OUR TEAM
CenterCal Properties LLC is a team made up of over 120 diverse individuals who have come together to build and operate exciting commercial projects that reflect our collective core values. Our team is dedicated to creating projects that have a meaningful place in their respective communities and generate solid returns for our investor partner while maintaining a strong commitment to the community.
We hold steadfast the principles of fairness in all of our relationships, including fair labor practices and diversity in hiring. We create projects that become a meaningful and welcome part of the communities we serve, and lead our industry in creating sustainable retail technology and placemaking that will withstand the challenges of a changing and evolving marketplace.

12 OFFICES
20 SHOPPING CENTERS
120+ EMPLOYEES
5 STATES


FRED BRUNING
CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER

Fred Bruning began his real estate career as legal counsel for Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1977 and was responsible for their real estate portfolio in the west which consisted of over 500 assets. After leaving Sears in 1983, Mr. Bruning served as Vice-President of Development for the Torrance Company in Torrance, California, then as Vice-President of Development for the John Price Development Company in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1985, Mr. Bruning joined the Alexander Haagen Company as a development partner. In his 13 years there, he was the key executive in charge of the acquisition and development of over 40 retail projects. Mr. Bruning was also instrumental in taking the company public in 1993, serving as the Wall Street spokesperson. In 1998, Mr. Bruning along with his partner Mr. Wardy, formed their own development company, CenterOak Properties, LLC, and in 2004 became CenterCal Properties, LLC. In his career, he has been actively involved in over 150 major retail developments in the western United States.
Mr. Bruning is a member of the California Bar Association, the International Council of Shopping Centers and has served on several corporate and charitable boards. He received his Juris Doctor from Loyola University in Los Angeles and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College in Claremont, California. His hobbies include travel, archaeology, and flying his antique Stearman biplane.
Fred is married forever to his wife Brandace, who has had a very successful career in retail marketing, fashion and modeling.
JEAN PAUL WARDY
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND FOUNDER

Jean Paul Wardy began his career in real estate while attending the University of Southern California. Mr. Wardy joined the Alexander Haagen Company in 1990, and by 1993 had been promoted to Vice President, Acquisitions. From 1993 through 1998, Mr. Wardy was the executive primarily responsible for the successful acquisition of over 20 shopping centers.
In 1998, Mr. Wardy co-founded CenterOak Properties with Fred Bruning, which became CenterCal Properties in 2004. Since that time, Mr. Wardy has committed his efforts toward creating successful retail driven projects that both enhance and elevate the communities they serve.
In the pursuit of his real estate career, Mr. Wardy built upon the solid foundation of his family’s successful retail background in the Amen Wardy Stores and Amen Wardy Home Stores. Mr. Wardy is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Urban Land Institute, and is a devoted husband and father.
Craig Trottier rejoins CenterCal as President, Intermountain, based out of the Station Park office in Farmington, UT. Since 2014, Mr. Trottier held the position of Senior Vice President, Retail Leader with Trammell Crow Company in Houston, TX. Preceding that, from 2008-2014, Mr. Trottier was Vice President, Development with CenterCal Properties. During that time, Mr. Trottier led the successful development of Station Park as well as The Village at Meridian in Meridian, ID. With more than 30 years’ experience in commercial real estate development, Mr. Trottier has held key leadership positions within the public and private sectors as well as national REITs.
Mr. Trottier’s expertise spans throughout all phases of real estate development where he takes projects from concept to cash flow. He has effectively assembled and led development teams throughout the country and been responsible for the development of almost $2 billion of completed retail and mixed-use projects. He has also leased millions of square feet of retail and office space to world class tenants. Craig received his Associate of Science, Sales and Retailing and Bachelor of Science, Finance Degree’s from Weber State University in Ogden, UT and his MBA in Marketing and Finance from Utah State University in Logan, UT.
Mr. Trottier, his wife and their 3 sons relocated from Texas back to Utah.
PRESIDENT, INTERMOUNTAIN
CRAIG TROTTIER

