Team

Joshua Benaim is Founder and CEO of Aria, an award-winning real estate company focused on next generation multifamily, value investment and special situations investing, and creative real estate development. Benaim founded Aria in 2009 with partners David Arditi and Timothy Gordon to generate outsized risk-adjusted returns by marrying traditional hands-on real estate to classic value investment principles. With Benaim at the helm, Aria’s development portfolio has grown to more than 4,000 units and $1.5 billion of institutional-grade multifamily assets across the United States, including value add, special situations and opportunistic investments. Aria specializes in transforming illiquid and underutilized real estate in great locations into cash flowing multifamily.

Prior to founding Aria, Benaim was a Managing Principal at Square Mile Capital Management LLC. He learned real estate development and old world business values with Manocherian Brothers, his family organization with a seventy-year track record as a multifamily owner/operator in New York City.

Benaim has a passion for thought leadership in our industry serving as Co-Chair of the HBS Real Estate Alumni Association during the initial development of that organization, and as an advisor to Professor Arthur Segel in the creation of HBS’s first online real estate course. Benaim is the author of Real Estate: A Love Story, which has been described as “a must-read for aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, and real estate lovers.” He’s also an operatic baritone who has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera. Benaim received his A.B. in Social Studies from Harvard University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in New York City with his wife and three children.

David  Arditi is a founding partner at Aria Development Group and leads the Miami  office. He is a member of the Investment Committee. Mr. Arditi shares  oversight of all of Aria’s development activities.    

Mr. Arditi began his career with The Blackstone Group in New York City  where he provided corporate finance advisory services in complex  restructuring transactions. He subsequently worked with Fremont Partners in  San Francisco, a multi-billion dollar private equity fund originally created  as an investment vehicle for Bechtel Corp.  

Prior to founding Aria, Mr. Arditi was a principal with Cardinal  Development Corp., his family’s Miami‐based real estate development and  advisory business. While at Cardinal, Mr. Arditi developed and profitably  delivered two mid-rise residential condominiums in Downtown Miami and led the  acquisition and entitlement process on two other important mixed-use urban  infill projects. Notable developments of the Arditi family include The Paris  Country Club (awarded the Laurier d’Or for Historic Preservation by The  French Ministry of the Environment) and The Hotel Guanahani in St. Barth’s  (designated a Leading Hotel of the World).    

Mr. Arditi is on the board of the Miami Dade College Foundation. He is also  a member of the Real Estate Advisory Board of the University of Miami and an  active alumnus of GSAPP at Columbia University. Mr. Arditi received a B.S. in  Finance and International Business from Emory University with distinction and  received an M.S. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. Mr.  Arditi is fluent in French and Spanish and is conversant in Portuguese.

Timothy Gordon is a founding principal of Aria Development Group and a member of the Investment Committee, which approves all Aria capital allocations. Mr. Gordon also supervises Aria’s finance and taxation department.

In addition to being a Principal at Aria, Mr. Gordon is also a Partner of Gordon Property Group (GPG) and a Principal and co-founder of Gordon Haskett Research Associates (GHRA). GPG owns, manages and develops garage, commercial and residential buildings in Manhattan. GHRA is the equity research affiliate of Gordon Haskett Capital Corporation, an institutional equity brokerage firm and member of the New York Stock Exchange. GHRA provides leading equity research across a variety of industry verticals.

Prior to co-founding Aria, Mr. Gordon worked in distressed advisory and investments. He served as a partner at an equity and distressed debt hedge fund and as an analyst at a turn-around private equity firm. Mr. Gordon began his career in the restructuring department of The Blackstone Group.

Mr. Gordon received a B.A. from Harvard University cum laude and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Ms. Arana is primarily responsible for handling accounts payable and billing related matters, as well as assisting with all other accounting functions. Ms. Arana started her accounting career at 13th Floor Investments, a real estate investment and development firm in Miami, where she handled the accounting for the company’s homebuilding subsidiary alongside the senior project accountant. Ms. Arana holds a Bachelor of Accounting from Florida International University.

Rafael Arrazola supports the company’s investments team in acquisitions and development. Mr. Arrazola joined Aria Development Group from Midtown Capital Partners where he was an analyst on the investments team focusing primarily on industrial acquisitions in the U.S. Sunbelt region. Prior to Midtown, he worked at Parmenter Realty Partners as an analyst on the investments team as well. Mr. Arrazola received his B.S. from Cornell University in Policy Analysis and Management.

Ms. Batista is primarily responsible for financial reporting and accounting. Ms. Batista has twelve years of accounting experience including two years of public accounting and three years at a hotel development company. In her prior roles, Ms. Batista built internal systems that were used to organize financial data efficiently. Ms. Batista received a B.S. from Rhode Island College.

Andrea Gourdine focuses on multifamily and mixed-use development projects in Miami, FL. She is responsible for overseeing the entitlement process, supervising design and construction teams, and serving as owner-representative through project completion. Andrea joined Aria from Douglas Development Corporation where she worked on the design and implementation of historic rehabilitation, master site planning, tenant fit-out and redevelopment projects in the Washington, D.C. Metro area. Ms. Gourdine received a B.A. from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. from Kenan-Flagler Business School at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Jon leads Aria’s development team to execute on development projects portfolio-wide and oversees diligence efforts for new acquisitions.  Jon also spearheads Aria’s initiatives to integrate innovative technologies into each project.  Prior to joining Aria, Jon has 15 years of experience in multifamily real estate development, including ground up construction, renovations and repositioning for approximately 3,000 residential units and 115,000 sf of retail in Washington, DC and New York.  Jon previously held development management positions at market-leading New York City firms Extell Development Company, RXR Realty, and Slate Property Group, executing on a variety of complex residential and mixed-use developments in Manhattan and in Long Island.  Jon launched his career at Washington, DC based boutique firm Level 2 Development, where for ten years he managed the development of six mixed-use projects in Washington, DC.  Jon received a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, with double majors in Economics and Political science.

