We build it like we own it.

Yitz operates on a simple, rare currency in this industry: honesty and the strength of a relationship. He’s a natural people-person who believes a business deal is ultimately a promise between two human beings, and he treats it that way. While he regularly syndicates deals in the $20–50M range and manages a national portfolio, he hasn’t lost the belief that there should be room for a sense of humor in the workday. That perspective makes the high-stakes world of development feel like a true partnership rather than just a transaction. When the workday ends, or more often when the emergency call comes in, you’ll find him running Hatzalah volunteer ambulance calls, dedicated to serving the community at a moment’s notice.

Mark is the guy who sees the “why” behind everything in life. While others see a finished structure, he is captivated by the science, the movement of air, water, and light that makes a building breathe. This obsession with how things work extends far beyond construction. He is constantly questioning the status quo and wondering how to make things better. It was this out-of-the-box thinking that led Mark to pivot Axela from solely servicing the firm’s own developments to providing high-level third-party construction services. He took the owner’s perspective and turned it into a service for others, fueling a rapid rise from $1M in revenue to $40M. A straight shooter who tackles every challenge with a fresh perspective, Mark brings that same fun and curiosity home to his three kids.

Cheryl is a master of organizing people and processes. Driven by a deep-seated curiosity about what makes people tick, she has a natural ability to see where someone will thrive and how a team should be structured to perform at its best. She is the primary force behind systemizing Axela for scale, finding the balance between structure and flexibility so the company can grow without losing its owner’s mindset. Through disciplined systems and clear accountability, she has helped guide organizations from instability to strong, sustainable performance. Known as a self-described chaos coordinator, Cheryl brings steady focus and calm energy to fast-moving environments, ensuring that growth happens with intention, clarity, and care.

Most people in this industry are either dreamers or builders, but Mike lives comfortably in both worlds. With a background as a licensed architect and a career spent in high-level construction leadership, he has an uncanny ability to see a project through multiple lenses at once. He understands the “why” of the design and the “how” of the build at the exact same time. Mike speaks the languages of ownership, design, and the field with equal fluency, ensuring the high-level vision survives the reality of the jobsite. He’s led massive teams across the globe, but his focus is always the same: break down the plan, find the most efficient path forward, and guide the team there with clarity and precision. A competitive rower who helped lead his crew to multiple championship wins, Mike brings that same endurance, coordination, and disciplined power to every project he oversees.

Craig approaches construction like a competitive sport. He studies the job, anticipates obstacles, and challenges himself to outperform his last record. For him, every project is an opportunity to execute smarter, cleaner, and faster than the one before. With over 20 years of experience across healthcare, education, multi-unit housing, and complex interior conversions, Craig takes projects from raw vision to Certificate of Occupancy with focus and discipline. Challenges don’t slow him down- they drive him. When he’s not managing a job, you’ll likely find him on the golf course, refining the same mindset he brings to every build: precision, strategy, and the determination to win.

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Rachel is the steady, helpful presence every project needs. As Axela’s Project Administrator, she plays a critical role in keeping documentation, contracts, and subcontractor onboarding moving smoothly. She has endless patience when it comes to helping people get set up correctly and sees every task through to completion.Rachel genuinely loves helping people. Whether answering questions, organizing paperwork, or refining deliverables, she brings care and follow-through to everything she touches. She also has an eye for presentation, making sure information is not just complete, but clear and polished. Reliable, upbeat, and team-oriented, Rachel strengthens every project by ensuring the administrative side runs as smoothly as the field. She brings both structure and fun to the office, and she’s the kind of person every team is better for having.

Back home in Ghana, Jemaa was quite literally a prince. On the jobsite, he leads with that same calm authority. With advanced degrees in business and construction management and years of experience managing multi-unit developments and commercial work, Jemaa combines education with real-world execution.He has a deep appreciation for architecture and enjoys translating drawings into disciplined, efficient field performance. Organized, patient, and steady under pressure, Jemaa keeps teams aligned and projects moving without unnecessary friction. Whether coordinating trades or refining details, he brings focus, structure, and quiet confidence to every build.

If you want to know whether your numbers are real, Simon is the person you want reviewing them. With a background in accounting and hands-on experience managing hundreds of apartment remodels and turnovers, he understands how scope translates to dollars and where projects quietly go off track.Simon is highly discerning. He doesn’t just price what’s on the page, he looks for what’s missing. He challenges assumptions, tests quantities, and flags risks early so they don’t become costly surprises later. A true self-starter, he approaches every estimate with ownership in mind, asking, “If this were my deal, what would I want to know?” Strategic, analytical, and tenacious, Simon protects the project long before the first shovel hits the ground.

Hesh grew up in construction, learning the trade from his father, a Brooklyn-based GC of more than 40 years, and he’s been running projects since he was 18. With over a decade of experience managing large multi-unit developments and complex commercial fit-outs, he brings both field intelligence and competitive drive to every job. Hesh loves being on site, where momentum matters, and he has a natural ability to speak the language of whoever needs to hear it, whether that’s ownership, a superintendent, or a subcontractor. A true galvanizer, he knows how to rally crews, push for performance, and create energy around the work without creating noise. Focused on efficiency and cost control, he keeps teams aligned and jobs moving forward with urgency and precision.

Jonathan is the quiet guardian of Axela’s financial discipline. Conservative by nature and fluent in the language of numbers, he approaches the company’s finances with precision and care. He believes clarity in the numbers drives clarity in decisions and works relentlessly to ensure reporting, job costing, and cash flow reflect reality, not assumptions.A hard worker with an unassuming personality, Jonathan doesn’t seek attention, he seeks accuracy. Leadership relies on him to protect the financial foundation of the company so projects move forward with confidence and control. Steady, analytical, and disciplined, he ensures the business side of every build is as solid as the structure itself.

Rich is the guy you want on site when the details matter. With over a decade of experience in large-scale residential construction, he brings a hard-working, disciplined approach to the field every single day. He dots his i’s, crosses his t’s, and makes sure nothing slips through the cracks. Consistent, sharp, and deeply reliable, Rich keeps the job moving while protecting quality and standards.From coordinating trades to managing daily sequencing, he shows up prepared and sees things through. Known for his steady temperament and dry sense of humor, Rich brings both accountability and levity to the jobsite, ensuring the work gets done the right way, every time.

Christine is the person who quietly makes everything run better. As Executive Assistant, she supports leadership with focus, responsiveness, and an instinct for anticipating needs before they’re voiced. She genuinely loves helping people and brings that mindset to every interaction, whether coordinating schedules, managing communication, or solving small problems before they grow.Highly reliable and consistently going one step above what’s expected, Christine brings both warmth and accountability to her role. She doesn’t just complete tasks, she improves them. Organized, dependable, and proactive, she strengthens the entire team by ensuring leaders can focus on what matters most.