Our Team
At The Niki Group, we believe that the dedication and integrity of our team is the foundation for creating value and achieving long-term success. In our pursuit of excellence, The Niki Group remains committed to employee development, engagement and promoting from within.
Executive Team
David Trakman
CEO
David was born in Johannesburg South Africa where he attended the University of Witwatersrand obtaining his law and commerce degrees in 1994. He then worked as an attorney for a large law firm before immigrating to the U.S. in 1999.
As Managing Partner, David is responsible for directing The Niki Group’s business operations, portfolio management and overall growth. David’s legal background and tireless detailed involvement, are essential to The Niki Group’s ability to move quickly, and, ensures successful closings. He undertakes a very hands-on approach to every project and sees through each transaction. In his career, David has overseen in excess of $1 billion of transactions. David’s strong work ethic, coupled with his values, have been the foundation of his approach to all his relationships. A man of principles and fairness, he is respected in the industry as being an equal opportunity player. David is esteemed among his peers as much for his successes, as for his strength of character.
David is an avid golfer and enjoys running. Together, he and his wife Caron are raising four beautiful children.
Genevieve Hedrick
President and COO
As President and COO, Genevieve oversees all aspects of Niki Group’s operations including transactions, portfolio management, strategic planning, human resources, and executing on the company’s strategy. She has been with Niki Group for over 15 years, assumed the role of COO in 2015, and in 2021, assumed the additional role as President. She has personally closed in excess of $2 billion in transactions and her attention to detail and transactional knowledge ensure execution. Genevieve holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a specialization in Accounting. Genevieve is a results-oriented and pragmatic team leader, adept at implementing solutions that are scalable for the company’s continued growth.
Matthew Blanchard
General Counsel
Matt began working with Niki Group indirectly in 2010. Matt is responsible for all Niki Group’s compliance, proper documentation of investments and deals, and plays an integral part in management and decision making. Matt works directly with lenders, sellers, and partners to ensure smooth deals. Matt received his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2015. During law school, Matt was a member of the San Diego Law Review and served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Janis L. Sammartino of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Matt became a member of the California State Bar in 2015.
Kirk Ehrhart
CFO
Kirk Ehrhart received his Bachelor of Accountancy and certificate in Real Estate Finance, Investments, and Development from the University of San Diego. Kirk acquired his CPA designation in 2014 and began his accounting career performing tax accounting for a top 10 public accounting company. Prior to joining Niki Group in 2017, Kirk’s last position was at a non-profit performing key accounting and finance responsibilities for reporting to 2,000+ current and prospective donors.
Brian Pidgeon
Principal and Executive Chairman
Brian has been indirectly involved with Niki Group since 2013 and has been an active investor in the financial and real estate markets for over 25 years. Brian joined the Niki Group to grow the company and its investor network. Brian’s knowledge, perspective and experience compliments David and Genevieve’s prowess on real estate and business decisions. Brian started his career as a CPA at Kenneth Leventhal & Company before joining his father in business to build Fashion Furniture Rental. Fashion grew to be California’s premier furniture rental company, with over 100 employees and annual revenues in excess of $25 million. Brian graduated Magna Cum Laude from Yale University where he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and received a Masters in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas, Austin.
Nathan Moore
VP of Finance and Investor Relations
Nathan graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration, completed the Cornell University commercial real estate certificate program, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Prior to joining Niki Group, Nathan worked at a family office, overseeing a portfolio of industrial and mixed-use properties. Nathan is responsible for financial analysis, underwriting acquisitions, and investor reporting.
Operations Team
Monica Border
Property Administrator
Monica handles most aspects of property management of the directly owned properties in the portfolio. Monica works closely with Courtney as they coordinate with tenants and vendors to ensure that our properties are managed extremely well. Before joining The Niki Group, Monica worked in the high-tech industry overseeing materials procurement and production planning. Monica graduated with a liberal arts degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Krista Castberg
Director of Operations
Krista manages securing loans for new property acquisitions as well as extensions and modifications for existing properties. She works closely with Genevieve to evaluate specific needs for each property based on current and future strategic plans. Prior to joining The Niki Group, Krista spent sixteen years working in accounting at Hocking International Laboratories.
