Our Team

Management

Jack K. Heilbron

CEO and President

Chairman of the Board

Mr. Heilbron has served as a director and officer of the Company since its inception. Mr. Heilbron also has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and President and Chief Executive Officer of NetREIT Dubose Model Home REIT, Inc. since its inception, and has served as President of NetREIT Advisors, LLC and NTR Property Management, Inc. since their inceptions. Mr. Heilbron was a founding officer, director, and shareholder of the former CI Holding Group, Inc. and of its subsidiary corporations (Centurion Counsel, Inc., Bishop Crown Investment Research Inc., PIM Financial Securities Inc., Centurion Institutional Services Inc. and CHG Properties, Inc.) and currently serves as CEO and Chairman of Centurion Counsel, Inc., a licensed investment advisor. He also served as a director of the Centurion Counsel Funds, an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, from March 10, 2001 until 2005. From 1994 until its dissolution in 1999, Mr. Heilbron served as the Chairman and/or Director of Clover REIT. Mr. Heilbron graduated with a B.S. degree in Business Administration from California Polytechnic College, San Luis Obispo, California.

Gary M. Katz

Chief Investment Officer

Gary Katz joined the Company in 2010. He is responsible for overseeing the Company’s investment and asset management functions, including acquisitions, leasing and management of the portfolio. Prior to joining NetREIT, Mr. Katz served in senior acquisition, leasing, and development roles for Westcore Properties, where he was involved in transactions throughout the western U.S. He has worked in the commercial real estate field for more than 30 years and has held positions with Legacy Partners, Lincoln Property Company, Kemper Real Estate Management Company, Bedford Properties, and Meyer Investment Properties. Gary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from UC San Diego. He is a former president and current treasurer of NAIOP – San Diego Chapter.

Steve Hightower

President

NetREIT Advisors

Steve Hightower joined the Company as Executive Vice President in 2010. He is responsible for overseeing the Company’s Model Home Division including acquisitions, resales, and management of its residential real estate portfolio. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Hightower held the position of Executive Vice President of Dubose Model Homes, USA, a model home real estate investment company, where he was responsible for the Company’s Model Home assets, including property acquisitions, divestment, as well as builder and banking relations. He has over 26 years of experience in real estate specializing in Model Home related transactions. Prior to joining Dubose Model Homes in 1996, he held various positions within Exxon Company USA. Steve holds a B.A degree in Business Administration from Texas State University.

Ed Bentzen

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Bentzen joined the Company as Chief Accounting Officer in March 2021 and became the Chief Financial Officer in September 2023. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Bentzen served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer for Crystal View Capital Management in 2020, as a Chief Financial Officer / Finance consultant for various clients (including real estate development companies) from 2018 to 2020, and as Chief Financial Officer for a non traded REIT from 2016 to 2018. Prior to these roles, Mr. Bentzen held senior and/or accounting roles at Western Funding, Inc., a Real Estate lender, and a local CPA firm in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, Mr. Bentzen worked as a Senior Internal Auditor at Ameristar Casinos, Inc. (formerly Nasdaq: ASCA). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration, with an emphasis in Gaming, and a Master of Science degree in Accountancy, from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and is licensed as a Certified Internal Auditor (inactive).

INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS

Jennifer A. Barnes

Ms. Barnes joined the Board of the Company in February 2020 and serves as a member of its Audit Committee. Ms. Barnes serves as CEO of Optima Office, an accounting and HR services company that she founded in 2018. From 2012 to 2018, she served as CEO of Pro Back Office, a company that she co-founded. Ms. Barnes has also held several controller and director of accounting positions at various companies. She also serves on the boards of the Better Business Bureau of the Pacific Southwest (as Foundation Treasurer) and the San Diego chapter of Junior Achievement. Ms. Barnes is also actively involved with Social Venture Partners (a philanthropic network that provides investment funding to non-profits to increase their social and environmental impact), and San Diego State University’s Lavin Entrepreneur Program. Ms. Barnes received a B.S. in Business Administration from University of Arizona and an Executive MBA from San Diego State University.

David T. Bruen

Mr. Bruen has served as a director of the Company since 2008. He was elected in 2020 by the Board of Directors to serve as its Lead Independent Director and also serves as the Chair of the Audit Committee. Mr. Bruen retired in January 2008 from San Diego National Bank after six years as a senior commercial lending officer. During the previous seventeen years, Mr. Bruen was in commercial lending for mid-size businesses in San Diego County for First Interstate Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Mellon 1st Business Bank, and San Diego National Bank. He is a Life Member of the Holiday Bowl Committee and has been a member of the Presidents Association for Palomar College, Financial Executives International, the San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum, and the Association for Corporate Growth. Mr. Bruen is a graduate of San Diego State University and has an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California.

James R. Durfey

Mr. Durfey joined the Board of the Company in December 2019 and serves as a member of the Compensation Committee and as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Durfey retired in 2017 from American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE: AAT), a publicly traded REIT, where he served as VP, Office Properties, since 2004. During his tenure at AAT, Mr. Durfey supervised property management and leasing of 2.7M square feet of Class A office space, assisted in the acquisition and/or development of Class A office buildings, and worked with AAT’s board in developing corporate investment strategies. From 1996 to 2004, Mr. Durfey was VP of Trammell Crow and GM of Century Plaza Towers and ABC Entertainment Center, a four building complex with 2.8M+ square feet. From 1980 to 1996, Mr. Durfey held various senior roles at Homart Development (the commercial real estate subsidiary of Sears, Roebuck and Company). Mr. Durfey received a B.S. in Business Management from Indiana University and is a licensed real estate broker in California.

Tracie Hager

Ms. Hager has served as Vice President, asset management, at Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE: IIPR) since October 2020. She has almost 30 years of experience in commercial property management, having overseen management teams and properties across the United States and the United Kingdom. Until January 2020, Ms. Hager served as vice president of property management for BioMed Realty Trust, Inc. (formerly NYSE: BMR), a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) specializing in acquiring, leasing, developing, and managing laboratory and office space for the life science industry, having joined BioMed Realty in 2010. Prior to her tenure at BioMed, Ms. Hager served in senior management positions at the Irvine Company, a privately held real estate development company, and Equity Office Properties Trust (formerly NYSE: EOP), a REIT that was one of the largest owners and managers of commercial office buildings in the United States. Ms. Hager holds the Real Property Administrator designation administered by the Building Owners and Managers Institute.