Our Team 

Accounting Specialist

Alexa Tininenko

Alexa specializes in accounts payable for Blue Crane in addition to supporting the team in a variety of ways, including processing invoices and payments, running cash reports, and performing bank reconciliations. Previously, Alexa worked in sales, strategy, and planning. A fun fact about Alexa is that she lived in China where she taught English and ran a few marathons, including one on the Great Wall. She then found herself wanting to invest in the community where she grew up, which landed her back in NWA and at Blue Crane.

Director of Development

Benjamin Craig

Benjamin is a Director of Development at Blue Crane. A licensed architect with 20 years of experience, Benjamin leads projects and teams across a multitude of disciplines ranging from multi-family, mixed-use, hospitality, retail, commercial, and single family. A fun fact, Benjamin is an explorer and backroads kind of guy. Often that’s where you may find him: on two wheels.

Assistant Property Manager

Betsy Melcher

Betsy is the Assistant Property Manager for Blue Crane’s commercial and residential portfolio and enjoys working with Blue Crane’s great tenants. Prior to her role here, Betsy worked at the Walmart Home Office for 11 years, mostly in the Real Estate Division. Betsy grew up in Maine but has lived in Florida, California, and St. John, USVI. Arkansas became home 14 years ago, and she has loved seeing the development and growth in NWA. Betsy loves watching her kids play sports, gardening, spending time with family and friends, and exploring everything The Natural State has to offer.

Project Manager

Bill Deitz

Bill is the Project Manager for the Blue Crane. Prior to joining Blue Crane, Bill spent 21 years with Sam’s Club serving as a leader in multiple areas including Training and Development, Operations, Project Management Office (PMO), and Fresh Operations. In addition, Bill spent four years in the USAF as Military Police at F.E Warren AFB, Cheyenne, WY. A fun fact about Bill, he is originally from Massachusetts and lived in several different states before moving to NWA in 1996. He loves golfing, hiking, traveling, and cooking, including smoking BBQ.

VP of Development

Brian R. Shaw

Brian Shaw is VP of Development for Blue Crane and leads the internal development team and oversees joint venture development projects. Brian works to help the development team deliver transformational projects that provide a positive community impact and long-term financial results. Prior to joining Blue Crane in early 2023, Brian was CEO and Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield | Sage Partners and has over 25 years of commercial real estate experience involving commercial real estate development, investment sales, and project leasing. Brian graduated from the University of Arkansas and earned his MBA from the University of Denver. A fun fact, Brian is a Northwest Arkansas native, and, in the past ten years, he has traveled over 10,000 miles of dirt roads and over numerous mountain passes on his dual sport KTM motorcycle across Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Baja.

Sr. Accountant

Brittney Reynolds

Brittney Reynolds is the Senior Accountant for Operations at Blue Crane where she oversees tenant billings, CAM reconciliations, and internal financial reporting. In addition to her accountant role, Brittney enjoys being on Blue Crane’s Party Planning Committee where she helps plan fun events and activities for all employees. Brittney has a diverse background in accounting, with experience in a range of roles including tax accounting, human resources/benefits accounting, and payroll management. A fun fact, Brittney loves to travel. Her favorite adventure was a trip to Israel where she experienced many “once-in-a-lifetime” moments, including a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, hiking through Ein Avdat National Park, riding a camel in Jerusalem, and she even found a human tooth during an archaeological dig.

Leasing Manager

Crystal Rascoe

Crystal Rascoe is the Commercial Leasing Manager for Blue Crane’s commercial portfolio. Crystal oversees all aspects of leasing for retail, food and beverage, office, and commercial flex spaces. Before joining Blue Crane, Crystal worked in multi-family property management. A fun fact, Crystal began jumping rope at the age of five and jumped Double Dutch professionally in Manhattan as a pre-teen. She’s an animal lover, a champion for the elderly, and enjoys the arts as well as diverse multicultural foods and experiences.

Accounting Specialist

Diane Magerko

COO

Farris DeBoard

Farris DeBoard is the Chief Operating Officer at Blue Crane. His primary focus is asset management, financial planning and analysis, acquisitions, and leasing. Prior to joining Blue Crane, Farris served as general counsel at Cushman & Wakefield | Sage Partners, and earlier in his career, he practiced real estate law and managed a residential real estate investment fund located in Memphis. On an Arkansas powder day, Farris can be found riding or running on dirt, or floating one of the many beautiful rivers flowing throughout The Natural State.

CEO

Jared Faciszewski

Jared is the Chief Executive Officer of Blue Crane. Prior to CEO, Jared was the Director of Real Estate Development and Acquisitions at Blue Crane. He was previously a partner at RZC Investments. Jared is a graduate of Colorado College and the Tuck School of Business. Jared and his family can be found roaming the trails of Northwest Arkansas in their spare time! As a fun fact, as a kid, Jared hatched and raised a grand champion chicken at the Central Wisconsin State Fair.

