifications of Certified Commercial Investment Management and a Bachelors Degree in Marketing, Marcela brings 8+ years of experience to R.O.I. Marcela’s bilingual skills allow her to provide a broader service to Special Servicers, Asset Managers, Trustees, and Lenders. Specializing in office and retail, Marcela’s commercial real estate experience includes acquisition, disposition, and leasing, as well as negotiation and transaction completion. She is highly adaptable and a conscientious self-starter with an earned reputation for dedication, integrity, efficiency and professionalism.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Grant Almquist, who has been a Valley resident since early-childhood, brings over twenty years of sales and marketing experience to every real estate transaction. His passion for the business began in 2002 while working for a golf community developer in Scottsdale. He quickly realized that the residential component of each project was the most exciting and quickly took his career in that direction. He became an award-winning top salesperson for one of Arizona’s leading home builders and eventually moved into a management position. His love for working with owner-occupants and investors has brought him back to the field where he excels at matching the right buyer with the right property. Grant holds a B.S. in Political Science and an MBA in International Management. When not working with clients, Grant enjoys anything outdoors and competing in the great sport of Triathlon.

Kelli Blagen has been a Valley resident for over 30 years, and therefore knows the area well! Prior to joining R.O.I. Properties, Kelli worked in New Home Sales as a Community Manager for Shea Homes (Active Adult Division) and Element Homes. She received a MAME Lifetime Achievement Award (Major Achievement in Marketing Excellence) for selling over $50 million in real estate. This organization recognizes leaders in the home building industry. MAME is about results; finding creative yet effective ways to sell more homes, regardless of the market.

Kelli received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Northern Arizona University and has been a licensed Real Estate Agent since 2003. She also has her Associate Broker license.

With two young kids at home and a husband who is a Fire Captain, Kelli doesn’t have much time for hobbies. However, in her spare time, she loves to travel and be with family and friends.

Liza was born and raised in Israel and has been in the Valley for 19 years. She comes to R.O.I. with 10+ years of real estate and mortgage experience, coupled with a Bachelors Degree in Business Management. Liza’s experience, attitude, and positive outlook, along with the knowledge and understanding of the principles of real estate, provide her with the tools to negotiate a “win-win” scenario for all of her first time home buyers, out-of-state investors, and “Owner-Occupied” families. Open communication has lead to long-lasting business and social relationships with her clients.

Liza has served as the President for Jess Schwartz College Prep Parent Association, and has remained a dedicated volunteer. She has two children: her son, Perry (who is attending Arizona State University) and her daughter, Shelly (who is attending Northern Arizona University).After work, Liza can be found practicing Yoga, entertaining clients and friends, watching movies, volunteering and reading.

Chuck has been in real estate for close to 10 years.  Although his core focus is in working with investors, he also assists lenders with the disposition of REO properties, and helps guide homeowners through short sales.

Prior to joining R.O.I. Properties, Chuck was a Navy radioman on the USS Hancock.  He then worked in telecommunications in California.  After attending Arizona State University as a music major, he began his entrepreneurial career in the nightclub business.

Janice has been working in the real estate industry for over 10 years. She works with all kinds of buyers, but her primary focus has been working with investors. From the novice investor to the high volume investor, Janice has worked with her clients on fix & flips, rentals and buy & hold strategies.

In addition to investment properties , Janice specializes in short sales. She is CDPE and CSSN certified. Her expertise in this area helps both the buyer and seller navigate their way through this complicated process to ensure that the transaction closes.

Janice holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Connecticut. She resides in Scottsdale with her husband and their two beagles and often visits her sons in San Diego where they go to college.

Michelle Kort joined R.O.I. Properties in December, 2009.  She has acquired a wealth of skills through her experience as an attorney, entrepreneur and community volunteer.  Having grown up in Phoenix, Michelle is able to offer meaningful insights into properties and neighborhoods. She earned her BA degree at the University of Arizona and attended Arizona State University College of Law. 

