About Us
Since 1981, Venture West has developed distinctive commercial and retail properties. As the largest Southern Arizona developer of offices, the company has a proven record of creating environments where businesses thrive. Profiles of the firms’ management team follow.
NEIL R. SIMON
PARTNER
Neil received his BA from Yale University and received an MBA from Harvard. Neil’s prior work experience includes a securities analyst at Standard & Poor’s and a consultant with The Boston Consulting Group which provides corporate strategy assistance to Fortune 500 companies. Neil has been a partner of Venture West since it was organized in 1981, and served as CEO of Peter Piper, Inc. from 1998 to 2004. Neil is primarily responsible for identifying and financing new projects for Venture West.
FRED D. STEINIGER
PARTNER
Fred received his BS in Construction Engineering from Arizona State University. His forty+ years of work in the construction industry includes projects in the institutional, industrial, commercial, and multi-family residential sectors. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he planned and constructed 8,000 apartment units throughout the Southwest. Fred joined Venture West in 1990 as the construction partner, overseeing the construction of assisted living facilities throughout the United States, restaurants, commercial retail centers, ambulatory surgical centers, and approximately 1,000,000+ sf of professional and medical offices.
JORDAN S. SIMON
PARTNER
Jordan received his BS in business from the University of Arizona, an MBA from the University of Southern California, and attended Harvard’s Real Estate Executive Program. Prior to joining Venture West, Jordan managed more than two million square feet of commercial real estate, including 2,000 apartment units. He is a past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Southern Arizona Better Business Bureau and past president of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Greater Tucson. He is the co-author of two books, including “Estate Planning for Dummies.” Jordan is primarily responsible for property asset management as well as sales for Venture West.
CATHERINE A. COMPAGNO
PARTNER/VICE PRESIDENT – FINANCE
Catherine received her BS in both accounting and finance from the University of Arizona. A member of the Arizona Society of CPA’s, she joined Venture West in 1990. She prepares corporate financial statements, reviews monthly cash flows, cost reports, and construction draws. She is also responsible for maintaining all banking and lender relationships and oversees all accounting functions for the company.
STAN SPEARS
VICE PRESIDENT – PARTNER/ VICE PRESIDENT – CONSTRUCTION
Stan received his BS in Business from Arizona State University. He has over 30 years of experience in construction including public projects in seventeen states here in the USA as well as Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. Stan joined Venture West in 1999 and since then he has been responsible for managing the contracting, design, and construction of all projects for Venture West clients.
KAREN A. FARRELL
SALES MANAGER
Karen received her BS in accounting from the University of Arizona. She is a member of the Arizona Society of CPA’s. From 1981 to 1984, Karen worked in the Tucson office of Coopers & Lybrand where she attained the level of audit senior and provided accounting services to clients in the areas of real estate, mining, and health care. She joined Venture West in 1984 as controller and attained the level of Chief Financial Officer. In 2004, Karen obtained her real estate license and is now primarily responsible for office building sales and leasing as well as property management.
ALEX FETSIS
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGER
Alex has worked in the commercial and residential construction industry for over twenty years. Since joining Venture West in 2000, he has supervised the construction of numerous civil developments, tenant improvements and ground up new construction. These buildings include surgery centers, medical offices, veterinary clinics, and general office space.
WENDIE BILINGS
SENIOR PROPERTY MANAGER
Wendie joined Venture West in 2020, coming from the Pacific NW. Wendie received her BA from Washington State University, holds broker licenses in WA, OR and AZ, and has her RPA (BOMA) and CPM (IREM) designations. She has been in the commercial real estate industry over 30 years and has managed all property types and has extensive background in Leasing, adding value, asset management, due diligence, construction management, and environmental management. Wendie brings to Venture West experience from large commercial firms like Kidder Mathews, Colliers, RREEF, and extensive experience with both institutional clients and tenants. Wendie currently manages real estate in Tucson, Tempe, and Safford, Arizona.
JULIE NILES
SENIOR PROPERTY MANAGER
Julie joined Venture West in January 2008. Julie received her BA in Business Management from University of Phoenix. She became a licensed real estate broker in 2004 and has worked in the real estate industry for thirty years; eighteen of those years were spent working for a Tucson mall developer. Julie is well versed in leasing as well as property management which gives her the ability to provide clients knowledge of current real estate market trends and full-service management. She currently manages real estate in Tucson and Nogales, Arizona.
KAREN KOBYLINSKI
PROPERTY MANAGER
Karen joined Venture West in January 2020. She comes from a ten-year career managing the Business Development department at Park Place Mall in Tucson. Karen received her BS in Business from Northern Arizona University and is a licensed real estate agent in Arizona. She and her husband owned their own real estate company for many years and is experienced in many aspects of asset and property management. She currently manages real estate and owners’ associations in Tucson, Oro Valley, and Benson, Arizona.
ALISIA GONZALES
PROPERTY MANAGER
Alisia joined Venture West in 2018. She has an extensive background in residential property management and has found a new passion in commercial property management. She currently manages real estate in Green Valley, Tucson, and Catalina, Arizona.
LIEN TRAN
PROPERTY ACCOUNTANT
Lien holds both a bachelor’s degree and a MS in accounting. She has over ten years of accounting experience, including extensive A/R and A/P experience. Lien is responsible for the property management accounting for a property portfolio. This includes the preparation of monthly owner management reports comprised of detailed financial reporting.
MELISA STOVER
PROPERTY ACCOUNTANT
Melisa has a construction accounting background, including accounts payable. Melisa is responsible for the property management accounting for a property portfolio. This includes the preparation of monthly owner management reports comprised of detailed financial reporting.
WENDY TAYLOR
OFFICE MANAGER / PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR
Wendy has been with Venture West as office manager since 2005. She works with the construction department to prepare contracts, maintain job files, and obtain permits. Wendy has over thirty years of office experience in the construction field.
RAQUEL SOLIS
CONSTRUCTION ACCOUTANT
Raquel graduated from Tecnológico de Monterrey with a BS in International Business. She speaks three languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese). Raquel has accounting experience in different industries such as transportation, international produce, and construction. She is responsible for construction accounting which includes financial accounting and the construction accounting cycle for billings, accounts payable, job costing, sales tax calculation, and project close-out.