Craig Ramey joins CenterCal Properties as President, Pacific NW and Bay Area based out of the Bridgeport Village office in Tigard, Oregon. Craig comes to us most recently from Regency Centers where he held the position of Managing Director of the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, and Colorado. While there, Craig was responsible for overseeing the formulation, growth, and management of property development and investment business in these markets.
Previously, Craig was Senior Vice President and Senior Market Officer for Regency Centers for over 20 shopping centers in Oregon and Washington, totaling 1.6 million square feet. He joined Regency as Senior Vice President of Investments in 1998 through the merger with Pacific Retail Trust. Since then he has initiated the development or redevelopment of 25 shopping centers, worth a total cost of more than $650 million. He was appointed Senior Vice President and Senior Market Officer in 2009. Craig has also served as Senior Vice President for MBK Northwest, a division of MBK Real Estate, based in Irvine, CA.
Craig earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Oregon State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. He enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, skiing in central Oregon, golfing and hiking.
PRESIDENT, PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND BAY AREA
CRAIG RAMEY
John Nahas joins CenterCal Properties as President, Southern California based out of the corporate office in El Segundo, CA. John comes to us directly from Regency Centers where since 2016, he held the position of Vice President, Investments in Southern California. In this role, John led the formation of market strategy and was responsible for the acquisition, design, entitlement, leasing and construction of retail and mixed-use assets. John also led Regency’s REmix innovation committee which pursued strategic initiatives relative to its business plan.
Previously, John was Senior Manager, Investments for Regency Centers and managed a cross-functional regional development team in its execution of re/development projects throughout Regency’s Southern California portfolio. Prior to joining Regency in 2015, John served as Vice President at CoastOak Group, a privately held real estate development and investment management company. At CoastOak, he was responsible for the evaluation of domestic and international investment opportunities, with a focus on residential communities.
With more than 15 years of industry experience, John has led the development of over $500 million of retail and residential projects. He earned his Master’s in Real Estate Development degree from the University of Southern California, and his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.
John is an avid skier and scuba diver and enjoys exploring the great outdoors with his wife and daughter.
PRESIDENT, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
JOHN NAHAS

Brent Taravella joins CenterCal Properties as Chief Financial Officer based out of the corporate office in El Segundo, California. Mr. Taravella comes to us from Caruso Affiliated, Los Angeles, CA, where from 2018 – 2020, he held the position of Senior Vice President, Finance and was a key member of the executive staff that defined and executed company strategies across a portfolio of real estate assets which included retail, office, residential, restaurants, and a luxury hotel. Previously, from 2015-2017, Mr. Taravella worked as Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for McCourt Global in New York City, a privately owned alternative asset investment management firm, with holdings in real estate, finance, sports, and media.
At McCourt, he was responsible for finance and operations including oversight of finance and accounting, tax, business development, FP&A, compliance, legal, risk management, and human resources for the global business operations. From 2012-2015, Mr. Taravella worked as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for iHeartMedia (formerly Clear Channel) in New York City where he was responsible for the financial operations of iHeartRadio, iHeart Networks (Premiere Network and Total Traffic & Weather Network) and the Katz Media Group. Prior to that, Mr. Taravella worked for Fox Television Stations in New York City from 1998-2012 as Vice President, Finance & Administration for Fox Stations Sales where he was responsible for budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, risk management, and creating an environment with strong internal controls for 13 offices with combined billing ranging from $700 million to $1 billion annually.
Mr. Taravella received his Bachelor of Business Administration/Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin, and his MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Mr. Taravella is also a Certified Public Accountant. He is a huge movie buff, lives in Culver City, CA, and is married with three teenagers and Stella the dog.
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
BRENT TARAVELLA
Chris Byers joined CenterCal in 2010 with more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate. Ms. Byers oversees leasing of the growing portfolio of mixed-use centers and development projects for the Intermountain Region.
Prior to joining CenterCal, Chris worked as Director of Real Estate and was responsible for the strategic development and growth for national retailers such as Chico’s, White House Black Market, Soma, and Coldwater Creek. Her valuable relationships and experience from the retail side of the business has given her a unique view and perspective into the successful merchandising and leasing strategies across the CenterCal portfolio.
Ms. Byers attended the University of Utah and has been a member of ICSC for over 25 years. Chris was born and raised in Salt Lake City and is married with two children.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, LEASING
CHRIS BYERS

Sean Dennison is CenterCal Properties General Counsel, overseeing the company’s legal affairs. Mr. Dennison has been in commercial real estate for the past 18 years when he began as an Associate at ShawPittman LLP (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman) in Washington, DC. Since then, he has been with The Lerner Corporation, a leading Washington-area developer; The Gap, Inc., a leading retailer; Stanbery Development, LLC, a lifestyle center developer; and Federal Realty Investment Trust where, just prior to coming onboard at CenterCal, he spent 6 years working on projects such as Santana Row, Third Street Promenade, Plaza El Segundo and The Point.
Mr. Dennison is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and is active in ICSC. Mr. Dennison and his wife live in Hermosa Beach with their two children and their Labrador.
GENERAL COUNSEL
SEAN DENNISON

