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James P. Knell
Chairman

James P. Knell is the Chairman of the SIMA umbrella of companies that includes SIMA Corporation (Real Estate Acquisitions), SIMA Management Corporation (Asset/Property Management and Leasing) and West Coast Athletic Clubs (High End Athletic Clubs).
 
Mr. Knell is a 1974 graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has a bachelor’s degree in education and began his career as a teacher. Mr. Knell entered the real estate business in the late 1970s as an independent investor. He acquired numerous residential properties in the Santa Barbara area, the Pacific Northwest, and the southeastern United States.
 
In 1984 Mr. Knell formed SIMA Corporation to redevelop and manage the properties he had acquired. With an eye for identifying distressed properties suitable for profitable rehabilitation and long-term ownership, SIMA acquired extensive commercial and retail property holdings throughout the United States. During this time, he became a workout/bankruptcy specialist who orchestrated over 30 recapitalizations. He became involved with several institutional investor groups in the late 1980s to help in the restructuring of failed limited partnerships. His relationships with these groups continue today.
 
He has since steadily and prudently grown the portfolio of assets and companies to the benefit of his investors and to better serve the community.

Kevin J. Burnes
President

Kevin J. Burnes is the President of SIMA Corporation, and SIMA Management Corporation. Mr. Burnes is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic vision of the SIMA entities, refining and improving the business model, establishing goals and priorities, and providing the organizational structure to facilitate consistent growth. His emphasis on strong organization and responsive management has helped SIMA become a recognized leader in the acquisition and management of commercial and retail properties.   
 
In 1986, Mr. Burnes earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Southern California. Upon graduation, Mr. Burnes began his career in finance in Drexel Burnham Lambert’s Institutional Taxable Fixed Income Department, which specialized in investment grade securities. In 1990, Mr. Burnes joined The Signature Group, a private real estate investment firm where he earned his way to becoming Managing Director. In 1996, he joined SIMA as Vice-President of Acquisitions and spearheaded a steady growth of the firm’s portfolio, which has approximately $500 million in property assets.

Anda Ashkar
Senior Vice President

Anda Ashkar is Vice President of SIMA Management Corporation and oversees a portion of the asset management division of the company. Prior to joining SIMA in 2007, Ms. Ashkar was Vice President and General Counsel of Roundtree Capital, a private equity group that owns and operates portfolio companies in the retail, oil and gas, and food preparation industries. Ms. Ashkar directed the legal and real estate acquisition, divesture, and asset management division of the group’s operating companies. Prior to joining Roundtree Capital, Ms. Ashkar spent seven years at a commercial real estate development and property management office in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. As president of the property management company and vice President of the development company, she directed all aspects of the real estate portfolio from construction of new developments to management of third party portfolios. Ms. Ashkar acted as liaison to the investors and board members, reporting on the progress and management of the various developments. Ms. Ashkar received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami School of Law, graduating magna cum laude in the top 10% of her class, and her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of Florida. She is a member of the Florida Bar and the American Bar Association.

Janice Lesin
Chief Financial Officer

Janice Lesin is the Chief Financial Officer for SIMA Corporation, and SIMA Management Corporation. Ms. Lesin responsibilities include finance and accounting, business valuations and acquisitions, debt restructuring, and loan servicing and workouts.

Prior to joining SIMA, Ms. Lesin was the Senior Vice President at a Los Angeles based financial Institution. In that role, she made key strategy decisions, managed a multi-million dollar budget and was actively involved in evaluating business opportunities and potential restructurings.

Ms. Lesin began her career at KPMG Peat Marwick. She spent several years in the auditing practice and then went on to work as a manager in the financial services consulting practice based in Los Angeles. At KPMG, Ms. Lesin specialized in financial and business process reengineering for large national and multinational companies.

Ms. Lesin received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. Ms. Lesin also completed the Executive Management Program at the UCLA, Anderson School of Management.

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