 Michelle’s 12 years of entrepreneurial experience was built with a multi-store front retail business.  After the sale of her business in 2007, Michelle had an active consulting business with a focus on retail stores.  She was awarded the Small Business Person of the Year Award for the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce in 2002.

Prior to joining R.O.I. Properties, Lisa was in mortgage loan processing and environmental consulting.  Her real estate career includes sales of commercial, residential, and land properties.  She is also a Certified General Appraiser for commercial and residential properties. 

Lisa is Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource Certified, which has increased her skills in short sale negotiation with lenders.  

Frank Murphy has enjoyed the rewarding and ever-changing profession of Real Estate since moving to Phoenix from Connecticut in 1991, for the abundant opportunity and quality of life for which Phoenix is well known. Frank integrates a broad depth of experience and market knowledge with a casual-professional style. As an active, hands-on Real Estate investor and entrepreneur, he understands the priorities, processes, and pitfalls of real estate investment. Frank has received numerous industry awards and peer recognition for not only exceptional sales volume but also unequalled dedication to customer service throughout the duration of his career. He enjoys sailing in San Diego, the quaintness of New England, and the mountains of Telluride when he strays from the desert.

Sandra began her real estate career almost 30 years ago.  Prior to joining R.O.I. Properties, Sandra’s entrepreneurial experience included starting and selling two successful start-up businesses still in existence today. 

She is CDPE (certified distressed property expert) and REO certified.  Customer service has always remained her first and foremost priority, whether in representing the unique needs of lenders whom she facilitates numerous intricate REO transactions for in acting as liaison between buyer‘s agents and lender sellers in foreclosure sales, to helping both buyers and private sellers to navigate their way through the complexities our ever-evolving residential market. 

Sandra is also well versed in helping buyers take advantage of various government grant programs such as NSP and USDA rural loan programs, in helping to turn their dreams of first time home ownership into realities through numerous government assistance grants. 

Lisa has been a licensed Real Estate Agent in Arizona since 2004, focusing on the Phoenix market. Before joining R.O.I. as an account manager, she excelled in the sales of new home construction for a major national homebuilder, KB Home.  Prior to her real estate career, Lisa worked as a licensed attorney in Washington for six years in the areas of corporate tax planning and contract negotiation.   She held a position as a contract manager for Starbucks Coffee Company, where she was fortunate to be trained by top real estate attorneys in negotiating license agreements with Fortune 500 companies.  Her clients included Safeway, Host Marriot, and Westin Hotels, among many others.   It was through this position that she learned how a successful focus on real estate acquisitions can be the key to corporate growth. 

Lisa’s educational background includes a BA from Wellesley College, a JD from Seattle University Law School, and an LL.M in Taxation from the University of Washington.  Her legal training provides her with the ability to handle the most detailed of contracts, and she thoroughly enjoys navigating the many challenges of REO transactions. 

Prior to joining the R.O.I. team, Nicole Sax honed her skills working with homebuilders, a media company and the American Red Cross. Most recently, Nicole was Marketing Manager for Element Homes, which she joined after working for Toll Brothers. Nicole has found her niche in real estate; she enjoys the exciting and ever-changing market and feels tremendous satisfaction helping people get into homes.

Nicole received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business with an emphasis in Marketing and a minor in Psychology. She has been a licensed Real Estate Agent in the State of Arizona since 2004.

Born and raised in Colorado, Nicole loves the outdoors and adventure. Her favorites include running the Bolder Boulder, climbing 14ers, hiking, skiing and the latest activity, zip lining! Travel is also a passion; she has visited 25 of the 50 states including Hawaii. She has also traveled outside the U.S. to Paris, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Despite all of this travel, she still hates road trips! This might be attributed to the cross country move from New York to Arizona that her husband insisted could be done in two days. Thankfully, the dog needed rest stops otherwise it may have been an all out race to be done in a single day.

