Samuel Hekemian has been active in the real estate industry in New Jersey for more than 50 years. Throughout his career, he has purchased and developed residential and commercial properties of the highest quality and, in the process, has attained an outstanding reputation among his peers as well as in the financial community. As Chairman & President of The S.Hekemian Group, he continues his significant contributions in such areas as property acquisition, site design, land approval, and land development. Prior to founding SHG, Sam served as President of Hekemian & Co., where he played a critical role in the formation and growth of the First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey, a REIT publicly traded under the symbol FREVS.

Sam is active in a number of charitable and community organizations, including serving on the Board of Trustees of the Hackensack University Medical Center and the Armenian Missionary Association of America.
 
Peter Hekemian’s responsibilities within The S.Hekemian Group include the oversight of all current development projects, as well as responsibility for project profitability. Included within this oversight is the hands-on management of initial project feasibility analysis, project design with engineers & architects, site plan approval & entitlement processes, construction execution, marketing, and lease-up & sale of assets. Peter is also responsible for all lender relationships, as well as the financial management of SHG’s in-house construction practice and its full requirements. Peter previously worked in San Francisco for the investment firm Fremont Investments, where he was responsible for debt and equity placements with developers throughout the Bay Area. Prior to his time spent in San Francisco, Peter was employed by a development company in Portland, Oregon, where he worked on downtown infill sites and the development of a high-density, award-winning town modeled in the Neo-Traditional/New Urbanism style. Peter graduated from the University of Vermont with Honors, as a double finance and accounting major.
 
Bob Powell has over 20 years of experience in the development and finance of real estate. Prior to joining The S.Hekemian Group, he served as President and CEO of DKM Properties Corp., one of the largest real estate development organizations in New Jersey. While at DKM, he directed the development, financing, and leasing of office parks, residential communities, retail shopping centers, and master-planned industrial parks throughout the Northeast. Previously, Bob served as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) – the public real estate investment bank for the State of New Jersey. Under his leadership, the EDA completed several billion dollars in incentive financing for business and industry throughout the state. Bob earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds Masters and Ph.D. degrees in economics and public policy from Princeton University.
 
As General Counsel of The S.Hekemian Group, Doug Cohen is responsible for overseeing all of the company’s legal affairs, including property acquisitions, development and regulatory approvals, environmental compliance, financing, construction, leasing, sales, and litigation. He also interfaces with outside counsel on legal matters requiring special expertise. Doug is also actively involved in the execution of the company’s development projects, including overseeing the entitlement process as well as environmental remediation and compliance matters. Prior to joining SHG in 2002, Doug was a partner in the law firm of Wolff & Samson PC, practicing primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and complex commercial real estate transactions. He is active in a number of charitable and community organizations, including serving on the Board of Trustees of New Eyes for the Needy, an organization that assists needy individuals throughout the world in obtaining eyeglasses at no cost. Doug holds a J.D., cum laude, from Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and an A.B. from Duke University. He is admitted to practice law in the States of New Jersey, New York, and Colorado, and in the federal courts of the State of New Jersey.
 
John Driesse has over 20 years of experience in construction, including project management, consulting, and contracting. Prior to joining The S.Hekemian Group, John was a principal with Construction Consulting Group for Systems and Development, LLC, a consulting firm providing construction management services to owners and developers. He also served as Project Manager with March Associates, Inc., a major construction management/general contracting firm located in New Jersey, which focuses on commercial and multi-family residential projects. As SHG’s Director of Construction, John's responsibilities include overseeing all facets of construction, design professional coordination, estimating, scope preparation, field operations, and subcontractor relations.