We build it like we own it.

A master of all construction-related trades, Yitz was schooled in the university of life. At age 19, he was thrown into the world of real estatement management, managing the complete overhaul of Waterbury’s 140-unit Carlton Towers on his own. Yet instead of sinking, Yitz swam upstream, learning from every challenge and broadening his knowledge base along the way.

From there, Yitz moved on to building and developing custom homes, where his skill sets grew to include understanding lenders and loan types, satisfying homeowners — and finding just the right shade among 497 different white paints.

Today, Yitz regularly syndicates deals in the $20-45M range. It was largely due to his expertise and insight that Axela Group grew from a small start-up to a national construction, development and management firm with $100M in projects across the country—including Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York—in less than a decade. He was also at the forefront of the company’s expansion to property management and, more recently, self-storage conversions.

As a result, the company’s portfolio now includes ownership and management of close to 1,000 residential units and commercial assets over 1 million square feet, a combined property value in excess of $100 million.

Thanks to his keen analysis, Yitz knows a good deal when he sees one. And above all, Yitz values transparency. He believes investors should have access to real-time metrics on operations and costs, and he makes sure they do, helping them make decisions to reach their financial goals.

When he’s not researching a property or raising capital for his next project, he’s out running a volunteer ambulance call, organizing a community event — or playing a practical joke on his family.

Big, beautiful buildings still make Mark a little weak in the knees — because he can see all the smaller components of the build that come together to create the impressive final product. In particular, it’s the science — the movement of air, water, heat, and light through a building — that captivates him, and he feels gratified and energized to be involved in construction every day.

As President, Mark manages operations and business development and works hard to ensure client satisfaction. He’s proud of Axela’s rapid growth from $1M in revenue to the forecasted $40M within the next year. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Mark will always start by stripping away the preconceived notions about a problem and attacking it from a fresh perspective, as if it’s the first time he’s encountering this type of issue.

Originally from Boston, Craig — who now calls Connecticut home — is a born problem solver. He actually looks forward to all the challenges, big or small, that inevitably arise throughout the building process. As Axela’s VP, he’s the one who takes each project from “raw vision” to Certificate of Occupancy. And with over 12 years of construction experience, Craig brings diverse expertise to the team — in luxury interior design for healthcare, educational, and multi-unit housing spaces, with a specialization in interior conversions and fit outs.

Craig holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. He’s proud to play an integral role in Axela’s close-knit team, and he appreciates the spirit of collaboration that ensures a job well done. An avid golfer, when Craig isn’t at work or with his family — he’s on the green.

Work hard, but not too hard — that’s the secret to Rachel’s work-life balance, and it’s what keeps Axela’s offices running smoothly and efficiently, with no risk of burnout. An Intuit-certified bookkeeper, Rachel is responsible for contract administration, along with general administrative tasks. She’s quick to pick up new skills and tasks and cheerfully embraces a new challenge.

A Connecticut native, Rachel lives in Meriden where she delights in cooking, crocheting, and gardening in her free time.

Back home in Ghana, Jemaa was a genuine prince of his village. Here, he’s the prince on the construction site — giving orders and managing all the activities across multiple locations, always with his characteristic patience and charm. He’s also the prince of education: Jemaa holds a Bachelor’s in Business Management, an MBA in Project Management, and a Masters in Construction Management.

Thanks to his passion for architecture, Jemaa loves creating construction drawings. He also loves basketball — if he’s not working, he’s either on the court or catching a virtual game on his xBox in his Fairfield home.