Team

Conner Stello, Acquisition Analyst

Conner is a Virginia Beach native and proud graduate of the local Kellam High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Real Estate & Finance from Virginia Tech and has joined CIG after a successful internship in the summer of 2023. He is dedicated to advancing his career in commercial real estate finance with CIG.

In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and pickleball and actively volunteers with local organizations, including the Youth Service Club.

Charlotte Wade, Chief Operating Officer

Charlotte Wade is a respected investment real estate executive and thought leader with more than 25 years of experience. She has participated as an expert on commercial real estate matters and has served on several advisory boards throughout her career. In addition to serving in leadership roles for REITs, privately held companies, and institutional owners, Charlotte has a breadth of experience across multiple asset classes. Charlotte has led property management and lease administration teams nationally that oversaw more than 79 million square feet of office, retail and mixed-use assets, and 11,000 multifamily units.

As Chief Operating Officer at Acovest.org (CIG), Charlotte drives best-in-class solutions to benefit our investors, assets, and tenants by cultivating a culture of collaboration and a spirit of precision and execution.

Before joining CIG, Charlotte held the position of Chief Executive Officer at Brick Lane, where she guided asset and corporate operations, and championed programs to further develop impact investment initiatives.

Prior to her tenure at Brick Lane, Charlotte held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Madison Marquette, where she led the integration of two corporate mergers and spearheaded the execution of Property Services for Madison Marquette’s portfolio nationwide.

Preceding her role at Maddison Marquette, Charlotte was a top executive for Rappaport, a leading real estate owner and service provider in the retail sector. There she led Asset Management, Property Services, Lease Administration, and Legal/Compliance teams.

A native of Virginia, Charlotte graduated with distinction from National Louis University with a B.S. in Business Administration. She then proceeded to Johns Hopkins University’s M.S. in Real Estate program. Charlotte holds professional designations from the Institute of Real Estate Management, CCIM Institute, BOMI International, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. She has been an instructor for BOMI’s credentialed programs for the past twenty years and serves actively within IREM and CREW.

Rhendi Ross, Office Manager/Corporate Accounts Manager

At Acovest.org, Rhendi assumes the role of Office Manager, bringing with her a rich tapestry of professional experience spanning over a decade.

With a foundation rooted in real estate operations, Rhendi served as the Chief Operating Officer at a flagship nationwide real estate franchising brand prior to joining CIG. She also ventured into performance marketing, where her innovative approach resulted in the successful launch of five successful eCommerce brands.

Now, as the Office Manager at Acovest.org, Rhendi leverages her multifaceted expertise to ensure operational excellence and a thriving work environment while handling all corporate accounts. With a track record of implementing cutting-edge solutions, cultivating high-performing teams, and navigating the intricacies of dynamic business environments, Rhendi is positioned to drive operational excellence and instill a positive workplace culture.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Rhendi is a native to Virginia Beach, devoted military spouse, and mother to her two daughters.

Anne B. Vincelette, Investor Relations Coordinator

Anne is the Investor Relations Coordinator at Acovest.org (CIG). She is responsible for correspondence with investors, drafting investment memorandums, marketing and public relations initiatives, and drafting the annual report. In addition to these tasks, Anne also manages investor distributions.

Before joining CIG, Anne worked as a real estate paralegal, where she oversaw settlements from start to finish. She also interned at Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group in the Business Development department, aiding in market outreach. Anne graduated from the University of Virginia in May of 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. She is excited to foster a career in commercial real estate finance at CIG.

Anne was born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA. She is an avid equestrian and spends her free time caring for the animals on her family’s farm in the Pungo neighborhood of Virginia Beach.

Hugh D. Cohen, President

Acovest.org was formed in December 2013 by Hugh D. Cohen, CCIM, SIOR, creating a commercial real estate investment, acquisition, and real estate services company headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. While his interests involve all facets of the business, his primary role is directing investor relations along with debt, equity initiatives, and procurement.

Prior to launching Acovest.org, Mr. Cohen served as Vice President of Commercial Leasing & Sales at Harbor Group International from February 2001 through August 2013, where he assisted in helping the company grow its commercial portfolio from $750 million to over $4 billion in market cap value. Mr. Cohen completed over $500 million in leasehold and sale transactions for Harbor Group International. He also invested in various company sponsored real estate including office, office flex, and multi-family investments throughout North America and the United Kingdom.

Mr. Cohen takes the time to sit on various community boards, committees, and associations, including but not limited to the Hampton Roads Association of Commercial Real Estate (HRACRE), the Virginia Beach board of TowneBank, Jewish Family Services of Tidewater, the Strome Business College at Old Dominion University, the Virginia Beach Vision Board of Directors, and the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC).

Mr. Cohen has also earned dual designation of Certified Commercial Investment Manager (CCIM) and Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR).  Approximately ten (10) commercial brokers currently hold both designations in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Mr. Cohen also holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Old Dominion University.