Steven M. Skarphol,  Associate Broker,   ePro, CDPE, CSSN, SFR – with over 35 years of  experience in the AZ RE Market, knows how to analyze the market data,  locate “deals” and then close them using his expertise combined with advanced technology tools.  This high level of skill is recognized by earning the Realtor’s professional ePro designation.  Advanced training in dealing with short sales and foreclosures is recognized by the earned designations:  CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert), CSSN (Certified Short Sale Negotiator) and the National Association of Realtor’s SFR (Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource)

Mr. Skarphol’s career of senior level executive management positions and ownership at top real estate firms forged expertise in: land development, industrial/office warehouse, commercial, retail, hospitality, homebuilding, and general construction in AZ, CA, and the Midwest.  This high level of experience provides extensive knowledge in RE related fields such as acquisition, negotiation, investment, land planning, entitlement, zoning, construction, finance, consulting, short sales, foreclosures and REO. 

In addition, as an entrepreneur, Skarphol founded a technology/communications firm servicing Fortune 500 companies in Arizona, which he subsequently sold to a Top 10 rated Arizona Technology Company.

Skarphol is a graduate of ASU with a BS degree in Construction Management, magna cum laude, and a Masters degree in Business Administration. Community services include two terms as president of ABEVA HOA, and ten years as a City of Phoenix BVA volunteer. Professional industry Board service/membership includes:  AGC, AIC, ACCE, NACORE, NAIOP, and ULI.   Skarphol is a qualifying party for an AZ GC license and a former USMCR combat engineer.   Steve enjoys running marathons, rock climbing, hiking, skiing, and golf; so when he’s not working in real estate… he’s experiencing it! 

Darci has been in the real estate industry for over 21 years, both in homebuilding, as well as resale.  She has won a number of awards recognizing her as a top professional in real estate.

Prior to joining R.O.I. Properties, Darci developed her skills through homebuilders like UDC, Shea Homes, and Engle Homes. Experiencing both strong and soft markets, Darci was instrumental in each homebuilders’ growth in the Phoenix market, and consistently ranked as one of their top producers.

Carole Whitmore has more than 15 years of experience in new home sales and has won a number of awards recognizing her as a top professional in real estate sales.

Carole started her real estate career with UDC Homes in 1993 where she honed her skills in the “Critical Path” theory of selling. She eventually moved on to Fulton Homes for several years before joining Engle Homes as their first sales person and worked with a small team to launch Engle’s top-performing subdivisions. Carole was instrumental in Engle’s growth in the Phoenix market and consistently ranked as one of their top producers.

Carole holds a BA degree from The University of Iowa. In her free time, Carole volunteers and serves as a member of The Foster Care Review Board.

As an Arizona Native, and a real estate agent for 11+ years, Carrie Wright’s knows the Greater Phoenix market very well! She specializes in the following markets: Scottsdale, Goodyear, Avondale, Litchfield, Surprise, Glendale, Peoria, Gilbert and Tempe.

Carrie is a graduate of ASU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. Upon graduating from ASU, Carrie decided to get into the family business of Real Estate with an emphasis on single family residential homes. She is highly motivated and driven with excellent communication, listening and negotiation skills. She has a proven ability to build rapport, confidence and trust with each and every client. Helping clients feel comfortable through every step of the Real Estate transaction is her primary goal. She has successfully represented hundreds of Buyers and Sellers with home purchases list & sell properties.

Carrie’s hobbies include: traveling, being outdoors, hiking, biking, running, water and snow skiing, dancing, and spending time with her friends and family.

Dee has been a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Arizona since 2005 and has over 20 years of experience in Real Estate, Homebuilding and Marketing. Since moving to Phoenix in 1994, she has worked for Engle Homes, U.S. Home and Turn Key Homes.

During her tenure at Engle Homes, the team was awarded the NHS award for National Homeowner Satisfaction in 2002, she was awarded team member of the year for 2003 and received a MAME award in 2004 for Administrative Team Member of the Year.

