Our Story

In 1957, Jona Goldrich & Sol Kest teamed up and formed Goldrich & Kest Inc. to develop their first apartment community. Shortly after, the successful partnership went on a significant growth trajectory and in 1972, Jona and Sol formed G&K Management Co., Inc. to manage their growing property portfolio.

Goldrich & Kest Inc. was a recognized innovator in developing Southern California condominiums in the 1960s. They aggressively developed congregate care facilities for seniors starting in 1965. By 1968, the company was a pioneer developer in Marina Del Rey where they built one of the first luxury apartment/marina complexes in what was previously considered swampland.

In 1970, San Jose Gardens Apartments was unveiled, representing their first foray into the Northern California market. A year later, the company extended its footprint to San Diego with the opening of Genesee Park Apartments. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s boom, Goldrich & Kest Inc. continued adding government-assisted housing to the portfolio, and rapidly became one of California’s largest developers of government-assisted apartments. In the 1980s, the company expanded outside California, entering the for-sale, commercial, retail and industrial markets throughout the United States.

As part of its re-branding in July, 2016, the company formally changed its name, to Goldrich Kest. The family business that Jona and Sol founded over half a century ago now manages a diverse portfolio of over 200 properties nationwide.

Our Founders

Jona Goldrich
Jona Goldrich Co-founder

Founding partner Jona Goldrich embodied the American dream. An immigrant to the United States, he started his real estate empire with the simple idea of keeping construction sites clean. What began with a single apartment building in 1957 has grown into one of the most successful housing development and management firms in all of California. Today, Goldrich Kest manages more than 200 properties and employs close to 600 people.

Born in Lvov, Poland in 1927, Mr. Goldrich fled Europe in 1942 to escape the Holocaust. He landed first in Palestine, where he participated in military action that helped assure the creation of Israel in 1948, before immigrating again to Los Angeles. While working as a window installer, he started a business to clean up construction sites. A chance meeting with construction foreman, Sol Kest, led to a partnership lasting more than 50 years.

Mr. Goldrich passed away in June 2016 at the age of 88. He is survived by his wife of 50 years Doretta, their two grown daughters, a son in-law, two grandsons and a granddaughter. During his lifetime, Mr. Goldrich received countless awards and recognition from both civic and private organizations. His legacy lives on in his family foundation, which focuses on Holocaust awareness and education.

Sol Kest
Sol Kest Co-founder

Sol Kest was born in 1922 in Wulchowice, Czechoslovakia. Swept up in the horrors of World War II, he survived 9 concentrations camps only to return home and find his entire family had perished. Determined to rebuild his life, he married fellow survivor, Clara Adler, and they began a lifelong journey together. Sol and Clara eventually immigrated to Los Angeles in 1955 with two small children, determination and a willingness to work hard.

Sol began laboring on construction sites. He was quick to recognize incredible opportunities in the Southern California post-war construction boom. A fortuitous meeting with Jona Goldrich grew into a partnership that created one of California’s largest and most diversified real-estate holding and property management firms. Together Jona and Sol realized their vision of providing diverse housing for Californians across all income levels.

Sol and Clara had two more children in Los Angeles. They remained in Los Angeles, forever dedicated to work, family and their community. Their worldwide philanthropic endeavors focused on Jewish education and medical care continues since Sol's passing in 2010.

Next Generation

Barry Cayton
Barry Cayton President and Chief Executive Officer, The Goldrich Group

As President and CEO of The Goldrich Group, Barry Cayton is responsible for the leadership and direction of the Goldrich/Cayton family’s business endeavors. His responsibilities include the oversight of all facets of the family business, including property acquisition and disposition, due diligence, financing, loan-origination, asset allocation, and cash management. Mr. Cayton’s management philosophy emphasizes relentless innovation, a competitive mindset, and professional expertise. His business acumen and solid foundation have resulted in wide success and diversification of the family’s holdings.

