Our Team

Lee Bloch joined Carmel Partners in 2013 and is a Partner, Acquisitions & Development. With 23 years of industry experience, Mr. Bloch has been involved in both multifamily and retail development.

He currently leads the Acquisitions & Development Team on the East Coast, specifically in the New York, Boston and Washington D.C. Metro areas. In collaboration with the Western Region team under Mike Ruiz, Mr. Bloch also provides oversight and expertise for land acquisition, entitlement and development processes nationwide. He is a member of the Management Committee.

Prior to Carmel, Mr. Bloch held various positions, including Vice President at Archstone, Development Manager at Kimco Realty Corporation and he also served as both an Analyst and Associate for Time Equities.

Mr. Bloch received a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from the University of Colorado and a Master of Science degree in real estate investment and development from New York University.

Mike Ruiz joined Carmel Partners in 2011. As Partner, Acquisitions & Development, Mr. Ruiz leads the Acquisitions & Development Team in the Western Region, including California, Seattle and Denver. In collaboration with the East Coast team under Lee Bloch, he also provides oversight and expertise for the acquisitions and dispositions processes nationwide.

Prior to joining Carmel, Mr. Ruiz was a Senior Associate in PricewaterhouseCoopers Real Estate practice, where he advised private and public REITs on real estate matters.

Mr. Ruiz earned a Bachelor of Science in economics and business administration from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Will Cipes joined Carmel Partners in 2016 as Director, Development. As Senior Vice President, he and his team are responsible for sourcing acquisitions and new multifamily development projects in Southern California. He evaluates feasibility, performs sub-market due diligence and structures transactions.

His background includes more than 13 years in diverse capacities within the real estate industry. Prior to Carmel, Mr. Cipes was Vice President with Kanon Ventures, focusing on overall portfolio performance of over 2.5 million square feet of assets, including creative office, medical, retail and residential properties.

Mr. Cipes received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Pitzer College, and a master’s in real estate development from the University of Southern California.

As Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Development, Matt Corsi is responsible for sourcing residential acquisitions and development sites throughout the Pacific Northwest market. Mr. Corsi evaluates feasibility, performs sub-market due diligence, structures transactions and oversees the entire execution process.

Mr. Corsi’s background includes over three decades of experience in the design, development, construction and acquisition of large commercial buildings and multifamily projects in the greater Seattle and Portland markets. Prior to joining Carmel Partners, Mr. Corsi was Founder and Principal of Urban Evolution, LLC, where he offered full-scope development services and worked as an acquisition and entitlement specialist for five national and local private developers in the Pacific Northwest.

Mr. Corsi earned his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Washington and is a licensed Civil Engineer. He also holds Certificates in commercial real estate development and business administration from the University of Washington.

Ronnie Gibbons joined Carmel Partners in 2018 as Director, Development Execution. As Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Development, his team is responsible for regional acquisitions and development for the growing Washington D.C. region. Mr. Gibbons evaluates feasibility, performs sub-market due diligence, structures transactions and oversees the entire execution process.

His background includes over 15 years of experience in multifamily residential construction, mixed-use, retail and commercial development. Prior to Carmel, Mr. Gibbons served as Development Director at both Monument Realty and Foulger-Pratt in Washington D.C., where he was responsible for the entire development process for multiple projects from pre-construction to completion and oversaw the design team and project consultants throughout all phases of the process.

Mr. Gibbons received a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Maryland and a master’s degree in economics from Georgetown University.

Jeff Panek is Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Development at Carmel Partners where he manages both acquisitions and development execution for new multifamily projects in Colorado. He oversees the day-to-day development projects including design, budgeting, consultant oversight and coordination with Carmel’s Construction and Asset Management teams.

Mr. Panek is originally from the Bay Area where he previously served as a Development Manager and Director of Commercial Real Estate for Essex Property Trust, a California-based multifamily REIT, where he was responsible for ground-up development of new multifamily apartment projects in the San Francisco Bay Area and oversaw the company’s commercial and retail portfolio.

Mr. Panek received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Eric Weiss joined Carmel Partners in 2024. As Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Development, Mr. Weiss is responsible for sourcing existing asset pursuits and residential development sites throughout the New York and Boston Metro markets. He evaluates feasibility, performs sub-market due diligence and structures transactions.

Prior to joining Carmel, Mr. Weiss was a Senior Vice President of Investments at Midwood Investment and Development in New York. There, he was responsible for sourcing and executing acquisitions across Midwood’s core markets, with a primary focus on multifamily, retail, office and ground-up development.

Mr. Weiss received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University and a Master of Business Administration from New York University.