Larry D. Lipa
Principal
As a 30-year veteran of commercial real estate development and a former managing partner in a national development firm, Larry has had his hand in all aspects of acquiring, developing, and managing over $2 billion of commercial real estate. He has managed the financing, structuring and construction of commercial real estate development projects ranging in value from $50 million to $500 million. Larry has developed a broad and deep spectrum of project types from multifamily apartments, condominiums, hospitality, oceanfront resorts, corporate office buildings, industrial, and warehouse to PUD land development.
Larry is an expert in finance, design and technical fields--a very rare combination of skills for a real estate development executive. His financial background is extensive, which includes managing acquisitions, dispositions, construction loans, permanent loans, complex deal structuring, high-level financial ROI, and risk projections. As a former practicing architect, the technical and practical knowledge Larry has gained from leading dozens of new construction projects gives him a unique perspective to understand the logistics and correlations associated with each step in the design, construction and development process. His familiarity with critical path scheduling aids him in overseeing design and construction timelines, his knowledge of the design process helps him successfully translate information from the client to the architect efficiently and cost effectively, and his experience in construction enhances his ability to pursue more effective means and methods of construction.
As a consultant, Larry works directly on behalf of his corporate and non-profit clients, instantly raising their organization’s knowledge, capability, and execution to a level on par with the premier national real estate development firms. His greatest value is realized during the early stages of a project by forecasting and assessing feasibility, promoting great design, structuring realistic deals, assessing investment performance, engaging in funding stack analysis and guiding the project planning process.
On a personal level, Larry invests his time and expertise in the SE Michigan community by advising nonprofit companies and charitable organizations in real estate matters. He has also served as a board member for the City of Detroit’s Land Bank Authority, a quasi-governmental agency dedicated to helping residential housing growth in Detroit.
Larry earned a BS degree in Architecture and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. He obtained his license to practice architecture in the State of Michigan in 1983.
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Contact: ldlipa@ardentadvisors.net
Stephen R. Guidos
Principal
Steve is a construction and industry leader with four decades of experience in numerous sectors and markets across the United States. Prior to co-founding Ardent, Steve was Principal and Director of Pre-Construction Services and Construction Operations at Cunningham-Limp for 30 years. To date, the firm has constructed over 17,000,000 SF of space equating to over one billion dollars in revenue, in twenty (20) states with a concentration throughout the State of Michigan, including new initiatives in Detroit.
During his tenure there he was responsible for all pre-development and construction in a broad spectrum of sectors including industrial, office commercial, senior living, medical, aerospace, retail, hotel/hospitality, automotive, athletic, research and development, adaptive re-use, education, municipal, non-profit, parks/roads/infrastructure and government.
In these sectors, he had complete oversight for projects in these sectors such as a casino - hotel, cancer treatment facility, automotive seating, foreign engine conversion R&D, dealerships, innovative aerospace tooling, various corporate office headquarters, utility transmission line control center, independent senior living complex, major food chains, golf course, athletic field house, charter and private schools, department of public works facilities, fire stations, police stations and courthouses to list just a few.
He was able to successfully complete these projects on time, on budget and with high quality because of his expertise and ability to orchestrate integrated project team assemblage, contracts and service agreements, market study and external factors analyses, preliminary feasibility assessment, survey, title, geotechnical, environmental and traffic studies, due diligence and property condition assessment, master planning, programming and design, budgeting and budget forecasting and controls, scheduling, governmental approvals and permits, tax incentives and grants, complete construction oversight and commissioning.
On a personal level, Steve serves on the board of Oakland Family Services and volunteers for various local non-profit initiatives.
Steve earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
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Contact: sguidos@ardentadvisors.net