In addition to his primary role with The Goldrich Group, Mr. Cayton is also the Founder and President of Audio Command Systems, the West Coast’s premier residential audio, home theater, lighting control, and home automation company, providing state-of-the-art home entertainment systems and D-Cinema Theaters to a discriminating clientele.

Mr. Cayton lives in Bel Air with his wife, Andrea Goldrich Cayton and their three children.

Ezra Kest, M.D.
Ezra Kest, M.D. Chief Executive Officer, Jordinia Operations, Inc.

Since the 2010 passing of Sol Kest, his son, Dr. Ezra Kest, stepped into his role as the Kest family’s primary representative on the Goldrich Kest team. He also assumed the role as Chief Executive Officer of Jordinia Operations, Inc., the asset management firm for the Kest Family.

Dr. Kest works with the other members of GK’s management team on acquisitions, major re-positioning and refurbishments of existing properties, and the overall strategic planning of the existing multi-billion Goldrich Kest portfolio of assets.

Dr. Kest worked in a successful, private Dermatology practice in New York City from 1989 to 1993. He subsequently relocated to California and founded the Kest Clinic in Beverly Hills, which he ran until 2011. Dr. Kest is married and he and his wife Lauren have four children.

Executives

Members of the Goldrich and Kest families continue to oversee the operations of this privately owned, family-run business. They collaborate with a select group of talented individuals who share a passion for building and sustaining a California real estate legacy. The GK management team is a diverse group of highly skilled professionals who have devoted their careers to acquiring, developing, and managing premier real estate assets. Click on a name to learn more about our executives.

Michael E. Drandell

Mike Drandell was born and raised in Los Angeles and is a product of the Los Angeles Unified School District and received his Bachelors of Science in Accounting at the California State University Northridge. While pursuing his CPA certificate, Mike worked at the Beverly Hills accounting firm of NSBN LLP (currently CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) starting as a staff accountant and becoming the then youngest manager in the firm’s history. During his 9 years at NSBN Mike specialized in both real estate audit and taxation.

In 1995 Mike left public accounting and began his career with GK as the Controller for GK Management Co., Inc. Since that time, he has held the positions of Vice President/Controller, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and as of January 2019 his current position of Chief Executive Officer. Mike holds the title of CEO for all GK related companies including GK Management Co., Inc., Prestige Homes, Inc., Royale Management Co., LLC, Overland Casualty Co, Inc. and Active Mortgage Corp.

Mike is currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, as well as a past board member of the Los Angeles Business Council, past board member and past president of both the Affordable Housing Management Association and AHMA Foundation. Mike lives in Santa Monica with his wife Julie and their two daughters.

Paul Dubord

Paul Dubord serves as the Managing Director of Operations for Goldrich Kest. He directs the departments of Property Management, Human Resources, Risk Management, Claims, Marketing, Information Technology and Administrative Services. Prior to his current role, Paul was also the company’s Executive Vice President of Operations and, Vice President of Information Technology. Paul’s extensive knowledge, vast experience and forward-thinking approach to Real Estate systems and processes, including collaboration and team engagement, professional development, and property management have set the stage for his invaluable role at Goldrich Kest.

Prior to joining Goldrich Kest, Paul had amassed 25 years of experience in building technology teams and delivering projects for public and private real estate companies. He was Vice President of Information Technology at Invitation Homes, a Blackstone company, and served as Vice President of Information Services with Verde Realty. He has held Senior Information Technology positions at GE Capital and Security Capital. In each of those roles, he provided strategic oversight of the I.T. function, and led several key business initiatives, systems implementations, and process improvements. Paul specializes in cross-functional project delivery, and has successfully orchestrated multiple restructuring transformations.

Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, Paul was in the Commerce program at the University of British Columbia. Paul enjoys living in Southern California, and has three adult children and two granddaughters who reside in Arizona and Texas.