Peter Houck is Senior Vice President of Properties for CenterCal Properties, LLC. Mr. Houck is responsible for overall asset management, property operations and financial results for the portfolio. Mr. Houck joined CenterCal in September 2012 as General Manager at The Collection at Riverpark.
Mr. Houck previously worked for Related Urban in several management roles including Time Warner Center in Manhattan, CityCenter of CityNorth in Phoenix and Anaheim GardenWalk in Orange County, CA. Prior to joining Related Urban, Mr. Houck held the role of Property Manager with Brookfield Properties. Also with Brookfield Properties, he was General Manager of 700 North Michigan Avenue. With Urban Retail Properties, Mr. Houck held management positions at Louis Joliet Mall, Fox Valley Mall, 730 North Michigan Avenue and Water Tower Place in the Chicagoland area.
Mr. Houck received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from University of Iowa. He also holds a CSM designation from ICSC and a RPA designation from BOMA. Mr. Houck is married with two children.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PROPERTIES
PETER HOUCK

Deepa Janha has held the position of Vice President, Asset Management for CenterCal Properties, LLC since March 2019 where she is responsible for the overall asset management and financial performance of the portfolio.
Ms. Janha has been in the commercial real estate industry for over 23 years. Prior to joining CenterCal, she served as Principal for Hidden Park Advisors, a bi-coastal consulting company. Earlier, Ms. Janha held the position of Senior Asset Manager with Equity One, Inc., where she and her team were responsible for the asset management of 50+ east coast retail properties. Ms. Janha also spent 12 years at AEW Capital Management, LP in various departments including Investor Relations, Asset Management, and Portfolio Accounting. Previous to AEW, Ms. Janha was a Consultant at Goldman Sachs in their Private Wealth Investment Management department.
Ms. Janha earned her B.A. from University of Massachusetts – Amherst, her M.B.A. from Northeastern University, and she completed the Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate at Harvard University. Ms. Janha, her husband and two daughters to whom she is very dedicated reside in Los Angeles. In her spare time, Ms. Janha is also involved in philanthropy.
VICE PRESIDENT, ASSET MANAGEMENT
DEEPA JANHA

Gary Hall has held the position of Vice President, Community Center Leasing for CenterCal Properties, LLC since 2011. Mr. Hall is responsible for co-captaining the Leasing Department efforts of a dynamic and growing portfolio of mixed-use and promotional power centers. He has had the good fortune to work on all but one of the assets within the CenterCal portfolio.
Prior to joining CenterCal, Mr. Hall’s real estate career began as a Real Estate Manager for Albertsons. During his tenure there, Mr. Hall worked on multiple grocery store expansion projects and was part of the team that originally rolled out the fuel center program throughout the organization. After leaving Albertsons, Mr. Hall joined the development side of the business as Director of Leasing for several development companies based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Mr. Hall received his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Finance from Boise State University and has been a member of ICSC for over 24 years. He lives in Meridian, Idaho with his wife and overly needy Sheepadoodle. He also has two children currently attending college.
VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNITY CENTER LEASING
GARY HALL

