Devin Aronstam
Managing Partner
Management Team
Mr. Aronstam has 25 years of real estate and capital markets experience. Prior to launching Relative with Mr. Aschkenasy, Devin was the Director of Acquisitions for Vantage Properties and its affiliate, Candlebrook Properties, a New York-based multifamily owner/operator. Upon joining Vantage in 2009, Devin led Vantage’s expansion out of New York and into the Mid-Atlantic region, acquiring over 4,000 apartments with a total acquisition cost of approximately $430 million.
Before joining Vantage, Mr. Aronstam was a Principal at Lubert-Adler Partners, a multi-billion dollar private real estate investment firm, where he focused on new acquisitions and asset management. Devin received a B.A. in History from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, with a concentration in Finance and Real Estate.
Paul Aschkenasy
Managing Partner
Mr. Aschkenasy has 34 years of real estate experience. In addition to his responsibilities at Relative, he is the President of Blank Aschkenasy Properties, LLC (“BAP”), a commercial real estate investment, development, and management firm. Paul joined BAP in 2000 to run its operations and became Managing Partner in 2004.
While at BAP and Relative Properties, he has led the acquisition, development, and management of over 35 projects totaling well over a million SF of commercial space and 1,100 multifamily units. Before joining BAP in 2000, he spent 10 years in real estate advisory, most recently as Senior Director with Cushman & Wakefield in its New York headquarters, advising his clients primarily on office transactions. He represented his clients in over five million square feet of leasing, sales, and structured ownership transactions nationwide, totaling over two billion dollars in aggregate value. Mr. Aschkenasy received a B.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin.
Bernie McCabe
Senior Vice President – Construction
Mr. McCabe has over 35 years of experience managing a wide array of construction projects—from ground‐up multifamily developments to large-scale retail tenant fit-outs and apartment renovations. Working primarily for owner-operators, he consistently delivers quality workmanship while diligently managing budgets. Prior to joining Relative Properties in 2014, Mr. McCabe held senior construction management roles with National Properties, a midsize regional developer and operator of apartments, and with Home Properties, a large publicly traded multifamily REIT. He received a B.S.B.A. in Management from Kutztown University.
David Tallarida
Senior Vice President – Finance
David has over 20 years of experience in the accounting industry, both public and private, with a concentration on real estate. As Senior VP of Finance, David leads BAP and Relative’s accounting operations, which include all financial reporting, budgeting, treasury management, and development accounting. Before joining BAP/Relative, David was the Executive VP of Finance and Accounting at Method Co., a vertically integrated real estate management, development, and design company, where he led the accounting department and oversaw the financial reporting for the entire company portfolio, including development, office, hotel, condominiums, and restaurants. Before that, David spent 6 years in public accounting as an auditor and tax accountant at Asher & Company, a CPA firm in Philadelphia. David received a BS in Accounting from La Salle University.
Hilary Fesmire
Regional Property Manager
Ms. Fesmire has 14 years of property management experience. Before joining Relative Properties in 2019 as Regional Property Manager, she served as a multi-site Property Manager for Toll Brothers Apartment Living in Princeton, NJ, where she managed nearly 900 luxury units and led her team to a record-breaking lease-up. Earlier roles include on-site management for Relative Properties and several Toll Apartment Group properties. Ms. Fesmire received a B.A. in Communications and English from Ursinus College and earned her Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) designation in 2018.
Karyn Bennett
Senior Vice President – Property Management/Operations
Ms. Bennett brings over 30 years of experience in commercial property management, leasing, and asset management. Since joining BAP in 2013, she has overseen the firm’s commercial portfolio and office operations. Previously, she managed commercial retail assets at Fameco Management Services and office assets at CBRE. Before relocating to Pennsylvania in 2005, she worked with Equity Office Properties Trust and Trammell Crow in Boston, as well as Trizec Hahn in Atlanta. Ms. Bennett currently serves as President of the Bryn Mawr Business Association and is a member of the Philadelphia Women Leadership Association.
Karen Mapes
Senior Vice President – Finance
Karen brings 38 years of experience to the BAP team, providing back-end accounting and compliance to the finance team.