Real Estate Sales
Resume:
Dora Chahine, CPA
Los Angeles. CA
***********@*******.***
10+ years management experience
** + residential/commercial
Ground lease real estate
Big 4 public accounting
Financial analysis, planning & budgeting
Internal control processes
Software implementation
Year-end audits and tax filings lead
SUMMARY
Cash management & insurance lead
Small/mid-sized businesses
Consolidations
Investor relations & reporting
Partnership accounting
Proforma & sensitivity analysis
Financial reporting
Tenant financial review &credit risk analysis
CAM reconciliations
Debt structures, construction loans
Public district financing
Self-Starter &Team Builder
Proven operational leader
Solutions oriented
Real estate broker CA
Professionally polished
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Arixa Capital Advisors, Los Angeles, CA Oct 2014- Current
(100% Residential Private Lending)
Controller and Director of Finance
Responsible for all financial and operational functions of 5 lending funds, 1 real estate investment fund and 2 operating entities with over $125 million in assets under management and growing.
•Provide leadership needed to plan, grow and profit efficiently. Lead process improvements in workflow for the operations side of the business by setting procedures for the origination and closing teams. Overseeing the workflow process to insure accuracy and compliance of loan origination, underwriting, documentation, and funding process in conjunction with mitigation of risk.
•Perform all treasury functions including cash planning for all funds and operating entities. Maintain cash projections for capital calls, line of credit availability, and deal flow to support private banking level of service with quick funding responsiveness.
•Prepare all financial statements (internal and external reporting). Oversee month-end, quarter-end, and year-end financial packages. Manage all audit and tax functions at year-end and collaborate with outside CPA firm on accounting and tax issues.
•Manage entire investor reporting and distribution process, calculating investor returns through waterfall calculations to deliver consistent cash flow and transparent communication to investors.
•Develop and implement policies, procedures, training, and internal controls within the company.
•Lead project manager on Salesforce customization and implementation initiative to streamline and automate operational data base on incoming leads, expected deal flow pipeline, and existing borrower and deal portfolio information. Designed and customized reporting to support portfolio managers’ information needs.
•Main point of contact on all Human Resource functions, including payroll, benefits, workers’ compensation and other human resource related issues. Responsible for drafting all offer letters and independent contractor agreements, employee disciplinary issues, bonus calculations. Helped implement an incentive based compensation program for the originations team, which resulted in improved deal flow and increased monthly deal closings.
Landmark Dividend, LLC, El Segundo, CA Feb 2011- May 2014
(100% Ground Leases)
Operations Controller
Responsible for leading and managing all aspects of accounting and financial reporting for industry leader in telecom and billboard
ground lease investment funds with an aggregate portfolio in excess of $300+million. Managed the growth from 20 leases at start up
to over 3,000+ leases to date and helped transition the company from start up to mid-sized corporate to IPO status within 36 months. Managed 6 direct reports.
•Recruited, motivated, and trained a team of 5 and mentored them into a highly competent accounting department
•Led Yardi software conversion project and designed entire accounting structure within the new system
•Created and established all financial reporting for the company including but not limited to lender reporting, investor
reporting, investor distribution calculations, internal financial reporting, and board of directors reporting
•Designed all supporting schedules for year -end audit and tax preparation. Led all aspects of year-end audits
•Established internal control procedures and designed efficiencies though out the department and the company as a whole
Dora Chahine, CPA - Page 2
Albert Glickman & Associates, Beverly Hills, CA Sept 2008-Feb 2011
(50% Commercial Retail, 50% Other Investments)
Corporate Controller
Led all financial reporting and accounting duties for a $250+ million portfolio consisting of real estate, stocks, bonds and other
financial instruments across various real estate entities, personal trusts, and a charitable foundation. Reported to CFO and managed 1
direct report.
•Created, monitored, and reviewed CAM, property tax, insurance and rent roll schedules for a portfolio of 20 commercial
properties.
•Analyzed and prequalified potential tenants, assessed tenant credit risk and set terms for new leases, interpreted leases,
resolved billing disputes with current tenants, and led various negotiations for lease buyouts and transfer of spaces during the
financial and real estate downturn resulting in significant cost savings for the company.
MasterCraft Development, Inc, Santa Ana, CA Feb 2005-Sept 2008
CFO (2006-2008)
Controller -MasterCraft Development, Inc (2005-2006)
Led and managed all accounting and financial functions of 2 general contracting S-Corps and 10 residential real estate development
LLCs with aggregate sales of approx $58 million per year on roughly 100+ residential homes annually. Led all
financial/budgeting/cost accounting aspects of active projects of single-family homes ranging from $400,000-$1.2 million in the
Inland Empire and San Diego markets. Reported to the President and managed 4 direct reports.
