ROCK ISLAND REALTY - Key Persons
Chris is a native Cincinnatian who has worked in finance and accounting for three decades. For the past 10 years, he has served as CFO for companies in the realms of contracting, manufacturing and distribution. At Rock Island he oversees financial reporting and analysis, and works towards process improvement and implementation. He was drawn to Rock Island because of the owners' vision for the company as well as the company culture where "we work as a team with a congruence of goals." When Chris isn't crunching numbers, he can be found road cycling, hanging out with his two rescue pit bulls, or cheering on FC Cincinnati.
Craig has been a carpenter since high school. He spent the first part of his career building custom homes in West Chester and Indian Hill, learning all phases of remodeling and construction. He and Rock Island CEO Lisa Meeks bonded over a belief that just about any building with good bones can be saved. Craig helps turn our client's vision into reality. When he is not on a job site he can be found chasing his two young children around his house or his weekend cabin (that he build himself, of course).
Jennifer started her career in real estate in 2009. She received the Realtor license in 2011, but it was property management that has always been her niche and passion. Jennifer specializes in distressed properties and revitalizations, finding it rewarding to see the projects from start to finish. Jennifer grew up in a military family. She now lives in Amelia where she enjoys drawing, nature walks, and spending tim with her two parrots and three dogs.
Joe comes to Rock Island after accounting and operations stints at Rent Manager and Macy's. His accounting degree from the University of Cincinnati is put to good use at Rock Island where he keeps track of payroll, receivables and payables, and communicates with financial institutions. In short, he makes sure the wheels turn behind the scenes. Joe is originally from Wilmington, but remained in Cincinnati after moving here for college. Like all of Rock Island's top brass, he is an animal lover, and enjoys playing fetch with his goldendoodle, Winnie.
Lisa's first project was her Northside neighbor's dilapidated single-family home. This remodel sparked a passion to build a stronger community by restoring the abandoned and abused properties in her neighborhood. One home led to another and eventually Lisa transitioned from her career as a civil rights attorney to work full-time as Rock Island's leader. Her new job still allows her to manifest her personal convictions: building community through restoration of the places we live, and nurturing careers by investing in the training and personal development of Rock Island's employees. Lisa loves her pets, reading, gardening, raising chickens, beekeeping, and cooking.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager Construction
PJ comes to Rock Island with more than 20 years of experience under his belt. He started as a laborer in construction and worked his way up to the director level through plenty of blood, sweat, and maybe a few tears. "The most important thing in working for clients is good communication and a sense of urgency," he says. PJ loves to take a project from the very start and see it through to the finish-building customers for life, in many cases. He is originally from Ontario, Canda. But in college in the US, he met his future wife, CJ, who is from Cincinnati. And thus PJ found himself a new home. He and CJ have two daughters, and the entire family loves sports and the outdoors. They reside in West Chester with a Great Dane named Lady.
Job Titles:
- Director of Leasing and Property Management
When Rock Island took over property management for the apartment building where she was resident manager, Rock Island unwittingly got a future employee in the deal. Prior to becoming Rock Island's leasing agent, she worked for almost two decades at an organization that provides affordable housing for people with HIV. As leasing agent, Sandy shows apartments to potential tenants, processes rental applications, and generally smooths the way for a new tenant. Sandy devotes her free time to volunteering, most recently shuttling seniors to agencies to apply for help with energy bills. Volunteering is a tradition passed down to Sandy from her nonagenarian mother-who is herself still volunteering!