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About Us
Our mission is to provide quality apartment homes that foster community, create a positive workplace for employees, reduce our environmental footprint, and create value for our stakeholders for years to come.
We are Essex—the proven leader in West Coast apartments. We are a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily apartment communities located in supply-constrained markets. With a commitment to the vibrant coastal economies in which we operate, we continually push to innovate, improve, and add value to the lives of our residents, associates, and shareholders.
The Essex Difference
Great Places to Live
We know every resident is unique; that's why we provide flexible lease terms to fit to your needs. You can move in when you please and stay as long as you like. With Essex, you get a one-of-a-kind living experience that provides convenience and peace of mind.
Sustainable Living
At Essex, sustainability and corporate social responsibility ("CSR") impact all aspects of our business and contribute to the success of the company. We take full responsibility for our impact on the planet, which is why we work tirelessly to uphold our CSR goals: providing great communities in which to live, offering a positive place to work, and reducing our environmental footprint across our organization.
Community Involvement
We care about social impact as much as a solid balance sheet. With a range of programs, fundraisers, and charitable partnerships, we work to build a better, stronger community that connects both residents and their surrounding neighborhoods. At Essex, we believe that making a difference is the best way to make yourself at home.
Executive Management
Michael J. Schall
President & CEO
Mr. Schall, Director, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. He previously served as the Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Company from 2005 to 2010, during which years he was responsible for the strategic planning and management of the Company’s property operations, redevelopment and co-investment programs. From 1993 to 2005, Mr. Schall was the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the organization’s financial and administrative matters. He joined The Marcus & Millichap Company in 1986. He was also the Chief Financial Officer of the Company’s predecessor, Essex Property Corporation. From 1982 to 1986, Mr. Schall was the Director of Finance for Churchill International, a technology-oriented venture capital company. From 1979 to 1982, Mr. Schall was employed in the audit department of Ernst & Young (then known as Ernst & Whinney), where he specialized in the real estate and financial services industries. Mr. Schall received a B.S. from the University of San Francisco. Mr. Schall currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, Inc. Mr. Schall is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and is a member of NAREIT, the National Multifamily Housing Council, the AICPA, and the Board of Governors of NAREIT.
John F. Burkart
Sr Executive VP & COO
Mr. Burkart is responsible for leading the Asset Management, Property Operations, IT and Business Intelligence departments. His responsibilities include overseeing overall Operations and Portfolio Management, including the redevelopment program, resource management, due diligence, facilities, the condominium portfolio, dispositions, and the commercial division. During his tenure at Essex, Mr. Burkart led the integration of the BRE and Essex merger and has had a variety of responsibilities including oversight over the Research Department, the Operations Portfolio in the Northern Division, the Private Equity business, debt financing and obtaining the corporate credit rating. Prior to joining Essex in 1996, Mr. Burkart was a real estate consultant for various companies including Essex during the period of the IPO. Mr. Burkart began his real estate career in property management at Pacific States Management, where he became the Vice President responsible for the management of a portfolio including office, multi-family and security storage assets as well as oversight of the accounting department. Mr. Burkart received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from San Jose State University in 1987 and an MBA degree in Real Estate from Golden Gate University in 1993.
Angela L. Kleiman
Executive VP & CFO
Ms. Kleiman oversees the Private Equity, Capital Markets, Economic Research, Accounting, Financial Planning, Internal Audit and Investor Relations departments. Ms. Kleiman was responsible for the overall transaction management for the acquisition of BRE Properties which successfully completed in April 2014. She joined Essex in 2009 to manage the Private Equity platform and grew the business from $750 million to $3 billion in gross assets. Prior to joining Essex, Ms. Kleiman's real estate career focused primarily on institutional investment management and investment banking. As a Senior Equity Analyst and Vice President of Investor Relations at Security Capital, she was responsible for over $2 billion of the firm's REIT investments and all client communications. As a Vice President with J.P. Morgan Real Estate & Lodging Investment Banking Group, she advised senior management and boards in strategic business platforms and capital markets transactions. Ms. Kleiman began her career in real estate development management in 1991. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management. She is a member of NAREIT and NMHC.
Adam W. Berry
Executive VP & CIO
Mr. Berry is responsible for leading the Development department and overseeing acquisitions dispositions at the Company. Mr. Berry joined Essex’s Acquisitions group in 2003, where he covered the LA, Ventura and Bay Area markets, leading over $1.4B of acquisitions, joint ventures and developments. Beginning in August 2012, Mr. Berry shifted over to the Asset Management group to oversee the Company’s redevelopment, capital, dispositions and overall asset management activities. He was also instrumental in the BRE merger, overseeing the valuation and due diligence phases of the transaction. Mr. Berry joined the Development team in 2017 to oversee land acquisitions along with continuing to manage the Company’s dispositions. Prior to joining Essex, Mr. Berry practiced law for two years as a corporate and securities attorney at Wilson, Sonisini, Goodrich and Rosati in Palo Alto. He received a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in law from the University of Southern California in 2001 and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology from the University of California, San Diego in 1995.
Patrick E. Klein
Executive VP & CTO
Mr. Klein is responsible for leading the Company’s information technology department, digital transformation programs, innovation initiatives, cybersecurity, business process improvement, change management and enterprise applications. Since joining Essex in 2017, he has been instrumental in introducing transformative technologies across the Essex portfolio and moving the company to meet customer and prospect demand through web, mobile and virtual solutions. Mr. Klein serves as a lead advisor on technology investment fund programs. His real estate career has spanned multiple industry segments including commercial, office, residential, industrial and retail. Prior to joining Essex, Mr. Klein was with Prologis, a global industrial REIT, where he led global IT services, infrastructure, enterprise applications and business intelligence. Prior to Prologis, Mr. Klein was with CBRE, where he was Senior Vice President leading the Global Program Management Office, Office of CIO and oversight of numerous business-line acquisitions and mergers. Over 25 years of his business experience has been focused in the real estate industry with various global and regional firms, consulting groups and software solution providers. He is a member of NAREIT, NMHC and a leadership advisor for Realcomm and CRETech industry groups. Mr. Klein was awarded a Bachelor of Business Administration from the College of Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University in 1984.
Shareholder Services and Information
Essex is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily apartment communities located in supply-constrained markets. The Essex portfolio is concentrated along the West Coast, including Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Seattle metropolitan area. Please see the general Company Presentation for additional information about the Essex portfolio.
Creating Better Communities
More than 10 years ago, we began pursuing new initiatives aimed at integrating sustainable practices into our communities. Our goal is to make our communities a place our residents are proud to call home.
U.S. Green Building Council
We are a proud member of USGBC, and have achieved Green or LEED certifications—the leading programs for green buildings and communities worldwide—on 27 development projects, over 8,000 sustainable homes.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Our four pillars to creating quality communities include improving our residents’ well-being, creating a positive work experience for our employees, reducing our environmental footprint, and delivering long-term results for our investors. View our CSR Report.