Richard Hawthorne

Richard Hawthorne is Goldrich Kest’s Managing Director of Investments. He oversees investment activities of the company’s broad multi-asset class portfolio in collaboration with its Operations, Property Management, Finance, and Accounting teams. He is responsible for directing the departments of Asset Management, Acquisitions and Dispositions, Real Estate Development and Construction, and Capital Expenditures (CR/CI).

His more than two-decade career includes having served as Senior Vice President for Apartment Investment and Management Company, where he was employed for 13 years before joining Goldrich Kest. There, he was responsible for the development, construction, and asset management teams associated with that company’s $5.2 billion multi-family and mixed-use West Coast residential apartment portfolio stretching from Seattle, WA to San Diego, CA. Prior to AIMCO, Rich worked for private real estate development and investment companies and general contractors in the Chicago metropolitan area.

He began his real estate career in the Windy City after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He left the military after four years of active duty service in Desert Shield/Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master of Business Administration from Walter E. Heller College of Business at Roosevelt University. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and Delta Mu Delta. Rich resides in Lake Forest with his wife, Dawn, and two pups, Kenzi and Zia.

Sylvia RubaIcava

Sylvia RubaIcava is Vice President of Human Resources, which includes overseeing Payroll/Benefit and Office Services. She has been with Goldrich Kest for more than twenty years and rose through the ranks thanks to her dedication, expertise, wide-ranging capabilities and professionalism. Among her responsibilities are recruiting top-tier talent and developing employee relations strategies that represent GK’s culture and values.

Sylvia has dedicated her career to Human Resources. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of La Verne, she became a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) through the Human Resource Certification Institute. She started her HR career working for the American Red Cross (Los Angeles Chapter) as the HR Assistant to the Officer of Human Resources where she assisted in all areas of HR.

In addition, Sylvia became a SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) through the Society for Human Resource Management. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and they have two adult children.

Angel Herrera

Angel Herrera is responsible for the Accounting and Finance division of GK Management Co., Inc. consisting of the AP, AR, Property Accounting, Financial Planning and Analysis, Tax, and Treasury Departments. He joined GK Management Co., Inc. as the Controller in May 2014 and was an instrumental part of the recent reorganization efforts within Accounting and Finance. In January 2018, Angel was promoted to Vice President/Controller.

In Angel’s professional career, he held positions as a Staff Accountant, Internal Auditor, Accounting Manager, Assistant Controller, and Controller. He gained experience in a diverse combination of publicly traded and privately held companies within the industries of luxury retail, entertainment, fashion and footwear, eCommerce, parking services, and real estate. In addition to hands-on and management experience in operational accounting, Angel has vast experience in efficiency efforts and process improvement, technology implementations, and change management efforts.

Angel was born and raised in Los Angeles. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles and also holds a Certificate in Accounting from California State University of Los Angeles. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two children. When not reviewing financials at work, Angel volunteers as the Treasurer for his children’s Parent Guild, School Board, and Girl Scouts Cookie Co-Chair.

Kevin Cimino

Kevin Cimino joined the GK team in 2015. He has more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience. He started his career as Leasing Manager for Trizec Properties before moving to Birtcher Real Estate, where he was Director of Leasing. He subsequently was Managing Director/Asset Manager at CT Realty for 8 years.

As Vice President at the Staubach Company, Kevin gained experience on the brokerage side of the business; he learned the tenants’ viewpoint while serving as West Coast Real Estate Manager for both MCI and the international executive suite company, Regus. His broad experience brings GK a unique perspective and expertise for management of our 11 million square feet commercial and industrial portfolio.

Born and raised in southern California, Kevin received his B.S. in Business Marketing from Cal State University Northridge, and his M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. He has two daughters.

Greg Raap

Greg Raap serves as the Vice President of Residential Property Management. He is responsible for day-to-day operations and management of the GK residential portfolio. Greg has 25 years of experience in real estate operations and management of conventional, affordable, and military residential properties. Prior to joining Goldrich Kest, Greg was Vice President of Hunt Military Communities, where he was responsible for the successful ownership, development, operations, and partner relationships for approximately 17,000 homes/units owned and under management supporting military families throughout the Western United States.

