THE TEAM
Scott C. Brown - Co-Founder/CEO
Mr. Brown founded ABA Development after a highly successful career in private banking at Merrill Lynch and UBS Securities. With over ten years in financial management, Mr. Brown has a proven track record of identifying and accomplishing financial objectives. During his financial career he raised over $1.5 Billion in new assets. Prior to Merrill Lynch, Mr. Brown was a founding member and partner of Columbia Sportswear Australia/New Zealand.
Mr. Brown is responsible for overseeing ABA Development’s hospitality portfolio, raising both equity and debt, sourcing new development opportunities, managing relationships, as well as hiring new employees.
Jesse Allison - Co-Founder/COO
Mr. Allison has an extensive background in the hospitality and construction fields. Prior to ABA Development he spent over 20 years with New West Inns, a hospitality company geographically concentrated in the Colorado Front Range Region. He has been actively involved in the acquisition, operation, development and renovation of over 18 different lodging properties. He has over 15 years experience in development hospitality, and hospitality management alone. Mr. Allison currently holds GM certifications from the Cendant Hotel Group as well as the Choice Hotels International Group.
Mr. Allison is in charge of overall hotel operations as well as sourcing new development opportunities.
Larry Rubenstein - President, Design & Development
Mr. Rubenstein is a registered architect, licensed in eleven states, currently residing in Carlsbad, CA. His career spans thirty years with a specialization in commercial, retail, industrial and hotel architecture. His work has been published regionally and he has participated as a guest lecturer at the University of Houston, Texas, where he holds a bachelor degree in Architecture.
Mr. Rubenstein is responsible for taking all projects through the entitlement process (planning and zoning submittals), contract documents, and construction. His role includes selecting and hiring all design professionals, consultants, engineers etc.; selecting the general contractor for construction and overseeing the construction process until the issuing of the certificate of occupancy. He oversees the purchasing and coordination of the various FF&E, IT, and OSE vendors. He coordinates the relationships between the selected hotel groups, Investor groups, Design Professionals, Consultants, Engineers and local government agencies pertaining to the process as noted above. As a partner he participates in the decision making process in the selection of future development projects.
Jerry Crews - CFO, Internal Accounting
Mr. Crews is a CPA currently in private practice. He has been engaged by ABA Development to assist in the preparation of the financial projections and forecasts contained herein and to handle the ongoing accounting, tax and financial reporting requirements of the Project. He was a partner with a major international accounting firm for over twenty-five years and has considerable experience working with private and publicly-owned construction and related companies. Mr. Crews also was an investor and President of a major transportation company for over ten years. His experience also includes preparing business plans, financial models, budgets and forecasts to support management and financing needs.
Peter C. Ward -General Counsel
Peter Ward is the founding member of Ward & Hagen, LLP and acts as general legal counsel. Mr. Ward provides the interface between ABA’s business goals and the legal processes necessary to protect its interests and intelligently manage risk. Mr. Ward brings over 20 years of experience representing real estate developers, owners and investors in a variety of complex transactional issues from site selection and acquisition, through the due-diligence and entitlement process up to and including construction build out. Legal services provided to ABA include the drafting of documentation for real property purchases, sales and escrows; review of title, easement and boundary issues; and developing risk management strategies through the use of special purpose entities, appropriate insurance and contractual indemnity agreements. Although Mr. Ward’s primary purpose is to put deals together and avoid problems, he does also have extensive litigation and trial experience and can handle disputes if the need should arise.
Mr. Ward did his undergraduate work at Yale University and the University of California at San Diego and received his law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1986. Mr. Ward is a member of the California Bar, the San Diego County Bar Association and the Real Property and Construction Law Sections of the SDCBA.
Mr. Brown founded ABA Development after a highly successful career in private banking at Merrill Lynch and UBS Securities. With over ten years in financial management, Mr. Brown has a proven track record of identifying and accomplishing financial objectives. During his financial career he raised over $1.5 Billion in new assets. Prior to Merrill Lynch, Mr. Brown was a founding member and partner of Columbia Sportswear Australia/New Zealand.
Mr. Brown is responsible for overseeing ABA Development’s hospitality portfolio, raising both equity and debt, sourcing new development opportunities, managing relationships, as well as hiring new employees.
Jesse Allison - Co-Founder/COO
Mr. Allison has an extensive background in the hospitality and construction fields. Prior to ABA Development he spent over 20 years with New West Inns, a hospitality company geographically concentrated in the Colorado Front Range Region. He has been actively involved in the acquisition, operation, development and renovation of over 18 different lodging properties. He has over 15 years experience in development hospitality, and hospitality management alone. Mr. Allison currently holds GM certifications from the Cendant Hotel Group as well as the Choice Hotels International Group.
Mr. Allison is in charge of overall hotel operations as well as sourcing new development opportunities.
Larry Rubenstein - President, Design & Development
Mr. Rubenstein is a registered architect, licensed in eleven states, currently residing in Carlsbad, CA. His career spans thirty years with a specialization in commercial, retail, industrial and hotel architecture. His work has been published regionally and he has participated as a guest lecturer at the University of Houston, Texas, where he holds a bachelor degree in Architecture.
Mr. Rubenstein is responsible for taking all projects through the entitlement process (planning and zoning submittals), contract documents, and construction. His role includes selecting and hiring all design professionals, consultants, engineers etc.; selecting the general contractor for construction and overseeing the construction process until the issuing of the certificate of occupancy. He oversees the purchasing and coordination of the various FF&E, IT, and OSE vendors. He coordinates the relationships between the selected hotel groups, Investor groups, Design Professionals, Consultants, Engineers and local government agencies pertaining to the process as noted above. As a partner he participates in the decision making process in the selection of future development projects.
Jerry Crews - CFO, Internal Accounting
Mr. Crews is a CPA currently in private practice. He has been engaged by ABA Development to assist in the preparation of the financial projections and forecasts contained herein and to handle the ongoing accounting, tax and financial reporting requirements of the Project. He was a partner with a major international accounting firm for over twenty-five years and has considerable experience working with private and publicly-owned construction and related companies. Mr. Crews also was an investor and President of a major transportation company for over ten years. His experience also includes preparing business plans, financial models, budgets and forecasts to support management and financing needs.
Peter C. Ward -General Counsel
Peter Ward is the founding member of Ward & Hagen, LLP and acts as general legal counsel. Mr. Ward provides the interface between ABA’s business goals and the legal processes necessary to protect its interests and intelligently manage risk. Mr. Ward brings over 20 years of experience representing real estate developers, owners and investors in a variety of complex transactional issues from site selection and acquisition, through the due-diligence and entitlement process up to and including construction build out. Legal services provided to ABA include the drafting of documentation for real property purchases, sales and escrows; review of title, easement and boundary issues; and developing risk management strategies through the use of special purpose entities, appropriate insurance and contractual indemnity agreements. Although Mr. Ward’s primary purpose is to put deals together and avoid problems, he does also have extensive litigation and trial experience and can handle disputes if the need should arise.
Mr. Ward did his undergraduate work at Yale University and the University of California at San Diego and received his law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1986. Mr. Ward is a member of the California Bar, the San Diego County Bar Association and the Real Property and Construction Law Sections of the SDCBA.