ACCOUNTING, FINANCE & IT
CORPORATE ACCOUNTING
TINA ANINION
Accounting ManagerJUDY ASHCROFT
Senior Project AccountantMARIE HUBER
AP/AR AccountantELSIE LEUNG
Corporate Controller / TreasurerKELLY MUI
Project ControllerPROPERTY ACCOUNTING
LEO ALTOBAR
Property AccountantMARIA CORTEZ
Accounts Receivable / Collections AnalystGORDON DOBBERSTEIN
Property AccountantTRAN HUYNH
Vice President, Property AccountingSINDY MAGDALENO
Accounts Payable ClerkJESSICA MARTINEZ
Senior Property AccountantJOANNA WIBERG
Property AccountantFINANCE
ALLEN PAN
Finance DirectorLEGAL & CONTRACTS
LEGAL
DONELLA BAZIL
Legal AssistantSEAN DENNISON
General CounselKRISTA GRANGER
Deputy General CounselHASHEM KAROUM
Associate General CounselGABRIEL ROBERTS
Senior Manager, Legal and LeasingTHERESE SMITH BREWTON
Lease AdministratorCONTRACTS
KESHA WILLIAMS
Contracts ManagerASSET MANAGEMENT
DEEPA JANHA
Vice President, Asset ManagementEDITH PETROVICS
Senior Asset ManagerJOSEPH WOIWODE
Senior Financial AnalystGRETA WORTMAN
Asset Services ManagerDEVELOPMENT & ACQUISITIONS
DAWN BECKER
Entitlements & Project Design ManagerLANCE BLACKWOOD
Project ManagerELIZABETH CLIPP MARTIN
Development DirectorSEAN HARTY
Acquisitions AssociateLEMUEL KONG
Director of AcquisitionsPacific NW & Bay Area
SASIMA THANANAN
Project CoordinatorMEGAN WATSON
Development DirectorCONSTRUCTION
DAVID GILDERSLEEVE
Project ExecutiveSCOTT ARRINGTON
Vice President, ConstructionJENNY OSTLUND
Project CoordinatorMARCI READER
Project CoordinatorDUSTIN RIDGE
Assistant Project ManagerLEASING
LAURIE BAKER
Specialty Leasing ManagerCHRIS BYERS
Senior Vice President LeasingKENYA ERVING
Portfolio Manager, LeasingJOCELYN FULTZ
Project Manager, LeasingMALLORIE GOODY
Leasing RepresentativeGARY HALL
Vice President, Community Center LeasingKEVIN HEGLIN
Leasing DirectorBIRGIT LAYNE
Project Manager, LeasingEMILY LEOGRANDE
Senior Lease AnalystJARED LUX
AssociateAARON MULLINS
Specialty Leasing ManagerPacific NW
MACKENZIE PETERSEN
Project Manager, LeasingERIKA PLUMMER
Senior Leasing DirectorFRAN (MORENO) RADJI
Senior Leasing DirectorCORINNE RUCKLE
Project Manager, Community Centers LeasingTRACI RUSSELL
Senior Leasing DirectorDEE TORRES
Senior Leasing DirectorMELANIE VASQUEZ
Senior Leasing DirectorMONICA WALLACE
Project Manager, LeasingGENERAL ADMINISTRATION
HUMAN RESOURCES
KATHY DONLON
Executive AssistantBRANDI FEARS
Front Office AdministratorLORRIE RASHKOW
Executive AssistantTENANT AND DESIGN SERVICES
TASHA CARTER
Talent Acquisition ManagerTENANT SERVICES
MOLLY FARRAND
Tenant Services Project CoordinatorJOHN FINK
Director Tenant ServicesJULIE GOZDIFF
Tenant Services Project CoordinatorDAVID GRUENEFELDT
Project Manager, Tenant Services - IntermountainKARL HUNTER
Director Tenant ServicesMADIKA OWENS
Tenant Services Project CoordinatorDAWN SIMONE
Director Tenant ServicesDESIGN SERVICES
MINA LIBA
Design ManagerJULIETA SAMPER RICHARD
Senior Graphic DesignerLIANA YANGSON-WILCOX
Senior Design DirectorPROPERTY MANAGEMENT, GENERAL
JENNIFER "JENNY" ACOSTA
Lease Administration / CAM ManagerJ. DAVID ANDERSON
General ManagerCHRISTINE BARNDEN
Property Management AssistantJOHN BENTON
General ManagerSHERI BRENNAN
Office ManagerPAUL BRETT
General ManagerADRIENNE CAWILI
Property Management AdministratorHUGH CRAWFORD
General ManagerLINDA DILEMBO
General ManagerROGER FIANDER
Operations ManagerSARAH FRANKS
Property Management AssistantIZAMAR HOOK
General ManagerPETER HOUCK
Senior Vice President, PropertiesKRISTEN KARL
Assistant General ManagerSAMANTHA LOPEZ
General ManagerYVONNE MATIS
Property Management AssistantJENNIFER MULL
Lease Administration / CAM ManagerRESHITA NAYLOR
Office ManagerMICHAEL PYNN
General ManagerDEBBIE RHODES
Property Management AssistantSANDRA ROLLINSON
General ManagerTIFFANY SANCHEZ
Property Management AssistantKATHLEEN SEMACH
Property Management AssistantMARY ANN STARN
Property Management AssistantMEREDITH STILLMAN
Assistant General ManagerNINA WRIGHT-FRANKLIN
Guest Services SupervisorPROPERTY MANAGEMENT, MARKETING
JILL ALMONIA
Marketing ManagerKIMBERLY BLUE
Regional Marketing DirectorJACOB BUTLER
Marketing ManagerNINA CIOLINO
Marketing AssistantRAQUEL "ROCKY" CUNNINGHAM
Marketing & BusinessDevelopment Coordinator
JULIANA FINBERG
Marketing & BusinessDevelopment Coordinator