Prior to Hunt, Greg held a similar role for Forest City Military Communities portfolio of 10,000 homes. He previously directed the start-up and operation of the 7,000 home Hawaii Military Communities project, and managed Forest City’s Southern California affordable housing portfolio. Prior to joining Forest City, Greg held management positions in operations and asset management for various Southern California residential real estate operators and investors.

Greg served on the Board of Directors for Pacific Housing Development, Inc. He is a member of the Institute for Real Estate Management and a Certified Property Manager candidate. He was a Charter Member of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Residential Property Managers, and a member of the Professional Housing Management Association. Greg is a licensed California real estate broker. Greg received a B.S. in Finance, Real Estate and Law from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Symeon K. Davis

As General Counsel, Symeon K. Davis directs all Legal and Risk Management functions for GK and its multi-billion-dollar national portfolio. He has over two decades of experience in practically all sectors of the commercial real estate industry and brings a holistic and creative approach to solving legal and business challenges.

Davis served as Senior Counsel for Walgreens, a Fortune Top 40 company, where he was responsible for over $1.2 Billion in new acquisitions, leases, and development projects. He was a Senior Attorney at leading commercial real estate-focused law firms, and then Managing Partner of a law firm he helped grow during the Great Recession. He most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer of investment and development firm, Black Lion Investment Group, where he successfully executed two major company growth phases in a span of only five years.

Davis has been a member of the Urban Land Institute, International Council of Shopping Centers, and numerous bar associations and philanthropic organizations. He received his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University. He enjoys nature photography, hiking, track car racing, and traveling the globe with his wife.

Chad Moulin

Chad Moulin oversees all areas pertaining to Facilities for GK Management’s multi-family portfolio consisting of 120 properties and 13,000 apartment homes all located in California. Some of his responsibilities as Vice President of Facilities include: Property Preservation, Maintenance, Cap Ex Projects, Renovations, Oversight of Building Systems and REAC Inspections.

Chad has worked in the field of property management for over 25 years where he started out as a groundskeeper and worked his way up to his current position. Chad has held many different positions and has been responsible for Properties in 16 different states and 4 Canadian provinces. Chad is also an industry subject matter expert and educator headlining in-person and webinar education sessions. Some of Chad’s accomplishments include: CAMT designation with The National Apartment Association, faculty member of the NAAEI (National Apartment Association Education Institute), Advanced Instructor Training through NAAEI, Authorized OSHA Safety Instructor and a member of AIME (Apartment Institute for Maintenance Excellence).

Chad was born and raised in Kansas City, KS and is a huge Chiefs fan. Chad is married and has 1 young daughter and they currently reside in Marina Del Rey, CA.

Chris Wright

Chris serves as Vice President of Construction. He oversees and is responsible for directing and managing all phases of the company’s pre-construction and construction endeavors, including all new project developments and redevelopments, along with renovating and rehabilitating Goldrich Kest’s existing portfolio.

He is an industry veteran who brings over 20 plus years of experience in acquisitions, entitlements, development, and construction management. Prior to joining Goldrich Kest, Chris served as Director of Development and Construction for a privately held, family-owned investment organization with over $3 billion in real estate assets to set up and establish a brand new development business for ground-up development and repositioning of existing assets, along with creating best practices and procedures. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Redevelopment for the publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust Aimco for 14 years whose $12 billion portfolio consisted of multi-family and mixed-use properties. During his tenure, he was responsible for the development and repositioning of over 4,000 units throughout Aimco’s West Coast Portfolio.

Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management from the University of Florida and is an avid Gator fan. He resides in Newport Beach with his wife Kimberly and two children Tristan and Taylor.

Christopher Greenspan

Christopher Greenspan is Vice President of Asset Management. He is responsible for the optimization of the company’s portfolio by overseeing budgeting, capital planning, reporting, performance analytics, and asset strategy activities across our diverse multi-asset class portfolio.