•Promoted to CFO after 1 year of accepting the position. Negotiated an interest buyout between two partners that was
unsettled for years and successfully split the company into two, separate, viable entities to the satisfaction of both partners.
•Led the Marketing and Sales team and assumed leadership aspect of sales/escrow/marketing when Director of Marketing left
the company to pursue other opportunities.
•Led all treasury and loan origination and reporting functions. Managed all daily cash requirements. Established all
construction and bridge loans. Regulated related loan covenants.
•Conducted financial analysis on new business opportunities, including preparation and analysis of pro forms.
•Maintain annual operating plan and overhead budgets.
L. Liston & Associates, Inc., Westlake Village, CA Feb 2002-Feb 2005
(20% Residential Development, 60% Luxury Homes, 20% Commercial Development)
Controller
Controlled all accounting functions for 2 general contracting S-Corps and 6 residential real estate development LLCs with aggregated
sales of $12 million per year. Company had a $3 million per year civil/structural engineering business as well as a luxury residential
real estate development business with single family homes in the $2 million + market. Reported to President and managed 4 direct
and 1 indirect report.
•Improved company credit standing and cash flow through process improvements and establishment of proper budgets on
bids. Revised entire contract process to include change orders of hourly charges for anything over and beyond the scope of
work of the original contract. Increased revenues for the engineering consulting business by 12.8% by incorporating
internal controls and best practices into the business model. Reduced write-offs from 4.6% to 0.6% of sales within 2 years
•Developed feasibilities, construction cost break downs for new projects, and construction loan application packages
•Reviewed construction loan draw requests, prepared semi-monthly construction budgets and variance analysis for projects
•Implemented annual operating plan, analyzed financial performance through monitoring monthly forecasts
Homestore.com, Westlake Village, CA Aug 2001-Feb 2002
(100% Residential/Real Estate Online Advertising)
Senior Financial Analyst, Strategic Operations Planning
Modeled, forecasted and analyzed financial data for the #1 supplier of online media and technology solutions to the home and real
estate industry with $400 Million in revenue. Teamed with VPs of Marketing & Advertising, and Corporate Overhead Depts. in
analyzing financial data, identifying significant key performance indicators and discovering cost savings through detailed analysis of
expenses. Monitored business unit cash flow and recommended finance strategies to aid with cash position of the company. Provided
$550K in cost savings recommendations for fiscal year 2002 for respective business units. Reported to Manager of Strategic
Operations.
Dora Chahine, CPA – Page 3
Pulte Homes, Bloomfield Hills, MI Aug 1999-Aug 2001
(100% Residential -80% internal audits, 20% external audit)
Internal Auditor/Consultant-Internal Audit
Performed financial and operational internal audits for #1 Homebuilder in the Nation with $9 Billion in revenue. Assisted in
Streamlining divisions' operations after major computer conversion. Audited cost budgets for homes and land development and
recommended savings to improve gross margins. Led project based assignments forecasting cash flow, projecting inventory levels &
land purchases, and analyzing ROI. Reported to Director of Internal Audit.
Deloitte & Touche, Detroit, MI Sep1997-Aug 1999
(30% utilities, 30% healthcare, 20% manufacturing, 10% other)
Assistant Senior Auditor-Audit Advisory Services
Led and supervised financial statements audits for SEC and mid-sized clients of a Big 4 firm. Produced quarterly and year-end
financial statements for clients in accordance with GAAP. Streamlined work-paper methodology and minimized audit cost variances.
Clients included MichCon Gas Company, General Motors R&D Division, Mercy Health Care Systems, Sparrow Hospital, Little
Caesar's Enterprises, and the Detroit Tigers. Reported to Audit Manager.
Bank One, Detroit, MI May1995-Sep1997
(90% manufacturing, 10% services)
Field Examiner-Asset Based Lending Group
Led asset-based lending audits on working capital loans of up to $500 Million for the sixth-largest bank holding company in the
nation. Limited company's exposure to risk by verifying actual collateral value on existing loans and recommending potential
borrowing base for prospective customers. Performed due diligence audits for prospective loans. Analyzed cash position, working
capital needs, and credit extension requests. Reported to Director of Internal Audit.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Administration-University of Michigan, 12/94
Concentration in Accounting, graduated with distinction, GPA 3.5/4.0
LICENSES & SPECIAL SKILLS
CPA-Michigan Board of Accountancy, 1997
California Licensed Real Estate Broker, 2005
Proficient in Word, Excel, QuickBooks, Timberline & Yardi Software.
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