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Rick Lapidos is responsible for overseeing Aria's asset management program to optimize the financial performance and properties across multiple states, working closely with internal and external stakeholders. Mr. Lapidos also works with Aria's Acquisition and Develoopment teams to help evaluate new investment opportunities and ensure that new properties are successfully transitioned into Aria's operating portfolio. Prior Experience: Taconic Partners; Carmel Partners; The Dermot Company. Education: B.S. cum laude Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

Mr. Lee focuses on acquisitions and development for Aria Development Group. Mr. Lee joined Aria from RBC Capital Markets where he was an analyst in the Real Estate group advising on mergers, acquisitions and capital raising transactions. Prior to RBC, he worked in the Investment Management group at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Lee graduated from the University of Virginia, where he received a B.S. degree with a concentration in finance from the McIntire School of Commerce and a B.S. degree in economics from the College of Arts and Sciences.

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Eric Paul supports David Arditi in his capacity as a Principal of the firm. He focuses on all day to day administrative functions, as well as, office logistics, and special projects for the firm. Prior to joining the Aria, Mr. Paul spent many years in similar positions in Washington, DC for a private security firm, in addition to a luxury boutique real estate firm. Eric received a B.S. degree in Business Management and Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University.

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Daniel Petroff works with the Aria management team to coordinate and enhance Aria’s operations and develop new opportunities. Dan’s wide-ranging career includes experience in law, finance, government, politics, communications, infrastructure, startups, and entrepreneurial operations and the completion of transactions totaling $70+ billion. From helping Chuck Schumer first win election to the U.S. Senate to navigating The New Terminal One at JFK—a $9+ billion, 2.4 million square foot development that is the largest single asset project financing in US history—through the COVID pandemic, Dan has led interdisciplinary teams to successfully execute a broad array of novel initiatives.  He is adept at strategy development and execution in complex, high-pressure, high-stakes environments.

Prior Experience: Carlyle Airport Group; Dormitory Authority of the State of New York; NY Works Task Force; Sullivan & Cromwell; Paul, Weiss; Schumer ‘98

Education: B.A. Haverford College, J.D. University of Chicago Law School with honors, M.B.A. Columbia Business School with honors

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Milly is responsible for overseeing the condominium buyer closeout process. In addition, she works alongside the property management company in preparation of the HOA budgets, works closely with the sales team, and collaborates with legal counsel on condominium documentation.  With over twenty years of experience in real estate development, her background includes roles in residential asset management and accounting.

Lizbet Romero is an accounting professional with a Bachelor’s in Finance and an MBA from Florida International University. With three years’ experience as a Senior Accountant and Office Manager for a diverse family office spanning logistics, supply chain, food service, real estate, and private equity, Lizbet has demonstrated expertise in financial management. Transitioning to a role for three years as a Funding Analyst for a leading asset management and loan servicing company, they excelled in analyzing funding opportunities and optimizing financial strategies. At Aria she works on the day-to-day Accounts payable and Accounts receivable process.

Koby Soleiman (Marketing Manager, Aria Development Group and Aria Residential) – Koby leads the creation and implementation of marketing and branding strategies for all Aria Residential properties, coordinating both the inhouse staff and outside vendors. He ensures that these strategies are aligned with the Aria brand as well as the owner's vision and that they are effectively implemented by the on-site leasing teams to drive occupancy and rents. Prior to joining Aria, Koby worked in several leasing and marketing positions at REAL NewYork, Klosed Properties, and MP Creative. Koby received his B.B.A. from Binghamton University.

Ms. Vasquez oversees all accounting and administration functions. Ms. Vasquez has over 30 years of accounting and management experience. Her experience ranges from managerial accounting to cost and public corporation accounting. She served as controller for a variety of firms including a privately held investment and merchant banking group, a billion-dollar savings and loan holding company based in Miami, and a diversified real estate developer with projects throughout South Florida. Her broad experience encompasses financial statement reporting, SEC filing, budget development, cost variance analysis, income tax planning and preparation, office automation, and records management.

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Chris is a Senior Project Manager for Aria Development Group based in Miami, FL. He works hand in hand with the design and development teams to bridge the gap between design and execution. Before joining Aria, Chris spent 10 years as a project manager for multifamily and mixed-use developments in California and South Florida, overseeing over 5,000 residential units. His multi-state experience includes steel, concrete, and wood-framed construction. Chris received his Bachelor of Architecture from the Newschool of Architecture and Design, in San Diego, CA with a specialty in Design.

Marco Ziff focuses on acquisitions and development for Aria Development Group. Mr. Ziff joined Aria from iStar, Inc. where he was an analyst in the Investments Team working on new transactions including mezzanine loans, preferred equity, first mortgage loans, and ground leases. Prior to iStar, he worked at a boutique development firm called KUB Capital. Mr. Ziff double majored in Economics and Archaeology at Brown University where he graduated with honors.