Eastwind Development LLC

Eastwind Development, LLC was founded in 2007 by John “Jack” Weir, who previously served as Senior Vice President for a privately held Florida multifamily development group. Eastwind Development and its affiliate, Eastwind Acquisitions, LLC, are based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and focus on the multifamily housing in Florida and the Southeast United States. Eastwind Development focuses on the development of new multifamily housing and has both a market division and a work force/ affordable division. Currently, our focus is on South and Central Florida. Eastwind Acquisitions concentrates on the acquisition of land for new development projects or purchasing existing multifamily assets that provide minor rehabilitation and value-added opportunities or that can be purchased at a significant discount to replacement cost.

Eastwind offers a depth of development and acquisition/rehabilitation experience, a strong value orientation in selection of investment opportunities, rigorous standards for project team selection, detailed attention to development and acquisition execution and an ongoing commitment to high quality building and resident satisfaction.

John ``Jack`` WeirManaging Member

John “Jack” Weir is the President of Eastwind Development, LLC and Eastwind Acquisitions, LLC. Eastwind, based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, focuses on the development and acquisition of multifamily housing in Florida and the Southeast U.S. Previously, Weir was Senior Vice President of Creative Choice Homes, Inc., based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, from 1994-2007. Mr. Weir served as chief operating officer for the company, was responsible for all strategic and project financing, and oversaw all acquisition and development activities. He was directly responsible for the financing, closing and development of over 40 multifamily projects involving over 6,000 multifamily units in Florida and five other states, as well as multiple additional closings and financings.

He has extensive experience in arranging construction, permanent, mezzanine loan and equity financing from a wide range of banking, insurance and institutional capital sources. He is well-versed in the intricacies of the housing tax credit, has extensive experience with multifamily tax-exempt bond and credit enhancement programs, as well as all major federal, state and local public loan programs.

Prior to his involvement in housing finance, Mr. Weir was a corporate and securities attorney with the firm of Debevoise and Plimpton in New York City. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, attended the University of St. Andrews in Scotland on a Rotary Fellowship, and received a B.A. from the University of Scranton. He has been admitted to the bar in Florida, New York and New Jersey.

Stephen NovackiVice President, Development & Acquisitions

As Vice President of Development and Acquisitions, Stephen R. Novacki is responsible for sourcing and implementation of real estate development projects throughout the State of Florida. In this capacity, he manages the acquisition and development process from contract through completion. Specific responsibilities include site selection and feasibility, underwriting, contract negotiations, due diligence, management of third-party consultants, site planning, product design, entitlements, and procurement of all governmental approvals to commence construction.
In previous roles, Stephen served as the regional development partner for an Orlando based multifamily development group and as Director of Acquisitions for a south Florida real estate acquisitions firm. In these capacities, he also was involved with project financing as it related to securing debt and equity funding. With almost two decades of experience in the industry, Stephen’s closed deal volume includes 6,860 multifamily units and a transactions value that exceeds $1.2 Billion.
Stephen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Babson College with a concentration in Finance, Investments and Entrepreneurship. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, the National Multifamily Housing Council and has maintained a Florida Broker’s license since 2003.

Stephanie MillerVice President Asset Management

Ms. Miller joined Eastwind as the Director of Asset Management after 30 years on the operational side of the multi-family industry. She earned her CPM Designation from IREM in 2001 and has managed market rate and affordable communities up and down the east coast. She served as Treasurer for the Executive Committee of the Southeast Florida Apartment Association and the Board of Directors for the Florida Apartment Association. She was also Chair of the Income and Expense Committee for the Institute of Real Estate Management Chapter 19.

Steve PottingVice President of Finance

As Vice President of Finance, Steve Potting is responsible for arranging all project and company financing, including construction, financing for portfolio assets, and equity investments, as well as tax planning.

Most recently, Mr. Potting served as a Senior Relationship Manager with M&T Bank. Previously, he was a Senior Vice President at PNC Bank, where he was responsible for providing financing and banking solutions to Florida-based commercial real estate developers and owners. Throughout his career, Mr. Potting has financed over $4 billion of commercial real estate loans throughout the country, including Eastwind developments Dakota at Abacoa, Sonoma Pointe, Monterey Pointe, High Ridge Landing, San Mateo Crossing, Solera at City Center, and Siena Pointe.

Mr. Potting received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Ohio University and Master of Business Administration from Palm Beach Atlantic University. He has been an active member of the Urban Land Institute and the National Multifamily Housing Council, and is a licensed real estate professional.

Stephane CantinOwner Representative

Stephane is a construction professional with more than 15 years of success estimating and managing all phases of multimillion dollar construction projects. Stephane led the estimating department of The Altman Companies for many years during which thousands of multi-family units were delivered throughout Florida, North Carolina and Chicago. In 2005, Stephane started Benchmark Construction Consultants Inc., where he successfully completed a variety of public and private sector construction projects for developers (Trammel Crow, Archstone, and Alliance), contractors (Suffolk, Summit) and municipalities (Daytona Beach Housing Authority, Hollywood Beach CRA). In 2010, Stephane was the Chief Estimator at Heatherbrae Builders in Vancouver, British Columbia where he worked for 2 years on commercial public work projects such as schools, affordable housing and government buildings. Stephane is a graduate of Florida State University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering in 1991. He completed his LEED AP for new construction in 2009.

Jennifer TalaveraController

Jennifer Talavera is a CPA with experience in public and private accounting with a focus on real estate, food production and distribution. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and has a Master’s Degree in Accounting from Florida International University. She has served as a Senior Auditor for Ernst & Young, Senior Accountant for LNR Property LLC and Accounting Manager for Starwood Property Trust. She has worked with accounting, financial and forecasting systems and worked on business acquisitions. She has also been responsible for financial reporting in US GAAP and IFRS, as well as, preparation of SEC filings and SOX compliance.

Patty LaineAdministration and Closings

Ms. Laine is responsible for office management, administration and closing coordination at Eastwind. Prior to joining Eastwind, she worked at Creative Choice Homes, Inc. from 2000 until 2007, White Oak Development, another affordable housing developer, and the Ocwen Financial Group.