Property Manager

Jenna Stobart

Jena is a Property Manager at Blue Crane. Some fun facts about Jena, she loves reading, walking, yoga, and being outside on a beautiful day. She has a 15-month-old daughter and is happily married nearly three years. She’s a huge foodie. And she has lived in Northwest Arkansas for almost nine years.

Transaction Coordinator

Jennifer Hennelly

Maintenance Technician

John Griffith

John Griffith is a Maintenance Technician and helps navigate the challenging issues that arise with the diversity of properties that we manage. He comes to Blue Crane with a range of experience in hospitality, retail, and construction. A fun fact, John once worked at Walt Disney, Florida, where he met his wife, Kalene.

Project Manager

Jon Raney

Jon Raney is a Project Manager for Blue Crane’s Development team. Jon loves connecting communities in NWA with accessible and innovative green spaces. Jon previously worked for Runway Group and a local landscape architecture firm, helping create many of NWA’s most recent and dynamic public outdoor spaces. Before moving back to Arkansas, he spent 10+ years working in Dallas for an award-winning design/build boutique firm. A constant source of inspiration for Jon are the Central Arkansas farmscapes where he worked as a young man, it was through that experience that he learned to respect the land and love construction.

Maintenance Technician

Josh Willard

Josh Willard is a Maintenance Technician for Blue Crane. Prior to Blue Crane, Josh worked as an Electrical and HVAC technician For schools and construction companies Josh loves the outdoors. When he’s not at a ballpark with his children, he spends his time on the water fishing or in the woods hunting.

Maintenance Technician

Joshua Carlton

Josh Carlton is a Maintenance Technician for Blue Crane. Prior to joining Blue Crane, he was a steel erector and foreman for a water and dry storage tank company and mixed additives for livestock at Nutra Blend. He loves to flyfish, and he is a pretty good skateboarder for a 31-year-old.

Acquisitions Associate

Luke Brasuell

Luke Brasuell is the Acquisitions Manager for the Blue Crane team. He scouts potential deals, manages the transaction, and oversees all closings for Blue Crane. Prior to joining Blue Crane, Luke worked at Runway Group for several years where he managed strategic projects for the company including cycling, licensing and marketing, community planning, and real estate development. A fun fact about Luke, his first job out of school was in Delhi, India, where he spent a year between undergraduate and law school traveling and exploring SE Asia.

General Counsel

Madeline Taylor

Madeline Taylor is General Counsel for Blue Crane. Madeline manages all legal aspects of Blue Crane’s business, including acquisitions, leasing, developments, and joint ventures. Prior to joining Blue Crane, Madeline had 10+ years’ private practice and in-house legal experience, working on a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions. A fun fact about Madeline, she is a southwest Arkansas native who tried out a handful of other states before returning and landing happily in NWA. She loves to play tennis and read any book she can get her hands on.

Maintenance Technician

Max Carlton

FP&A Manager

Michael Ceryanec

Michael is the Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) and oversees investor and financial reporting, development underwriting, and data analytics. Prior to Blue Crane, Michael worked at Walton Enterprises Inc. on the Family Advisory Services Team. Michael moved to Bentonville in 2019 from Denver where he underwrote and closed $1.3B+ in transactions while working at Prologis. Before Denver he helped run the FP&A team in Chicago at Pangea Properties, which managed 10,000+ multi-family properties in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Baltimore. Michael is a proud husband and father, a lifelong student of music, a devoted skier and mountain biker, and a pickleball advocate.

Maintenance Technician

Mike Price

Mike Price is a Maintenance Technician for Blue Crane. Mike responds to tenant issues and provides upkeep of all facilities as well as preventative maintenance. Prior to Blue Crane, Mike was a ranger for the Arkansas Forestry Division. He fought wildland and forest fires, performed swift water rescue as well as search and rescue. Mike has also been a volunteer fireman for the city of Decatur for over 12 years, and is also one of their sitting city council member. Mike is an outdoor enthusiast born and raised in Northwest Arkansas, where he enjoys spending time with his friends and family.

Manager of Property Management

Natalie Manis

Natalie Manis is Blue Crane’s Manager of Property Management. Natalie oversees the management of Blue Crane’s retail, office, multifamily, residential, industrial, and hospitality real estate. Natalie has spent her entire career in commercial real estate, first at Regional Bank, followed by several years at a commercial real estate company that specialized in retail shopping centers. A fun fact, Natalie spends most of her free time with her two daughters, Emily and Hannah. She enjoys cooking, live music, and is an avid football fan (Go Chiefs!).

Project Manager

Nick Holbus

As a Project Manager, Nick is tasked with merging the visionary goals of construction projects with the practical ones – budgets, timing, people, and placemaking. Nick has a specialty in waterproofing systems and building science and has worked in all phases of the building process over the past two decades – design, construction, technical sales, and manufacturing. Being part of a Development team is stimulating because it draws on this whole range of skills. Prior to relocating to Arkansas in 2018, Nick lived in Oregon, Colorado, and Wisconsin. A common thread: All four places have top-notch cycling cultures (but only one is the Mountain Biking Capital of the World™).

