Owners, Operators & Developers

Founder & Chairman, Hotel Equities

Fred “Coach” Cerrone

Frederick Cerrone’s hospitality career spans a five-decade progression from desk clerk at the Sheraton Boston hotel, to managing hotels across the country and ultimately launching Hotel Equities in 1989. A general manager at age 21 and twice recognized as “General Manager of the Year” by national hotel franchises, Coach has hospitality in his blood. After many years in key positions with top hotels, he founded Hotel Equities and became one of Marriott’s first franchise partners. Other major franchise partnerships soon followed. With over 140 hotels in its present portfolio, Hotel Equities continues its successful growth.

HotelWorld Network named Coach “Hotelier of the Year” in 2009. Chairman of Marriott’s Fairfield Inn Franchise Advisory Board, he also a Member of the Board of Directors for the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau in Alpharetta, GA. He is a Member of the Alumni Advisory Board for the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University (GSU) and a Member of the Advisory Board of the Cecil B Day School of Hospitality at GSU. He received the Alumni Entrepreneurship Award from Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business.

President & CEO, Hotel Equities

Brad Rahinsky

Brad Rahinsky serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Hotel Equities, an Atlanta-based, full-scale hotel ownership, management, and development firm. Brad joined Hotel Equities as Vice President of Operations in early 2012 and quickly moved into senior leadership where he has powered the firm’s explosive growth adding over 75 hotels to the firm in over 25 states and multiple provinces in Canada.

Prior to joining Hotel Equities, Brad co-owned a successful portfolio of Hilton and Hyatt branded hotels in the Southeast. He spent his early years learning the business through progressive executive-level positions with Sheraton, Hyatt, Wyndham, and various independent resorts. Brad serves as a member of the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Franchise Advisory Committee and Hilton’s Hampton Inn and Suites Owners Advisory Council.

Chief Operating Officer

Bryan DeCort

Bryan DeCort serves as Chief Operating Officer for Hotel Equities. He is responsible for enterprise-wide performance, profitability and corporate strategy for the firm’s portfolio of 160+ hotels and resorts throughout the United States and Canada.

Since joining HE, Mr. DeCort has constructed an industry-leading team and implemented cutting edge technology to support the firm’s portfolio through rapid growth. His thoughtful and balanced servant leadership continues to elevate and strengthen HE’s operating platform yielding consistent best-in-class performance results. He joined the firm in 2017 as senior vice president of operations and most recently served in the role of executive vice president. Mr. DeCort was the architect for a comprehensive internal re-organization while the firm simultaneously added over 50 hotels, 1700 associates and opened 3 regional office locations. He also plays a critical role in all owner, investor and brand relationships.

With over 30 years of diverse hospitality experience, he has held progressive executive leadership positions with Marriott, Renaissance, Sheraton & Omni Hotels. Bryan holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida where he concentrated in Hospitality Management and Marketing.

Chief Development Officer

Joe Reardon

Joe Reardon serves as Chief Development Officer for Hotel Equities, an Atlanta-based, full-scale hotel ownership, management and development firm.With 25 years of hospitality experience, he oversees the development and growth strategies for the Hotel Equities organization. Mr. Reardon has built a highly successful business development team to negotiate management contracts and evaluate the financial feasibility of the firm’s acquisition opportunities. He utilizes the existing portfolio of hotel assets as a platform for smart growth with current and potential owners.

Mr. Reardon orchestrated Hotel Equities’ growth to over 160 properties in 27 states from Connecticut to California and 4 provinces in Canada. The firm recently expanded its leadership team by hiring additional key personnel at executive and regional levels and opened a regional office in Ohio, Arizona and Edmonton Canada. Mr. Reardon holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration & Tourism Management from North Carolina State University.

Vice President of Finance

Carlos Melgar

With more than 10 years of industry financial analytics experience, Carlos maintains oversight of the accounting and finance departments, especially the integrity of all reporting, budgeting and cash management activities for the company and its properties. Before joining Hotel Equities, he served six years as SVP, Controller and Asset Manager for the Atlanta-based Premier Hotel Corporation. Carlos earned a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Arizona.

Associate General Counsel

Adrian Betts

Adrian is Associate General Counsel for the 33 Degrees family of companies. Over the course of his 14 years practicing law, he has represented borrowers, lenders, investors, developers, and landlords in transactions involving multifamily, single-family, retail, industrial, office, and hospitality projects. He primarily assists in lease negotiation and asset management.

In addition, he has served on the board of several non-profit organizations and provided volunteer legal services throughout the greater Phoenix community. Adrian graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in finance, and the UCLA School of Law, and is a member of the Arizona Bar Association.

Paralegal

Melissa Murawski

Melissa J. Murawski is a Paralegal at 33 Degrees where she works with in-house counsel on various legal matters involving our office portfolio including leasing and lender relations. Melissa facilitates meetings with the legal department, executive teams, brokers, tenants and property managers.

Melissa has over 15 years’ experience as a real estate paralegal. She has worked at reputable law firms including Hinshaw and Culbertson among others. In 2004, Melissa moved to the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands where she had a successful career as a real estate paralegal. Melissa attended the University of Milwaukee Wisconsin and received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She then went on to obtain her Paralegal Certificate.

Asset Manager, Office Portfolio

Luke White

Luke oversees the office portfolio for Clear Vista Management. Luke works closely with the property managers, leasing brokers, and assists investors with questions. Additionally, Luke supports the underwriting, marketing, and sales team to build reports for capital launches. His team manages budgets, secures leases, and ensures the financial success of the assets.

Luke came to Clear Vista Management from hotel property management company, Hotel Equities. Luke graduated from Clemson University with a B.S in Economics.

Vice President, Research & Underwriting

Sunny Huang

Sunny provides leadership at our Hong Kong Office, overseeing research and marketing in Asia, and supports 33 Degrees in M&A, underwriting, and marketing globally. Her team builds financial models for potential investments and workout opportunities, with deep, localized research for commercial real estate, with market assessments, financials, and economic analysis.

Sunny has comprehensive research and acquisition experience in private equity with leading Chinese firms. She received an MSc in Investment Management from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and a B.S. in Finance from Zhejiang University.

Executive Vice President of Community Outreach

Anna Tovar

Anna is Executive Vice President of Community Outreach at 33 Degrees. Anna will primarily focus on site selection and acquisition, strengthening community partnerships and general business development. Her passion for people and focus on empathy have made her a tremendous leader who cultivates a culture of growth and excellence.

Prior to heading up community outreach at 33 Degrees, she served as an elected public servant in various roles in Arizona. Anna currently serves as an Arizona Corporation Commissioner. She is the first Latina to hold this statewide office.

Managing Director - Capital Markets

J. Huff Forness Jr.

His career spans more than 20 years of varied experience in financial management, capital markets, and corporate strategy.

Huff served as Senior Vice President of Iberiabank, a $35Bn regional bank headquartered in Louisiana. Earlier, Huff held senior-level positions in both originations and credit at various commercial banks, including Atlantic Capital Bank, SunTrust, and BB&T.

Huff holds a Master of Business Administration from Mercer University, Stetson School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Georgia Southern University.