Our team
Maximizing performance through hands-on management.
Principals
Jordan Vogel
Co-founder
Jordan Vogel has been actively investing in and managing residential real estate in New York City since 2001.
As Co-Founder and Managing Member of Benchmark Real Estate Group, LLC, Jordan oversees all acquisitions for the firm. He has purchased over $1 billion of residential real estate in Manhattan since Benchmark was established in 2009.
Prior to forming Benchmark with Aaron Feldman, Jordan worked under Stephen Siegel (Global Chairman of CBRE) at SG2 Properties, LLC, heading their acquisitions group. While at SG2, Jordan successfully acquired over $600 million worth of residential real estate.
Jordan graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and received a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from New York University. He is an active marathon runner, having completed the New York City Marathon numerous times.
Aaron Feldman
Co-founder
Aaron Feldman has been actively investing in and managing residential real estate in New York City since 2005 and, along with Jordan Vogel, founded Benchmark Real Estate Group in 2009.
At Benchmark, Aaron has developed relationships with third-party capital partners and fund investors. Aaron is on the Investment Committee and is in charge of construction and redevelopment and shares responsibilities for asset management and acquisitions.
Prior to forming Benchmark Real Estate Group, Aaron worked at SG2 Properties, LLC, heading their Manhattan Property and Asset Management Group. In this position, Aaron oversaw the daily operations for a portfolio of 500 apartments with a value of $300 million. He was directly responsible for investment performance, which included all aspects of redevelopment, construction, revenue and expense management, marketing and leasing.
A graduate of Tulane University, Aaron is an active member of the Tulane Alumni Board, in addition to being a 2011 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee for his accomplishments as a member of the baseball team. He actively participates in several charities, including New York Restoration Project and Grow NYC.
Principal
Brian Dooley
Brian is a Principal of the company and joined Benchmark in October of 2018. He works closely with the founders Jordan Vogel and Aaron Feldman in all operations of the Company including the acquisition, disposition, financing and asset management of Benchmark’s portfolio.
Prior to joining Benchmark, Brian was a First Vice President in CBRE’s Advisory & Transaction Services division, based in Manhattan, where he specialized in both tenant and landlord representation. During his time at CBRE, Brian successfully negotiated more than 2,500,000 sq. ft. of transactions. His primary role was to facilitate, manage and execute both the acquisition and disposition processes for clients in New York City.
Prior to CBRE, Brian worked as a Financial Analyst with the Financial Sponsors Group at Deutsche Bank.
Brian received a Bachelor of Arts from Hofstra University.
Senior Management
Daniel Gillies
COO
Dan is the Chief Operating Officer for the company and joined Benchmark in September of 2016. Dan has over 22 years of experience in both development and property management.
Prior to joining Benchmark, Dan spent almost eight years working
for Toll Brothers, Inc., building various housing product from single family homes
to multifamily mix-use buildings. Dan oversaw condo conversions and gained significant experience in apartment building renovation.
Previously, Dan ran a division at Wentworth Property Management Group, a mid-sized property management company, where he oversaw operations at more than 80 properties from New York to Baltimore and managed more than 200 people.
Dan graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Civil/Structural Engineering and received his M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Doug Brown
Director of Acquisitions
Doug is the Director of Acquisitions. His primary responsibilities include sourcing and underwriting prospective investment opportunities, as well as overseeing the due diligence process.
Prior to joining Benchmark, Doug worked at Seritage Growth Properties (NYSE: SRG), where he helped lead the liquidation strategy of the company’s $900m retail and land portfolio. Prior to Seritage, Doug worked Gazit Globe (TASE: GZT), where he was responsible for multifamily and development acquisitions. Prior to Gazit, Doug worked at Dalan Management, where he was responsible for acquisitions and asset management and transacted over $350m of multifamily, retail and office property. Doug began his career at American Realty Capital where he worked on the acquisitions team and transacted on over $2b of retail property.
Doug graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Lehigh University and received a Masters of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.
Evis Shehu
Senior Controller
Evis is the Senior Controller and joined Benchmark 2017, as a Controller. Evis has over 12 years of experience in the real estate and accounting industry and is
responsible for financial and tax reporting, cash management and systems development and maintenance.
Evis graduated from the where he received a B.S. in Accounting.