Executive Team
Donna Preiss, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Donna Preiss is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Preiss Company. Founded in 1987, The Preiss Company specializes in the development, acquisition, and management of student housing. The Preiss Company employs over 200 team members and is one of the largest providers of off-campus student housing in the United States. The company recently purchased University Village at Southern, a 532-bed apartment property located ½ mile from Georgia Southern University.
Throughout her career, Donna has participated in the development and acquisition of 11,000 multi-family beds and secured lending for just under $400,000,000 in development and investment property. The Preiss Company is the leader in the development of new technologies, tools, and strategies for the student housing industry and also acts as a receiver for several national banks. The company has also been chosen by the Kenan School of Business as a business case for its architecture of partnering with institutional money.
Over the years, The Preiss Company has been a multi-year recipient of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce's coveted Pinnacle Business Award, winner of the Metro Bravo Award for Residential Real Estate, and winner of the Triangle Fast 50 Award for fastest growing company. The company has also been recognized by Triangle Business Journal as one of the Triangle’s Top Women-Owned Businesses (2005-2009), one of the Top Apartment Property Management Companies (2007-2009), and one of the Top Commercial Real Estate Brokers (2009). The company was also honored by Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network with their 2008 Impact Award—receiving Honorable Mention in the category of Industry Innovator—and awarded the Steady Growth and Profitability Master Award by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce (2009). Most recently, The Preiss Company’s Myrtle Beach property—University Village at the Coast—was featured in the November/December 2009 issue of Apartment Finance Today as one of the publication’s “13 Most Creative Deals of 2009”.
Donna has been personally recognized by Triangle Business Journal as one of the Triangle’s most successful professional women and was awarded their 2006 Women in Business Award. She has also been honored by Business Leader magazine and Triangle Real Estate magazine as an Impact Triangle Real Estate Broker for 2007/2008.
Donna received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MA Degree from the University of Maryland at College Park. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the SPCA, the National Multi Housing Council, the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, and the Wake Tech Foundation. Donna also serves on the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board and is a member of the NAA National Student Housing Committee, the NMHC National Student Housing Committee, and the Women President’s Organization.
Kirk Preiss, President and Chief Financial Officer
Kirk has been with The Preiss Company since its inception in 1987. Kirk has overseen the acquisition and development of a portfolio of real estate worth over $200 Million. Prior to joining The Preiss Company, Kirk held an executive position at IBM and was in charge of their networking standards mission. His list of corporate accomplishments are many and include his NASA white paper on Orbit Determination Algorithms which laid the foundation for today’s GPS, his Nuclear Reactor Mathematical Models for Nuclear Plant Construction in the ‘80s, Patents on Local Area Network Bridging in the early ‘90s, and the architecting and implementing of a high-speed Internet infrastructure for off-campus student housing in the late ‘90s.
Kirk received a BS in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, an MS in Mathematics from George Mason University, and an MBA from Duke University. In 2002, he was appointed by Governor Mike Easley to the North Carolina Science and Technology Board, where he continues to serve today.
Kirk has over 20 years’ real estate experience and holds a North Carolina and South Carolina Brokers License. He is an Accredited Residential Manager (ARM) through the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and holds a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation. Over the past 10 years, Kirk has managed the development and acquisition of over 7,760 multi-family beds and secured lending for over $175,000,000 in development and investment property.
John Preiss, Executive Vice President
John Preiss joined The Preiss Company in 1998 and is Vice President and Director of New Business Development. John is responsible for sourcing capital and new product. He is also on the executive team and is in charge of the conventional properties at TPCO. Prior to his VP role, John served on the Acquisition and Development team, where he was involved in the acquisition of University Village in Auburn, Alabama and University Village in Austin, Texas.
In 2007, John was awarded the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation by the CCIM Institute. John was among 393 commercial real estate professionals who earned the designation by passing the Institute's Comprehensive Examination, the final element in the designation process.
John's career with The Preiss Company is marked by notable corporate achievements. For several years, he was recognized as one of the company’s top sales leaders. His VP role makes John the second Vice President for The Preiss Company, where he has sourced both the debt and equity for $95 million. He also led the acquisition for both University Village at the Coast in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and University Village at Southern in Statesboro, Georgia.
John graduated from the College of Charleston with a bachelor's degree in Business. He is an active member in the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC).
John Manning, Cheif Financial Officer
John Manning is the Chief Financial Officer for The Preiss Company and brings over 20 years’ of financial and administrative leadership experience and expertise. In his role, John is responsible for managing all accounting/financial reporting, treasury, risk management and administrative functions for the company, as well as overseeing all credit relationships with senior and subordinated lenders and institutional/private equity investors.
Prior to joining The Preiss Company, John worked in various financial and accounting positions throughout New York and New Jersey from 1982 – 1994. In 1994, he moved to North Carolina where he served for three years as Controller/CFO for Alpha Cellulose Corporation, a processor of specialty cellulose in Lumberton. While there, John developed energy-sourcing strategies for natural gas and electricity, saving over $300K per year. He also established volume rebate pricing guidelines and assisted sale executives with major account negotiations, resulting in over $3 million in new business.