Alyson Crutchfield
In-House Counsel
As part of our in-house legal team, Alyson works directly with Matthew on acquisitions and leasing. Alyson also assists in all areas of compliance, documentation of investments, and other transactions. Alyson received her Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2021 and is a member of the California State Bar. Before joining The Niki Group, Alyson served as a law clerk at the Energy Policy Initiatives Clinic and as a judicial extern to the Honorable Judge Karen Crawford of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Raymond Payne
Acquisitions & Project Manager
Ray reviews and performs due diligence on potential acquisitions, assists with shopping center optimization and leasing, and manages select single tenant development projects. Ray is an attorney with a background in the drug store and supermarket industry. He was formerly the Group VP of Real Estate for Rite Aid.
Frances Strnad
In-House Counsel
Frances is part of the legal team, and works closely with Matthew and Alyson. She assists with entitlements for joint venture projects, entity maintenance, securities compliance, and acquisition focused document review. Frances received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2023, and is a member of the California State Bar.
Sarah Tomerlin
Transaction Manager
Sarah manages property dispositions and assists with 1031 exchanges. She works closely with Genevieve to ensure well-executed transactions and management of internal investment strategies. Before joining The Niki Group, Sarah graduated from Claremont Graduate University with a master’s degree in Islamic Studies and Trinity University with degrees in Religion, and Sociology.
Emma Wright
Asset Manager
Emma is actively involved and assists in negotiations and the execution of value-add and ground-up development project initiatives. Emma also manages leasing efforts across the portfolio and in this regard works closely with David, Genevieve and Ray. Prior to joining The Niki Group, Emma was a Business Manager for an Interior Design Firm where she gained experience in project and team management.
Catherine Zeck
VP of Operations
Catherine manages acquisitions. She works closely with Aly and the rest of the acquisitions team to bring desired deals across the finish line. Before joining The Niki Group, Catherine worked at Brixmor Property Group where she gained experience in both leasing and transactions.
Accounting Team
John Hall
Tax Accountant
John manages and coordinates the federal and state tax filing obligations for all entities under the Niki umbrella. Additionally, John supports operations in 1031 exchange planning and ensures proper compliance and reporting. John also works closely with Kirk in investor tax reporting, overall tax planning and tax research. Prior to The Niki Group, John worked for a boutique real estate CPA firm where he prepared partnership, trust and high net worth individual returns. John holds a Master of Science in Taxation from Golden Gate University and is currently sitting for the CPA exams.
Heather Ihara
AR Specialist
Heather oversees Accounts Receivable and works closely with Courtney to ensure accurate billing. Heather’s main focus and priority is managing and policing with Aly and Gena (when needed) our rent collections. Prior to joining The Niki Group, Heather worked as an accountant at a law firm performing all accounts payable, accounts receivable records and payroll duties.
Roland Jackson
Accounts Payable Specialist
Roland assists with Accounts Payable, Sales & Use Tax and Bank Reconciliations. He works closely with Courtney to ensure that all invoices are paid in a timely manner and that all our cash accounts are up to date. Before joining The Niki Group, Roland worked for an Engineering and Technical Services Company as a Planner/Estimator and earned a degree in Business Administration at California Polytechnic State University.
Chris Ludwig
Assistant Financial Controller
Chris assists with transactions, financial reporting, investor reporting, and tax planning. Prior to joining The Niki Group, Chris worked in public accounting as a tax accountant, preparing partnership, corporation and individual tax returns. He earned his CPA license in 2017, and holds an accounting degree from the University of Southern California.
Stephen McDaniel
Property Accountant
Stephens assists with property accounting and works closely with Courtney. Before joining The Niki Group, Stephen was a Junior Accountant at a property management company in San Diego.
Charbel Mouannes
Internal Auditor
Charbel manages the audit for the accounting team. Working closely with Kirk, he also assists with financial reporting, investor reporting and ad hoc tasks as they come up. Before joining Niki Group, he was an associate accountant at SANDAG, and prior to that was a senior auditor at BPM LLP, a public accounting company.
Courtney Laturno
Assistant Property Controller
Courtney oversees Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Property Accounting while also handling all CAM Accounting for the portfolio and working closely with Kirk. Before joining The Niki Group, Courtney worked in accounting in the healthcare industry and earned a degree in Finance at California State University, Fullerton.
Julio Misael Pinto Ramos
Senior Accountant
Julio manages debt compliance and acquisitions for the accounting team. He also assists Kirk with financial reporting and ad hoc tasks as come up. Before joining Niki Group, he was a tax accountant at CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, a public accounting company. He earned his CPA license in 2023.
Kaydee Robison
Staff Accountant
Kaydee assists with investor contributions, financial reviews, and joint venture distributions. She works with Kirk to ensure efficient operations and accurate recording of contributions. Before joining The Niki Group, Kaydee worked for a property management company and holds a degree in economics from the University of California, San Diego.