Team
Massimo Pinelli
President
Massimo has served as the President of Forte Real Estate Development since founding the company in 1999. Since then, he has successfully developed multiple mixed use and multifamily projects including condominiums, townhouses and apartments. He has successfully managed the acquisition, financing, approvals, construction and sales & leasing of all projects.
Over the years Massimo has developed an in-depth knowledge of the New Jersey market and is highly regarded in the local banking community as a trusted partner and well proven leader. He has developed a strong relationship with local governments in the redevelopment space to ensure that new projects enhance the local community.
For the first ten years of his career, Massimo worked at a large, privately held family real estate business with interests in holdings in the residential, retail and office sectors. During this time Massimo was involved in all aspects of residential real estate development including acquisitions and government approvals.
Massimo attended the University of Pisa and later graduated from Hunter College in the City of New York with a BA in Mathematics and an MA in Economics.
Francesco Pinelli
Vice President
Francesco Pinelli is the Vice President and Partner of Forte Real Estate Development since the company was formed. Since 1998 Francesco has operated in central New Jersey and has covered the role of senior project manager, construction manager, business coordinator and developer in different residential multifamily projects, ranging from single family to midrise multifamily apartment and condominium complexes. The size of the projects varies from 50 single families to 350 multifamily units. Francesco’s extensive experience, professionalism and demeanour has set a foundation for working in tandem with design professionals, law firms, planners, traffic experts as well as trades and subcontractors.
With a reputation for judicious use of resources and resulting costs containment, Francesco’s work has been instrumental in providing Forte Real Estate Development with leading successful projects, built on schedule, and within budget.
Francesco attended the University of Pisa, Faculty of Economics and Commerce in Pisa Italy, successfully obtaining a degree in Economics and Management.
Moin Khan
Principal
Moin is Principal of Development at Forte and is responsible for oversight and management of the construction process, with a targeted focus on the structural and civil engineering elements for each Forte project. Moin has over 26 years of experience in Civil Engineering design and construction. His professional experience includes working for numerous public, private residential & commercial clients, and a proven record of working collaboratively with clients, architects, engineers, and contractors from the design phase through construction. He is the lead on teams solving complex design, construction, and operations issues with a maintained focus on project delivery and client satisfaction. As a Civil Engineer, he was involved in the design and construction of over 800 residential, commercial and retail sites throughout New Jersey. The work included civil engineering design, land development, and building construction services including but not limited to the review of site plans, specifications, construction monitoring services for buildings structures, roads and other site related work. Moin received his Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Civil Engineering, N.E.D. from the University of Engineering and Technology, and his MSCE from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers.
Luca Pinelli
Director
Luca is a Director at Forte, and is responsible for the identification and evaluation of new investment opportunities, including the oversight of underwriting and due diligence efforts undertaken in the property and site analysis process, as well as raising investment funds from prospective and existing investors. Luca handles transaction negotiations and oversees the company’s loan closings and investor relations processes. He also assists Forte’s project managers throughout the construction process with budget and schedule management oversight, financials, and subcontract negotiations, as well as its asset managers with property-level operations, maintenance, and leasing for Forte’s existing assets. His role covers the full scope of investment and asset management for each deal from land acquisition to construction and eventual monetization. Prior to Forte, he worked at Rialto Capital on the firm’s Portfolio Management & Capital Formation team and prior to that for an EB-5-focused investment, capital raising and consulting firm. Luca holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
Joel Overell
Project Manager
Joel is a Project Manager, responsible for compiling preliminary and final budgets, coordinating with design professionals, attorneys, and township representatives — moving from approval stage through construction to final close-out. He has worked in the construction industry for more than two decades, spanning three countries. From new-build development to historically-listed renovations, Joel has managed teams on large-scale construction projects in NYC, London, and Sydney, with budgets ranging from $30M – $65M. He holds a degree in Building & Construction Management from the Gymea Institute of Technology in Sydney, Australia.
Mike Lavin
Project Manager
Mike supports and coordinates all phases and aspects of projects. He is responsible for developing project schedules, keeping subcontractors up to date with scopes of work, completing quantity take-offs, and reviewing project logs. He earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University, and he brings prior experience with MEP consulting.
Elizabeth Duque
Property Management
Elizabeth is responsible for managing our property management division, operations, and tenant legal. Elizabeth brings more than 20 years of experience in property management and she is a licensed Real Estate Broker.
Jonathan Heidings
Comptroller
Jonathan is our Comptroller. Jonathan began his career in accounting and book-keeping in the restaurant industry, before moving into a comptroller position with Polaris, a healthcare company based in New York, and several other specialized accounting firms following that. With over 19 years of experience in accounting and book-keeping, and 5 of those years spent at Forte with a specialized emphasis on real estate accounting, he manages internal accounting operations and financial reporting for all projects at the Firm from the acquisition phase to final development and ongoing operation. Jonathan holds an Associate’s Degree from Rockland Community College.
Elena Suchomel
Property Manager
Elena is a Property Manager, primarily responsible for managing one of our existing assets, The View at Middlesex, and assists with all operations, property maintenance, rent collections and tenant legal matters. Her expertise focuses on real estate accounting with an emphasis on full-scope accounts receivables and collections, accounts payable including coding invoices, reviewing vendor bills and inputting payments. Elena began her career in property management in 1998 as an accounting associate at Kushner Real Estate, and over her 22-year career there supported property managers and residents across 15 different properties and over 2,000 apartments.
Katherine Wojcik
Office Manager
Katherine has a varied background in electrical engineering, project management, accounting, and market research. She primarily handles duties such as, scheduling, organizing, account support, property management support, receptionist duties and various other administrative tasks. She is the friendly voice that will most likely greet you when you call the Forte office.