Team
Scala’s team of investment professionals has extensive experience working together and a successful track record operating in challenging real estate market conditions across multiple product types. The management team maintains strong relationships with local and national homebuilders and developers and previously assisted these groups to restructure and strategically reposition their operations during similar challenging real estate cycles.FRANK ZACCANELLI - Mr. Zaccanelli is a co-founder, the Chief Executive Officer and the Managing Partner of Scala Real Estate Partners, LP. Mr. Zaccanelli has primary responsibility for the negotiation and structuring of Scala’s new investments, as well as the strategic direction of the firm. During his career, Mr. Zaccanelli has developed, bought and sold residential and industrial land, single-family residential and a variety of commercial properties in California, Texas, Hawaii and Costa Rica. Prior to forming Scala, Mr. Zaccanelli was President of Hillwood, the real estate investment arm of the Perot Group. He spent 14 years helping build Hillwood into one of the most respected private real estate investment and development companies in the United States. During his tenure, Hillwood completed the acquisition, development and sale of more than 15 master-planned communities, as well as the development and marketing of Alliance Airport, the country’s first industrial airport built exclusively for business. He was involved in the planning and initial development plan for Victory, one of the premier urban housing, retail and entertainment complexes located in downtown Dallas, Texas. Mr. Zaccanelli is also the former President, General Manager, and minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Mr. Zaccanelli began his real estate career with The Staubach Company.
L.M. CUMMINGS – Mr. Cummings is a co-founder, the President and a Partner of Scala Real Estate Partners, LP. Mr. Cummings has primary responsibility for the sourcing, negotiation, and oversight of Scala’s new investments. Most recently, Mr. Cummings was a co-founder of MSJ Partners, LLC and actively guided the strategic planning of all aspects of the company's operations. Over his 26-year career in real estate, Mr. Cummings has successfully been involved in more than $1.3 billion of real estate transactions, which have included residential and industrial land, single-family residential homebuilding, industrial, office, mixed-use, golf courses, and resort properties in California, Texas, Hawaii and Costa Rica. In 1992, Mr. Cummings joined Hillwood, the Perot Group’s real estate development and investment company, to open its West Coast operation, Hillwood West, where investment activities focused initially on California and expanded to include Hawaii. Under his leadership, Hillwood West successfully partnered with numerous homebuilders and residential developers. Prior to joining Hillwood, Mr. Cummings opened The Staubach Company's first West Coast office in 1988 in Irvine, California. Mr. Cummings is located in the Irvine, CA office.
ADAM KRUG - Mr. Krug is the Chief Investment Officer and a Partner of Scala Real Estate Partners, LP. Mr. Krug has primary responsibility for the underwriting and execution of Scala’s investments. Prior to joining Scala, Mr. Krug was Vice President of Investments for Hillwood Capital, the opportunistic investment division of Hillwood Development Company, the real estate investment and development arm of the Perot group based in Dallas, Texas. During his six-year tenure at Hillwood, Mr. Krug became responsible for the underwriting, structuring, and execution of Hillwood’s investment partnerships with numerous local developers and operators in residential, golf, retail, and mixed-use real estate. In this capacity he managed more than 20 acquisition, financing, development, and disposition transactions in California, Texas, Hawaii, Florida, and Costa Rica. Before joining Hillwood, Mr. Krug worked as an analyst for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, an investment bank. While at DLJ, he was involved in numerous private and public financing and M&A transactions in the telecom, software, and IT services industries. Mr. Krug holds a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts degrees with honors from the University of Texas. Mr. Krug is located in the Dallas, TX office.
ALFREDO AYUYAO - Mr. Ayuyao is an Executive Vice President of Scala Real Estate Partners, LP. Mr. Ayuyao’s responsibilities include deal sourcing, analysis and the management of the due diligence of potential deals. Prior to joining Scala, Mr. Ayuyao served in an executive management capacity with distinction with some of the most prominent and highly respected developers and homebuilders in the nation. He has over 20 years of experience in the California real estate industry. As the Senior Vice President of Land Acquisition for Centex Homes, he managed all of the Southern California Division’s land acquisition functions. He also served as the President of Richmond American Home’s Orange County and Inland Empire Division. Other management positions were with Taylor Woodrow Homes, the Fieldstone Company and Maguire Thomas Partners. Within each of these organizations, he has been responsible for land acquisition, entitlement processing, land planning and product development. Mr. Ayuyao earned both an M.B.A. and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Loyola Marymount University. He is a registered professional Civil Engineer in California. He is also a former Director of the Orange County Chapter of the Building Industry Association. Mr. Ayuyao is located in the Irvine, CA office.
