Corporate Leadership | WPT Capital

WPT’s senior management team has an average tenure of over 8 years with the firm and 20 years in the industry. We operate as a fully integrated platform with internal capabilities in all facets of development and investment management from transaction sourcing and execution to capital markets, legal, accounting, and financial reporting. Together, our team has the expertise and capacity to create and maintain stakeholder value over the long term.

Matt Cimino

Managing Partner,
Chief Executive Officer

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Matt Cimino

Managing Partner,
Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Cimino is a co-founder of WPT Capital and serves as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner. He is responsible for overseeing the firm’s operational activity, capital formation and strategic initiatives. Prior to co-founding WPT Capital, Mr. Cimino served as Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel of WPT Industrial REIT (TSX: WIR.U), where he helped lead the company through a successful IPO in 2013, implemented and oversaw the company’s private capital business, and led the company through the structuring and negotiation of a privatization transaction in 2021.

Mr. Cimino has spent most of his career focused on the U.S. industrial sector, having been involved in over $6 billion in industrial transactions. He first joined WPT’s predecessor organization in 2007, prior to which he served as external legal counsel to the company, with a legal practice focused in the areas of real estate and environmental law. Mr. Cimino is a frequent speaker and panelist on commercial real estate and corporate governance matters and is a past Chair of the NAIOP General Counsel National Forum. He received a Juris Doctor degree from Creighton University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from Montana State University.

Ryan Doyle

Managing Partner,
Chief Investment Officer

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Ryan Doyle

Managing Partner,
Chief Investment Officer

Mr. Doyle is a co-founder of WPT Capital Advisors and serves as Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner. He is responsible for overseeing the firm’s investment strategy and capital deployment. Prior to co-founding WPT Capital, Mr. Doyle served as Chief Investment Officer of WPT Industrial REIT (TSX: WIR.U), where he set the company’s overall investment strategy and oversaw acquisition, development and disposition activity across all U.S. markets.

Mr. Doyle has spent his entire career focused on the U.S. industrial sector, having been involved in over $6 billion in industrial transactions. He first joined WPT’s predecessor organization in 2000, starting as an industrial sales/leasing broker and then moving into an investment role, which ultimately led to his promotion to firm’s executive leadership team in 2013. Mr. Doyle is actively involved in NAIOP, where he is a current member of National Forums Program for Industrial Acquisitions and was a past member of the National Forums Program for Ecommerce. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate Finance from St Cloud State University.

Ryan Schulzetenberg

Partner,
Chief Financial Officer

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Ryan Schulzetenberg

Partner,
Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Schulzetenberg is a Partner and Chief Financial Officer of WPT Capital Advisors. In his role, Mr. Schulzetenberg oversees the firm’s tax structuring, accounting, reporting and other financial operations, along with IT and HR. In addition to his role at WPT, Mr. Schulzetenberg serves on the board of the Just For Kids Foundation.

Prior to joining WPT, Mr. Schulzetenberg was Co-head of Global Operations for AB CarVal, a global investment firm based in Minneapolis. During this time, Ryan focused on strategic development, operational oversight, and management of investment operations, treasury, fund level financing and accounting. Prior to AB CarVal, Ryan was a manager at KPMG within their investment services practice where he earned his CPA designation. Ryan earned his B.A. degree in Accounting from Saint John’s University.

Spencer Gerberding

Partner,
Asset Management & Sustainability

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Spencer Gerberding

Partner,
Asset Management & Sustainability
612-800-8505

Mr. Gerberding is Partner – Asset Management & Sustainability for the firm. In his role, he is responsible for strategic property and portfolio management, development project execution, leasing decisions and oversight of property management functions. He also oversees the firm’s sustainability initiatives and serves as chair of the WPT ESG Committee.

Mr. Gerberding has more than 20 years of real estate experience and during his 14-year tenure with the WPT organization has been actively involved in the firm’s investment management, development, construction, financing, acquisition, and disposition activity.

Outside WPT, Spencer has served on the Board of Directors for Open Book and The Sanneh Foundation. He is also a member of the global commercial real estate network of Certified Commercial Investment Members (CCIM) and is a LEED certified professional.

A graduate of Lehigh University, Spencer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance & economics, where he also earned Patriot League honors as a student athlete.

Scott Haugen

Partner,
Asset Management

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Scott Haugen

Partner,
Asset Management
612-800-8522

Mr. Haugen brings 30 years of real estate experience to his role as Partner - Asset Management for WPT Capital Advisors. In his current role, Mr. Haugen is responsible for strategic property and portfolio planning, development project execution, leasing decisions, insurance, asset valuation and oversight of property management functions.

