Our Team
From site selection based in supply chain and logistics theory, to permitting and entitlement, to project design, construction, and hands on asset management, our team drives value at each phase of the development and ownership cycle.
Scott Pertel
Scott is the Founder, President and CEO of Cold Summit Development. While guiding the vision of Cold Summit, he oversees all facets of the organization, from customer engagement and project delivery to community philanthropy and engagement. Prior to launching Cold Summit Development, Scott was a real estate capital markets advisor, most recently with HFF, focusing his efforts within the cold storage sector, providing buy-sell advisory services, along with debt & equity placement services.
Alex Langerman
Alex is COO of Cold Summit Development. Alex has built his career around the real estate and infrastructure space, approaching projects from multiple angles including development, operations and finance. Prior to Cold Summit, Alex was with Solomon Partners in its Infrastructure, Power & Renewables Investment Banking group where he executed M&A, project finance and capital raising transactions. Earlier, Alex was with Bechtel Corporation where he was based in the Middle East and developed, managed and constructed major industrial and infrastructure projects. Alex holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Brian Peters
Brian serves as CFO for Cold Summit Development. He brings 15 years of accounting, finance, and leadership experience in the real estate industry. His expertise includes partnership reporting, financing, sales, acquisitions, development, and asset and property management. Brian was most recently Controller at Wareham Development, a commercial real estate development company in the San Francisco Bay Area. Brian is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Mike Smith
Mike serves as Executive Vice President of Construction for Cold Summit Development. During his 27-year career, Mike has developed and built over 120 low temperature distribution facilities throughout the United States and Internationally. Mike’s responsibilities include executive supervision of General Contractors, project development and planning, risk mitigation, estimating, contractual negotiations, and quality assurance to ensure projects are completed on time and on budget. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction Management from the University of Florida with an Executive Leadership degree from the Florida State School of Business. He is a certified General Contractor and is a 9-year Veteran of the United States Army.
Eric Casey
Eric serves as Executive Vice President, Ports for Cold Summit Development. Eric has an extensive background in the Port and Logistics sector, serving as the CEO of Gulftainer USA (Port of Wilmington, DE), the Vice President of Virginia International Terminals (Norfolk, VA), and various roles for Maersk Line, covering Operations, Emerging Markets and Business Development.
Prior to his private sector roles, Eric spent 26 years in the United States Marine Corps, covering roles in tactical aviation and Special Operations. As a Marine, Eric flew in F/A-18’s, was a member of a National-Level Special Mission Unit, spent tours in Force Reconnaissance, and has participated in multiple combat deployments in three different wars.
Eric has an MBA from the Mason School of Business, College of William and Mary, a Bachelor of Science degree in Ag Economics from the Ohio State University, Lean certification from the University of Michigan, and Six Sigma Master Black Belt through Texas Tech.
Jason Fincher
Jason is Vice President, Strategy & Logistics for Cold Summit Development. He brings over 15 years of supply chain management and systems analysis experience to the Cold Summit team. Jason’s cross-functional expertise brings a broad level of supply chain network requirements and future market trend analysis to our customers. Jason holds a B.S. in Business with an emphasis in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California, an M.S. in Supply Chain Management from Syracuse University, and a M.S. in Defense Systems Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School. Jason is a 23-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
Kelsey Bodenstab
As the VP Investments, Kelsey is responsible for shaping Cold Summit’s investment strategy and quarterbacking development projects through the deal life cycle. She brings 12 years of institutional investment experience, having spent most of her career in acquisitions/development investment roles at real estate private equity funds – most recently at Artemis Real Estate Partners and Garrison Investment Group. Kelsey’s breadth of real estate experience spans all asset classes, debt and equity, across the risk spectrum, and throughout the U.S. Recognizing cold chain real estate as critical infrastructure to the global supply chain, she was an early champion of institutional capital investment into the cold chain sector.
Kelsey graduated magna cum laude from Lehigh University with a BS in Finance and a minor in Real Estate.
Brad Blocker
Brad serves as Vice President of Construction for Cold Summit Development. In his 16-year career, Brad has developed and built over 50 low-temperature distribution and food and beverage facilities throughout the United States and Caribbean. Brad’s responsibilities include supervision of Design-Build General Contractors, project development, planning, estimating, risk mitigation, contractual negotiations, and quality assurance to ensure projects are completed on time and on budget. Brad is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with an Executive Leadership degree from the Florida State School of Business. Brad served seven years in the United States Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer prior to entering the construction field.
Virginia McConnell
Virginia serves as Controller for Cold Summit Development. Virginia brings extensive experience in the finance field, ranging from investment banking to non-profits. She most recently was Finance Director for Native Landscapes, where she was responsible for integrating a major acquisition. Virginia holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics and a Master of Business Administration from the University of the Pacific and serves her community as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.
Joe South
Joe serves as Director, Development for Cold Summit Development, where he focuses on pre-development, entitlement, and delivery of projects. Joe brings a wide background in various phases of development, including acquisitions, entitlement, construction, leasing, and disposition. He has managed projects ranging from commercial and industrial development for institutional clients. Joe holds a Bachelor of Science in English Literature with a General Engineering core from the United States Naval Academy, and a Master of Business Administration with Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Real Estate from UC Berkeley. He has an extensive background in supply chain and logistics, and served for six years as a Logistics Officer in the United States Marine Corps.
Aaron Bass
Aaron is Director, Construction for Cold Summit Development, where he brings to bear his 13 years of experience at building low-temperature distribution and food processing facilities with a specific expertise in thermal/building envelope construction. Aaron’s responsibilities include management of Design Build General Contractors, onsite supervision and coordination, contracts negotiation, and construction risk management to ensure that all Cold Summit facilities are delivered on time, under budget, and to the highest specification. Aaron holds a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction Management from the University of North Florida with an Executive Leadership degree from the Florida State School of Business.
Brian Steck
Brian is the Director of Investments for Cold Summit Development. Brian has extensive experience in real estate investing and asset management through roles at a Private Equity Fund and Real Estate Investment Trust. Most recently, Brian served as an Associate at Iron Point Partners where he was responsible for acquisitions and asset management across various asset classes with a focus on industrial development.
Brian Graduated from Cornell University’s SC Johnson School of Business with a BS in Hotel Administration and a minor in Real Estate.
Robyn Fox
Robyn serves as Office Manager of Cold Summit Development in Sun Valley. She has her career-building managerial experience within the dental field. Robyn has specific training in communications and client relations, managing multiple offices and hundreds of clients seamlessly. Outside the office, she can be found in the mountains with her dog and young son, along with competing in adventure races throughout the country.
Sawyer Rhodes
Sawyer joins Cold Summit Development as a Portfolio Accountant. He graduated from The University of Southern California in May 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Development and a minor in Entrepreneurship. He then went on to get his Master of Technology Management at UCSB in 2022. Prior to joining Cold Summit, Sawyer played Division 1 water polo at both universities winning a national championship and playing on the US Senior national team. As a member of the national team, he trained and traveled for 3 years competing internationally; helping the US win the Intercontinental Cup along with other overseas efforts. Sawyer has experience working in the real estate sector as an accountant for Highway West Vacations as well as interning for JLL as a commercial broker. Sawyer facilitates bookkeeping efforts for the finance team and assists Asset Management.
and honors the members of our team who
have served in the United States military.