SARES•REGIS Group Announces Leadership Change;
Christopher Payne of AvalonBay Joins To Head Multifamily Development
IRVINE, California -- After a 14-year career with AvalonBay Communities, Christopher L.
Payne is joining SARES•REGIS Group as President of Multifamily Development and will
become a partner in the diversified real estate development and management company.
Payne also will be taking on key management responsibilities held by SRG Managing Director
Geoffrey L. Stack, who gradually will be scaling back from day-to-day involvement with the
company he co-founded in 1993.
“Chris has had an extremely successful career at AvalonBay, running the multifamily
development business in Southern California. This includes the acquisition, entitlement, design
and construction of various multifamily product types for both urban and suburban locations
throughout the six-county region during his tenure in their Newport Beach office,” Stack said.
Even though SRG is privately held and AvalonBay is a publicly traded real estate investment
trust, Stack said they are “similar in their integrated platforms of development, construction,
investments and property management.”
Previously, Payne managed new development activity for Belmont Corp. in Southern California
and began his career with Greystone as a project manager for new home developments. Payne
received a B.S. in Business Administration / Finance from California State University, Fullerton,
and a Masters in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California.
“Chris will bring a wealth of experience to our multifamily development and construction
business. He will become a partner in the firm over the next several years and will take on the
management responsibilities which I currently hold. Chris is an outstanding individual of great
integrity, strong work ethic and exceptional leadership skills. He will be a tremendous addition to
the SRG team,” Stack said.
SRG was formed through the strategic alliance of two West Coast real estate companies. The
merger of The Regis Group, a residential development firm that Stack launched in 1977, and The
SARES Company with its principals John S. Hagestad and William J. Thormahlen has provided
expertise in all facets of residential and commercial real estate.
With approximately 600 employees, SRG is among the leading developers and managers of
commercial and multifamily real estate in the western United States. It currently has more than
1,000 apartments under construction in Southern California that it will manage upon completion.
SARES•REGIS Group manages a portfolio of more than 15,000 apartments valued at
approximately $2.5 billion and 20 million sq. ft. of commercial properties. SRG has acquired or
developed 20,000 apartments and condominiums valued at over $3.4 billion throughout
California, Colorado and Arizona. It has developed or acquired 40 million sq. ft. of commercial
projects valued at $4 billion. SARES•REGIS Group is California’s leading privately held
developer of LEED-certified apartments and commercial buildings.
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