Joel T. Flax, Executive VP & CFO

Joel Flax is CIG’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer with an extensive background in real estate. Prior to joining Acovest.org in July 2016, Mr. Flax was a partner and the Virginia Real Estate Leader for Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP (now known as FORVIS) as well as a firm-wide resource on matters related to real estate and associated tax consequences. Mr. Flax has a wealth of experience related to tax deferred exchanges, cost segregation studies, affordable housing tax credit, land conservation credits, cash flow analysis, financial projections, debt and equity financing, and entity formation. Mr. Flax has more than forty-five (45) years of accounting, tax, and management experience.

Active in both professional and civic organizations, Mr. Flax is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, was the former Chairman of the AICPAC Real Estate Conference Committee, President of Beth El Temple Foundation, and retired board member of HRACRE. Mr. Flax was also twice recognized as a super CPA by Virginia Business Magazine and has also been nominated for the 2022 Virginia CFO Award.

Mr. Flax plays an integral role in analyzing properties, implementing cost segregation studies, working with third party property management on the day-to-day, quarterly, and annual accounting, as well as working with CIG’s accounting vendors on year-end accounting procedures and investor K1’s.

Mr. Flax is a graduate of the College of William and Mary.

Brian E. Boehmcke, Executive Advisor

CIG‘s Executive Advisor and prior Chief Operating Officer, Brian E. Boehmcke, came to CIG with a background in asset management, transactions, analysis, financial reporting, operational performance and architecture. Prior to joining forces with Acovest.org in March 2014, Mr. Boehmcke was with Harbor Group International since 2004, where he was responsible for the profitability and return on investment for a significant portion of Harbor Group’s portfolio of commercial real estate that grew to over $4 billion cap value during his tenure. He led teams of property management personnel responsible for over $100 million in annual revenue and over $50 million in net operating income in achieving the investment objectives. Mr. Boehmcke directed third party leasing agents and was actively involved in negotiating all leases at the properties resulting in over 3 million square feet of leasing with an aggregate value of over $300 million. Prior to joining Harbor Group, Mr. Boehmcke was with Cushman & Wakefield in New York City for 12 years.

Mr. Boehmcke serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of its Building Committee for The Hurrah Players, Virginia’s leading family theater company. He also has served as Committee Chair for a local Boy Scout Troop.

Mr. Boehmcke earned a Masters of Science in Real Estate Investment & Development from New York University and a Bachelors of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia. He has also taught real estate asset management as an adjunct professor at New York University.

Basil Hallberg, VP, Commercial & Multifamily Acquisitions

Basil Hallberg joins Acovest.org (CIG) as Vice-President, Acquisitions. Basil’s primary responsibilities will include sourcing new investment opportunities and growing CIG’s portfolio of multi-family, self-storage, office/flex, and industrial assets throughout the Southeastern United States.

Prior to joining CIG, Basil was a Project Manager with Ryan Homes and was responsible for single family development and community building. Preceding his work at Ryan Homes, Basil was a Senior Financial Analyst with Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer’s Capital Markets Group, where he provided detailed financial analysis and underwriting of various asset types throughout the Carolinas and Virginia.

Before joining the Thalhimer team in Richmond, Basil worked as a Senior Associate at the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a nonprofit education and research institute that focuses on issues of land use, real estate and urban development. While with ULI, he worked on a number of vital projects, notably the Emerging Trends in Real Estate, the ULI/EY Real Estate Consensus Forecast, and the Mainland China Cities Survey. Prior to his work with ULI, Basil, who is a native of Richmond, was an essential member of the Thalhimer team in Virginia Beach. Basil holds Masters of Urban and Regional Planning and B.S. in Finance from Virginia Tech.

Steven Heatherly, VP, Investor Relations

Steven Heatherly joined Acovest.org in 2024 as the Vice President of Investor Relations. Steven’s primary responsibilities include raising private equity from high-net-worth investors, institutions, and family offices for CIG’s direct real estate investment offerings. In addition, Steven will be directing CIG’s investor relations team and will be responsible for overseeing outgoing correspondence to the firm’s existing investor base.

Prior to joining CIG, Steven worked for Norfolk-based Harbor Group International as Senior Director of Investor Relations Services. Preceding his work at Harbor Group, Steven was a Broker and Senior Market Research Analyst with Bradley Company, a commercial real estate brokerage and property management firm in Indiana and Michigan. Steven is a graduate of Indiana University-South Bend, where he played collegiate basketball and received a Bachelor of Science in Finance, with a specialization in Marketing. In his free time, Steven likes to play golf and volleyball, relax on the beach, and check out the local restaurant scene.

Tracy Evans, Asset Management Analyst

Tracy joins Acovest.org as an Asset Management Analyst assisting in the real estate investment management for each property through the investment cycle from acquisition to disposition. With over 20 years of property management experience, she managed multifamily assets in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, VA for some of the leading firms in the region. Achieving high occupancy rates, increased revenue and improved tenant satisfaction on her properties. She has received accolades including Property Manager of the Year and a Can-Do Award.

Born and raised in Alexandria, VA she moved to the Hampton Roads area to be close to her sister and family. She is a graduate of Longwood University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Trisha Cass, Asset Manager