Maintenance Technician

Reuben Jones

Reuben is a Maintenance Technician at Blue Crane. He has 27 years in the HVAC industry, and as for knowing him personally, he says, “Buy me a drink to find out!”

Sr. Accountant

Ryan Spears

Ryan Spears is one of Blue Crane’s accountants. Previously, Ryan has worked in accounting in various industries, including flood insurance, mental health, HR services, and aviation. A fun fact about Ryan, growing up as a child, his family vacations consisted of going to Fan Fair in Nashville to meet all the country music stars of the ’90s. Ryan’s family even has a handwritten manuscript from a country music legend on loan and displayed at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Facilities Manager

Scott Sutton

AIA Project Manager

Suz Annable

Suz Annable is a Project Manager for Blue Crane Development team where she manages project design and construction. Suz enjoys enhancing all experiential aspects of projects, such as commercial tenant concepts, resident amenities, project branding, interior, and art. Prior to joining Blue Crane, Suz worked at Ropeswing Hospitality Group where she focused on new concept development, design and construction management. Her previous experience as an architect also includes leading retail, hospitality, civic, and residential projects. A fun fact about Suz, she was born and raised in Curitiba, Brazil, but decided to move to the U.S. as a teenager after watching too many American movies. Twenty years later, Suz is still convinced NWA makes the perfect set for an all-American movie.

Executive Assistant & Office Manager

Tami Montgomery

Tami works as Blue Crane’s Executive Assistant and Office Manager. For her entire career, she has supported high-level executives in Fortune500 companies, providing support in health and wellness, corporate finance and corporate strategy, and now real estate, property management, and development. Tami and her husband enjoy spending time with their children and enjoy being on their 38-foot 1985 Chris Craft Catalina on Table Rock Lake. When Tami is not on the water, she is searching for live music in the area and believes NWA has some of the best musicians ever.

Director of Facilities

Taylor Sizemore

Taylor currently serves as Director of Facilities with Blue Crane. This path began when Taylor took a part-time maintenance job with Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ, then helped start an adventure company in the Grand Canyon area. The team of experienced maintenance professionals at NAU had a lasting effect on Taylor, which led him to his position at Blue Crane.

Maintenance Lead

Tim Fairchild

Tim is a Maintenance Supervisor for Blue Crane. In his position, Tim oversees the maintenance team in day-to-day upkeep of the Blue Crane properties. A Bentonville native, Tim remembers walking the downtown streets when he was young and stopping to appreciate the architecture of the surrounding buildings. He remembers thinking about how neat it would be to make changes or improvements, and now as an adult he gets to live out his dream.

Corporate Accounting & Treasury Manager

Tina Steiner

Tina Steiner is the Corporate Accounting and Treasury Manager for Blue Crane. Tina oversees all cash management activity for the entire Blue Crane portfolio. Tina also leads the day-to-day operations for the accounting and accounts payable teams. Prior to joining Blue Crane, Tina worked with a real estate development company specializing in planned communities and subdivisions. Amenities included club houses, golf courses, lakes, parks, and trails. A fun fact about Tina is that she loves everything NWA has to offer including the arts, trails, Ozark Mountains, the Razorbacks, and Beaver Lake. She especially loves the fact her two daughters and their families love and call NWA their home. In her spare time, Tina loves spending time at her cabin near Beaver Lake and family homestead in eastern Arkansas.

Construction Manager

TJ Sanders

TJ Sanders is a Construction Manager for Blue Crane development team where he is responsible for creating and maintaining valuable working relationships with contractors. He spends most of his time onsite, ensuring projects are in compliance with drawings, specifications, codes, and safety regulations while being completed to quality construction standards. TJ has a love for traveling and has spent time in every state in the U.S., except Alaska. His favorite mode of transportation is his motorcycle, which he has ridden for over half a million miles through much of the country. He finds the beauty of NWA to be unmatched.

Accounting Specialist

Wendi Scoggins

As Accounts Payable Specialist, Wendi performs the financial processing of transactions at Blue Crane. She came to Blue Crane after five years at Walton Enterprises. Wendi is an avid cyclist and active in the community. For three decades, she has volunteered and served in different roles from the public library, public school system, church, and cycling groups throughout the region (and state). NWA is important to her personally and profession.

Project Manager

Will Nitz

Will Nitz is a Project Manager on the Blue Crane development team where he oversees project conception, design, and construction. Will previously worked for a local commercial contractor as a Project Engineer. This work experience has given him a deeper understanding and appreciation of commercial construction and its role in the project development lifecycle. Will enjoys traveling with friends and family, cooking with his wife, and quiet weekends on the lake.

Director of Development

Yume Rudzinski

Yume is a Director of Development and is involved in many aspects of the development process from project inception through completion. She loves the opportunity to serve Northwest Arkansas communities through the build environment. With over 28 years of professional practice as an architect, she has worked on public and private projects from schools, museums, hospitals, and mixed-use buildings to a range of single and multifamily residential projects. Yume and her large family emigrated to the U.S. when she was only six years old. She moved to Northwest Arkansas for “just a couple of years” in 2000 and, like many others, has been here ever since.