He brings to his position two decades of experience in asset management, most recently as a Senior Vice President of an Orange County real estate investment, management, and development company where his duties closely resembled his current responsibilities. Before that, the USC graduate spent nearly a decade as director of asset management for a $2 billion+ company specializing in multifamily properties.

He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and a licensed California real estate professional. In his off time, he enjoys racquet sports and golf. He and his wife, Paige, and their three children live in Culver City, not far from corporate headquarters.

After School & Summer Community Programs

Over 21 years ago, GK was the first management company to implement Summer Community Programs for residents. We launched our free after-school program to serve the children who are a vital part of our communities. Kids aged 5-12 at select GK properties can take advantage of our free after-school program. This fun and exciting value-added option has proven to be extremely beneficial as it provides assistance with homework, hands-on science presentations, study hall, and much more. Children develop positive relationships with their peers and explore creativity in a safe, structured, well-supervised environment.

Every June, the fun begins and lasts all day with our free Summer Community Program at select GK apartment communities. We plan to expand the Summer and After-school Programs to more properties. Children attending summer camp can participate in the activities when they return home each day. Camp activities captivate kids with different themes every week, from sports week to animal week to water fun week. Special events like field trips, water slides, and magic shows enrich kids’ lives.

Our highly trained program leaders meet regularly with the recreation director to integrate new and imaginative ideas into activities.

Senior Living

Connecting with contemporaries helps seniors gain a sense of community. Neighbors are turned into friends. We offer free Adult Recreation Programs at select Goldrich Kest properties. Often, this makes the difference between just a roof over your head and a place to call home.

Whether participating in a healthy-cooking class, a barbecue, or a potluck supper, occasions to break bread together foster the sense of community we strive for at all our properties. Arts and crafts programs, computer training sessions, and painting classes are just a few of the other opportunities residents have to enrich their lives. Just-for-fun activities include endangered animal programs, magic shows, bingo games and get-togethers for coffee-and-dessert.

Activities vary by location, and are available for adult residents of all ages. We hope you’ll feel encouraged to participate in a new hobby, rekindle an old interest, or simply relax and have fun with your neighbors.

Marina Living

What’s the perfect end to a day on the water? A clean, secure, and convenient place to dock your boat when the sun goes down. GK was one of the first companies to build luxury marina/apartment complexes in Marina Del Rey in the 1960s. We have over 50 years of experience delivering the amenities that discerning boat owners expect.

Our three marinas in Marina Del Rey offer slips from 20’ to 100’, all with access to power, showers, Wi-Fi, fresh water, parking, and storage, plus some of L.A.’s trendiest shops and restaurants. Sunset Aquatic Marina in Huntington Beach accommodates boats from 17’ to 95’, and features a boat yard, launch ramp, and repair shop. Newport Dunes Marina is part of a large resort with scenic biking trails, kayaking and canoeing in the Back Bay Nature Preserve, fine dining at the Back Bay Bistro and access to area tourism and shopping centers. In addition to easy ocean access, Newport Harbor’s premier resort marina also features an exclusive clubhouse, pool, spa, and fitness center in addition to the usual marina amenities. Its slips, launch ramp and dry land storage welcome boats up to 65'.

Property Portfolio

Our multifamily housing portfolio includes government-assisted and conventional properties. These properties are primarily located in the Southern California, San Francisco Bay, and San Jose areas. Mixed-use properties are primarily combinations of luxury apartments with commercial and/or retail space.

GK’s marina properties are located in the cities of Marina Del Rey, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach.

The commercial and industrial properties in our portfolio are located in 17 states with the majority in Southern California. We maintain consistently high occupancy. We have cultivated lengthy relationships with our commercial tenants, a roster that includes Fortune 500 retailers like FedEx, Lowes, Gap, and Home Depot.

  • Residential
  • Commercial
  • Retail
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