RON WHITE - Mr. White is Vice President of Development of Scala Real Estate Partners, LP. Mr. White has primary responsibility for the underwriting and development oversight of project-related infrastructure and amenities. Prior to joining Scala, Mr. White served as an independent consultant to numerous residential and commercial developers in Texas. As President of the Residential Division of Hillwood Development Company from 1988-1998, Mr. White managed the due diligence and acquisition process for 27 projects in Texas, California and Hawaii. In addition, Mr. White also provided managerial oversight of the subsequent planning, development and sale of these properties which included residential, golf, industrial and commercial components. Prior to joining Hillwood, Mr. White served as a Partner in Trammell Crow Communities and with Gerald Hines Interests as Vice President responsible for residential development in First Colony, a 9,300- acre master-planned community in Sugar Land, Texas. Prior to that, Mr. White served as CFO for Greenmark Companies, a residential construction company of Gerald Hines Interests, as well as Controller of the Texas division of U.S. Home Corporation. A former officer of the United States Air Force, Mr. White graduated Summa Cum Laude from The University of Texas at Austin in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in accounting and became a certified public accountant in 1972.
MARK FUQUA - Mr. Fuqua is a Vice President of Scala Real Estate Partners, LP. Mr. Fuqua assists in the underwriting, structuring, and execution of Scala's investments as well as managing capital marketing. Prior to joining Scala, Mr. Fuqua was a Vice President with Hawkeye Partners, LP where he worked on the capital marketing and fund structuring activities of Hawkeye's $700 million Scout investment management platform. Before working for Hawkeye, Mr. Fuqua served as the Associate Director of Investor Services for CB Richard Ellis Investors, LP where he worked on multiple capital marketing and business development activities domestically and internationally. Mr. Fuqua started his career at SunTrust Bank in the Corporate Banking group after receiving a Bachelor Degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University. Mr. Fuqua is located in the Dallas, TX office.
NATHAN DEVER - Mr. Dever is a Senior Associate for Scala Real Estate Parners, where he assists in the underwriting and analysis of acquisition opportunities for the company. Over his career in real estate, Mr. Dever has arranged and managed debt and equity financing for more than $3 billion in residential developments across the nation. Prior to joining Scala, Mr. Dever served as a First Vice President and Western Region Manager of the National Homebuilding Division of LaSalle Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABN Amro Bank. In his role at La Salle, Mr. Dever was responsible for the origination, syndication, underwriting, and management of corporate and project credit facilities for homebuilding, land development and investment fund management companies headquartered in the western region of the country. Mr. Dever began his career in real estate at John Laing Homes, the nation’s second largest private homebuilding company, where he was a Corporate Finance Manager, responsible for all debt and equity financing activities for seven regional divisions. Mr. Dever holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine, a Bachelor of Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton, and a Certificate of Light Construction and Development Management from the University Extension office of the University of California, Irvine.
DENNIS ECKART - Mr. Eckart is a Senior Advisor of Scala Real Estate Partners, LP where he serves on the Advisory Board and assists Scala's senior management with strategic guidance, public relations, marketing, governmental affairs and investor relations. Mr. Eckart has had a distinguished career in public and community service. After practicing law as an assistant prosecutor in Lake County, Ohio, Mr. Eckart was first elected to public office in the Ohio General Assembly in 1974, where he served through 1980. Mr. Eckart was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1980, and served as Deputy Democratic Whip and a member of the influential Energy and Commerce Committee. After leaving Congress in 1993, Eckart worked in the American Bar Association's Congressional Process Committee, and was on the board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also served as chair of the United States Delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Since leaving Congress, Mr. Eckart has also developed a successful legal and governmental affairs practice both in Ohio and Washington D.C and currently operates his own consulting and business venture firm, North Shore Associates, LLC, which specializes in regional and national community and governmental affairs, telecommunications, healthcare, advertising, higher education and real estate development. Mr. Eckart most recently served as the President and CEO of the nation's largest Chamber of Commerce in the Greater Cleveland Growth Association. Mr. Eckart is a graduate of Xavier University and Cleveland Marshall College of Law.



