Executive Team

Theodore “T.J.”  Wojtas, Chief Executive Officer

Theodore J. Wojtas is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Buyers Equity Fund. A real estate veteran with over 15 years experience, Mr. Wojtas is an expert in various forms of real estate finance, distressed real estate acquisitions, and turn-around strategies as well as consumer behavior.

Mr. Wojtas was instrumental in a national bond issuance program with over $3 Billion in liquidity directly allocated to first time homebuyers. In a short three year time frame over 2,700 families enjoyed first time homeownership. This highly successful program was executed in conjunction with the Illinois Development Finance Authority, Stephens Inc. and Bank One Capital Markets.

Most recently, Mr. Wojtas has broadened and deepened his overall portfolio to include non-performing assets and a variety of transactions with institutions that include Citi-Financial, Fairbanks Capital, Worldwide Financial and The Money Store.

Peter Mori, Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Mori has a twenty-five year track record of success in real estate investment, development and management. His diverse experience has ranged from working with entrepreneurs and prominent land developers to multi-family housing, inner city redevelopment and property management.

Mr. Mori began his career with VMS, a $5 billion portfolio real estate syndication firm where he held several key roles including Assistant Treasurer and Vice President Investor Services.  He later joined Shorebank Development serving as Vice President of Finance.  Most recently Mr. Mori served as the Chief Financial Officer of a real estate conglomerate with thirty-two operating divisions and more than $1 billion in properties nationwide. 

Mr. Mori received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and is a certified Public Accountant and a licensed realtor in Illinois.

Yvonne R. D. Engelbrecht, Chief Operating Officer

For the past twenty years, Ms. Engelbrecht has been heavily involved in single-family and multi-unit real estate acquisitions, site selection, sales and management.  She has become a respected leader through her knowledge and experience in property valuations, construction and labor costs, market rental or sales rates, market time and the overall effect on profitability.  She is a sought after resource for individual and group investors. Ms. Engelbrecht has been involved not only in sales and marketing but also the management of entire residential complexes as large as 1,300+ units with holistic knowledge and responsibility of all operations, marketing, sales and advertising.

 

As a licensed real estate broker Ms. Engelbrecht has extensive experience in marketing, sales, leasing, construction and new development activities. She has been involved in the management of over $500 million in multi-family and single-family properties in the Midwest. In addition Ms. Engelbrecht is routinely involved with other real estate based companies as a consultant advising clients on a variety of issues from sales strategies to operational effectiveness.

 

With deeply rooted knowledge of financing options at the local, state and federal levels, Ms. Engelbrecht has provided avenues of opportunity in homeownership for her clients. Ms. Engelbrecht came to the Buyers Equity Fund initially as a management consultant assisting Mr. Wojtas in developing and implementing all operational systems and controls for the Fund.  After completing this extensive consulting agreement, she was asked to permanently join the Fund in her current capacity.

 

Ms. Engelbrecht is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Army Reserve and has served in a variety of roles during her enlistment.

Rick Miller, Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Miller is a highly skilled and seasoned technology professional with over twenty years of experience.  Mr. Miller began his technology career in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1986.  After over a decade of service to the students of Los Angeles, Mr. Miller brought his skills to several organizations including Anheuser-Busch, Arthur J. Gallagher and most recently Renaissance Residential where he oversaw all IT functions.

 

Mr. Miller holds multiple certifications from Microsoft and has signigficant training and expertise in various types of software, WAN/LAN technologies and SOX compliance.  Mr. Miller attended California State University Northridge.

John Taylor, Vice President of Corporate Development

Mr. Taylor has more than ten years of experience in sales, complex financial instruments, derivatives, mortgage backed securities and developing strategic relationships. He has extensive international work experience in the Peoples Republic of China, Morocco and Egypt that brings a global perspective to the team.  Prior to joining Buyers Equity Fund, Mr. Taylor worked for Jordan Industries, a large international holding company, developing sales processes for new acquisitions.  His management experience, computer expertise and broad range of business talents make John an integral part of the team.

 

Mr. Taylor has an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago, Graduate School of Management with a concentration in quantitative analysis and strategic management and a BS in finance.