In 1997, John served as the Division Controller for Tecstar Inc., Electro Systems Division in Durham. In 1999, John moved to Georgia where he served as Chief Financial Officer for US Supply Company in Augusta for seven years. During his stay, he negotiated $5.3 million revolving credit and term loan facility, replacing mezzanine financing, as well as negotiated $2.2 million capital lease financing for e-coat/powder coat system. In 2006, John moved back to North Carolina and served as CFO for Cam Fabrication Holdings, Inc. in Smithfield. In 2009, John worked as an independent financial consultant and worked with such clients as a global earth station satellite systems manufacturer, a waste management services provider, and a building supplies distributor.
John graduated from Iona College with a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters in Business Administration, Finance.
DeWana Falks, Vice President of Student Housing Operations
DeWana Falks is the Vice President of Student Housing Operations for The Preiss Company and brings over 20 years’ of property management experience and expertise. In her role, DeWana is responsible for the financial and physical management of the company’s student housing portfolio. She currently manages the site Property Managers and Assistant Managers, develops property Standard Operating Procedures to increase rent postings and improve invoice reviews, and reduces maintenance, utilities, and transition costs through improved quality-control and inventory standards.
Prior to joining The Preiss Company, DeWana was the Regional Manager for Stokes-McCaleb from 1984 to 1991. In her role, she was responsible for overseeing five multi-family communities. She then joined Fort Development and served as the company’s Property Manager responsible for the lease up of 300 luxury homes in Phase 1 and an additional 300 luxury homes in Phase 2. In 1993, DeWana moved from Florida to Texas and joined ConAm to serve as the company’s Regional Trainer and Auditor. During her six years, DeWana was responsible for policy and Rent Roll training of all employees within the 28 fee-managed property territory. After six years, she relocated to Florida and was appointed Property Manager for Place Properties. After four years, DeWana was promoted to Regional Manager responsible for overseeing a portfolio of six off-campus student communities comprised of 4,303 beds. In 2006, she became the Regional Manager for Campus Advantage, where she managed a portfolio of seven on/off-campus student-housing communities comprised of 6,000 beds.
DeWana has a degree from Lake Brantley High in Forest City, FL and obtained her Florida Real Estate License in 1991.
Josh Saliba, Asset Manager
Josh Saliba joined The Preiss Company in 2007 as a member of the New Business Development Team, where he was responsible for the underwriting and analysis of potential deals. Josh is currently the Asset Manager and is responsible for financial reporting and analysis, as well as strategic business and financial planning for the company’s student housing portfolio.
Prior to joining TPCO, Josh was a Research Assistant in the “Legal Edge” Group for RiskMetrics Group, where he researched companies to assess short and long-term legal and regulatory risk. He has also worked with Landquest Development and was a Project Consultant with Slater Partners, LLC. From 2001-2005, Josh was a Financial Analyst with Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. (now part of Cisco Systems, Inc.) in Lawrenceville, GA. During his tenure with Scientific-Atlanta, he was in charge of the financial management of the International Business—which had $150M in annual revenues—and was later promoted to the analyst in charge of the company’s largest product line—which had over $1.5B of annual revenues.
Josh's career with The Preiss Company is marked by several notable corporate achievements. During his time with the New Business Development Team, he was responsible for the underwriting of deals, performed market research, developed marketing materials, and assisted in the development of a project valuation model. He was named New Business Development Team MVP in 2007.
Josh graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA. He also received a Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University Of North Carolina School Of Law and a Masters in Business Administration from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, where he was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma National Business Honor Society.
Josh is a licensed attorney in the state of North Carolina, member of the Urban Land Institute, a volunteer with Junior Achievement, and currently serves as a “Big Brother.”
Amy Barger, Director of Marketing
Amy is the Director of Marketing for The Preiss Company. She joined the company in 1995 and is responsible for the development and successful execution of the marketing and communications strategy for the company’s conventional and student housing projects. Amy manages, coordinates, and drives the activities and creation of supporting promotional materials, supports the corporate sales process, and handles all community public relations efforts. She also manages The Preiss Company’s nine property and corporate websites and has used pay-per-clicks, social media marketing, and Google analytics in order to boost campaign reach and maximize effectiveness.
Amy and her staff provide marketing support to off-campus student communities that house approximately 11,000 students and coordinate all advertising, public relations, direct mailings, and sports marketing for several universities including NC State University, University of Texas at Austin, Auburn University, UNC Charlotte, Peace College, Meredith College, and Clemson University.
Amy graduated from St. Mary's College in 1996 and attended NC State University. She is currently a member of the Triangle Chapter of the American Marketing Association.
Kyle Barger, Director of Construction Management
Kyle Barger joined The Preiss Company in August 2007 and became a member of the New Business Development Team in December 2007. The team focuses on the acquisition and sale of residential and multi-family investments. Kyle’s first deal with the NBD Team was University Estates at Austin, a 1,548-bed apartment property located with three miles of the University of Texas.
Kyle brings over nine year’s sales experience to The Preiss Company. Prior to joining our team, Kyle was the Sales Manager for Resolve Rehabilitation/NHR from 1998 to 2002, where he sold case management and bill review services to insurance companies and employers. He then joined Integrated Care Management (ICM) where he was named New Salesperson of the Year in 2003 and Salesperson of the Year in 2004. In 2006, he became a Regional Sales Manager for Cypress Care, where he sold cost containment pharmacy programs to insurance companies and employers.
Kyle received his BA in Business Management from North Carolina State University and holds a North Carolina Brokerage license.
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