While attending Arizona Western College, Dee decided to get her feet wet in homebuilding and worked in construction hanging drywall. You could say homebuilding is in her blood and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Dee joined ROI Properties to expand our services to Pinal County, where she currently resides in Casa Grande with her husband and the last two of her four children at home. In her spare time, she volunteers her services in the community and at church. The family likes to ride their toys at the sand dunes and at the lake – when time permits.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT – R.O.I. Asset Management Solutions (an affiliate of R.O.I. Properties)

Phil has been in Property Management / Operations for over twenty years. Primarily in the golf industry, he has served as General Manager and Regional Manager for two large golf management companies in Arizona.Phil was involved with the start-up & operation of two master planned golf course communities (Sun City Grand & Anthem Golf & Country Club-Phoenix) during his twelve year tenure with Del Webb Corporation.

Throughout his career he has been responsible for managing over 1,100 acres of revenue-producing assets. Phil has experience in food & beverage operations, retail management, landscape maintenance, capital improvement projects, sales and marketing.

Phil has been licensed in Arizona real estate for over seven years and has assisted buyers, sellers and investors with market analysis and due diligence with regards to residential and commercial property.

Phil is a class “A” Member of the P.G.A. of America and serves as the Executive Director for the Golf Industry Association of Arizona. Phil is also Manager “ServSafe” Certified with The National Restaurant Association.

Diane, raised in a military family, began her career in Civil Service. After seven years, she began her real estate career in homebuilding customer service with Del Webb/Pulte, and then with Element Homes, where she provided leadership and strategic direction for multiple operations at many communities throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan area.  She was awarded four consecutive top 3 finishes in the New Homebuilder Customer Satisfaction study by J.D Power and Associates (2003-2006), and her team won “TOPS” award for outstanding customer satisfaction in her market for three consecutive years.

After 23 years in new home real estate, she joined R.O.I. Properties as a Property Manager, where she specializes in asset intake, property preservation, and preparation for sale of both commercial and residential properties.  Diane’s expertise is in managing all commercial product types including office, industrial, retail, hospitality and multi-family (for owner-users, investors and lender-owned assets), which involves working directly with over fifteen financial institutions.

Diane graduated from The University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She has lived in Arizona for 30 years. 

Koby Decker has been a resident of Arizona since 1985.  After attending Northern Arizona University on an academic tuition waiver for excellence in education, Koby returned to Phoenix to begin his career in real estate.  Since Koby’s family has been involved in new home building and real estate investment for over 15 years, his understanding of the housing industry ranges collectively from new home construction to sales and marketing. Koby came to R.O.I Properties from Shea Homes where he spent several years developing his skills in new home construction and customer service.  He joined R.O.I. Properties as a Property Manager where he specializes in asset intake, property preservation, and preparation for sale.

CITY OF PHOENIX NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION PROGRAM (NSP)

Barbara comes to R.O.I. with a real estate background as a Realtor® and Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE). Native to the Phoenix area, she received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Arizona State University in Global Management and Leadership with an emphasis in Marketing. She enjoys helping individuals, families and investors build their wealth through real estate.With the City of Phoenix Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Barbara takes pride in guiding families through their purchase of a discounted foreclosed home, and, in turn, helping the City stabilize and rebuild communities.

MARKETING

Sara brings 12+ years of marketing and advertising experience to R.O.I. Properties. After graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Marketing from Arizona State University, she has since worked in advertising agencies like Moses Anshell, Santy Advertising, and Zimmerman Advertising, as well as in-house marketing for homebuilders. She has had the pleasure of marketing a variety of industries including real estate, legal, food and beverage, consumer products, and computer-based products. Her real estate background includes marketing homebuilders like DR Horton / Continental, Lennar, and Engle Homes in various markets across the country. She brings the know-how of marketing in both strong and soft real estate markets.

ACCOUNTING

CLIENT COMMUNICATONS