Prior to WPT, Mr. Haugen was most recently with Founders Properties, LLC, where he was responsible for leading the asset management team in providing services for private real estate partnerships that included industrial, office, multi-family and retail/mixed use projects. Mr. Haugen also worked at Welltower (NYSE: WELL) spending two years overseeing the management of a national portfolio of approximately 200 medical office properties. Starting his real estate career at RBC Wealth Management, Mr. Haugen worked initially in their investment real estate subsidiary as an analyst, and eventually led their corporate real estate department.

Mr. Haugen is also a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) where he has actively served for the past 5 years. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas.

Judd Gilats

Senior Advisor,
Capital Markets

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Judd Gilats

Senior Advisor,
Capital Markets

Mr. Gilats is a Senior Advisor at WPT Capital Advisors, previously holding executive roles at the firm including Chief Financial Officer and Head of Capital Markets. In this advisory role, Mr. Gilats remains an active member of the Investment Committee and continues to assist with various other initiatives of the firm. Prior to its sale, Mr. Gilats was also Chief Financial Officer of WPT Industrial REIT (TSX: WIR.U), overseeing all financial operations and joint venture/ public company reporting. In addition to his role at WPT, Mr. Gilats serves on the board of The Sanneh Foundation.

Prior to joining WPT, Mr. Gilats was Chief Financial Officer for U.S. Assets and Dislocated Industries at Castlelake, L.P., a global investment firm based in Minneapolis, MN. Before Castlelake, Mr. Gilats held various corporate finance and capital markets roles with Ares Management, Wrightwood Capital, Chiron Corporation and Deloitte & Touche LLP, where he earned his CPA designation. Mr. Gilats received his BBA in accounting from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and his MBA from the Hass School of Business at the University of California – Berkeley.

Emily Conrad

Managing Director,
Legal

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Emily Conrad

Managing Director,
Legal
612-800-8508

As Managing Director – Legal, Emily oversees the firm’s legal affairs and operations, including matters relating to corporate governance, acquisitions, dispositions, development, financings, leasing and insurance.

During her more than 10-year tenure with the WPT organization, Emily has been directly involved in the structuring and negotiation of hundreds of M&A, leasing and capital formation transactions.

Emily received her bachelor’s degree in Real Estate Studies from the University of Saint Thomas, Opus College of Business, and her Juris Doctorate from Drake University Law School.

Pat Qualley

Managing Director,
Construction & Development

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Pat Qualley

Managing Director,
Construction & Development
612-800-8525

As Managing Director – Construction and Development, Mr. Qualley oversees the firm’s construction and development activity. Prior to WPT, Mr. Qualley was with Opus Design Build, LLC, where he was responsible for leading design and construction teams from entitlement through construction completion. Mr. Qualley has over 28 years of real estate and construction experience, which includes involvement in industrial, office, retail, medical, and multi-family projects.

Mr. Qualley serves on the WPT ESG Committee and holds a LEED AP® BD+C accreditation with U.S. Green Building Council. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Structural Engineering and received his MBA with a real estate emphasis from the University of St. Thomas.

Bridget Brackin

Managing Director,
Corporate Controller

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Bridget Brackin

Managing Director,
Corporate Controller
612-800-8509

Bridget is a Managing Director and Controller at WPT Capital Advisors. In her role, she oversees the firm’s accounting, financial planning and analysis, treasury, payroll, investor reporting and tax. Prior to joining WPT, Bridget was a Director and Head of Managed Locations & Client Accounting for WeWork. Prior to that, she was a Controller in CBRE’s real estate accounting services practice where she oversaw a team of 50 client facing finance and accounting professionals managing over 100 institutional investment clients, including public REITs and private equity funds.

Bridget earned her Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the College of Saint Benedict. Bridget also volunteers in a variety of capacities at the M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital.

Paige Bauernfeind

Senior Director,
Asset Management

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Paige Bauernfeind

Senior Director,
Asset Management
612-800-8518

Paige Bauernfeind is Senior Director - Asset Management for the firm. She is responsible for strategic property and portfolio management, leasing, capital improvement projects, asset valuation, oversight of property management functions, and tenant relations.

Prior to WPT, Paige most recently served as Vice President – Asset Management with Biynah Industrial Partners, where she was responsible for the property performance, property management oversight, and acquisitions of a growing national portfolio of industrial properties. Paige started her real estate career with Colliers International, where she managed over 25 million square feet of industrial property.

Paige is a graduate of the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Leadership.

Gabe Eyde

Senior Director,
Capital Markets

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Gabe Eyde

Senior Director,
Capital Markets
612-800-8519

Gabe is a Senior Director of Capital Markets at WPT. He is responsible for sourcing new debt and implementing financing strategies for WPT’s investment vehicles.

Prior to WPT, Gabe was at Chatham Financial, where he assisted borrowers and debt intermediaries on interest rate risk management and financing strategies. Gabe also spent time on the Chatham debt valuation team where he produced valuation reports and supporting research for the valuation conclusions.

Gabe earned his Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Michigan State University.