Management Team

Christian Heger and Kyle Ransford founded Cardinal Real Estate Investments in July of 2001.

Kyle A. Ransford, Founder and General Partner - kyle@cardinalinvestments.com

Kyle Ransford, is the co-founder of Cardinal Investments, LLC. His passion for real estate and his experience in finance led him to the foundation of Cardinal Investments in 2001. Currently, he has 90% of his personal assets invested in the firm’s projects.

Ransford founded Cardinal Investments in order to invest and develop residential, commercial and resort real estate projects with a focus on quality, design and creativity while maintaining respect for the community and preserving the integrity of each location.

The company has had tremendous growth in its first 5 years, which Ransford credits to an innovative, hands on approach. By recognizing and acting quickly on emerging markets and trends, Cardinal has outperformed the general real estate market considerably with each deal.

Ransford began his entrepreneurial career in Real Estate in 1994 with an investment portfolio of distressed REO properties.
From 1998-2000 Ransford ensconced himself in investment banking, first for Houlihan, Lokey, Howard & Zukin, a Real Estate Investment firm, and then for himself. During this time, he executed over $1 billion in mergers and acquisitions. In addition to that, he has also provided a variety of consulting and financial advisory services for companies in the real estate, internet and technology industries.

Ransford earned a B.S. in business administration from Southern Methodist University, and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Southern California.

He resides between New York City and Los Angeles with his wife, son, and daughter. He also serves as the chairman of the board of the Bank of Manhattan.

Christian M. Heger, Founder and Partner - christian@cardinalinvestments.com

Christian Heger, Founder and Partner of Cardinal Investments, LLC, has personally invested over 90% of his assets in each of the company’s 24 projects to date.

As the Partner in command of the firm’s Pasadena office, Heger is involved in all facets of Cardinal Real Estate Investments as well as Monarch Property Management, overseeing the individual assets from acquisition through stabilization and disposition. Heger has acted as the primary manager for nearly half of Cardinal Investment’s transactions, leading the projects’ acquisition, financing, construction, accounting and ongoing property management.

Prior to founding Cardinal Real Estate Investments, Heger worked for Salem Partners LP, a Santa Monica based investment banking firm. At Salem Partners, he gained experience in various types of transactions in the entertainment and technology industries including mergers and acquisitions, private equity placements and asset valuations.

Heger graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California, earning a B.S. in Business Administration. At USC, he participated in the undergraduate honors curriculum and focused on the study of finance and business economics. He holds a California Real Estate License.

Trevor Stahelski - trevor@cardinalinvestments.com

Trevor Stahelski manages Cardinal Investments New York. He is directly involved in every facet of the company. Stahelski manages all daily operations, including deal sourcing, design and construction, as well as overseeing property management of the individual assets from acquisition through stabilization and disposition.

Stahelski began his career working as an asset manager for Mitsui Real Estate Sales in Los Angeles, where he managed a $200 million property portfolio. The 5 years he spent there gave him the exposure to hone his skills, and gain valuable experience.

Prior to Cardinal Investments, Stahelski followed his entrepreneurial spirit and started EWS Holdings, a boutique real estate development company based in Palmer, Massachusetts, Stahelski’s hometown. At EWS Holdings, he executed various residential and commercial transactions, handling deal sourcing, acquisition and construction management.

Stahelski graduated from the University of Southern California, earning a B.S. in Business Administration.

He currently resides in New York City.

Jeff Larsen

Jeff Larsen manages Cardinal Investments Fiji. He is responsible for managing all facets of each Fiji development from initial deal sourcing through project completion, including obtaining appropriate approvals, managing design through construction and ensuring product quality and conformance to project budgets and projections.

A passionate environmentalist and conservationist, Larsen is responsible for cultivating and implementing environmentally and culturally sustainable development guidelines and practices as well as managing the environmental review of each project.

To date, Larsen has successfully completed over 20 real estate transactions in Fiji. He has an extensive knowledge of Fijian property and commercial law and processes, and excellent professional relationships with Fiji based solicitors, financial advisors, appraisers and surveyors.

Prior to his work with Cardinal Investments, Larsen worked with the luxury Taunovo Bay Resort Development as VP of Development commencing in December 1999. At Taunovo Bay, Larsen obtained all project development approvals to enable the completion of all project components, including successfully securing government funding and managing the civil contractor and construction management team in completing the residential villa component.

Before his relocation to Fiji, Larsen spent five years managing a number of successful development projects as a Project Manager for San Francisco based, Pacific Union Company and as a Land Use Planner for the Alameda County Planning Department.

Larsen received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Nicole Fitzgerald, Associate - nicole@cardinalinvestments.com

Nicole Fitzgerald joined Cardinal Investments in 2004, where she is engaged in the daily operations of each of the firm’s numerous projects.

Fitzgerald is based in Los Angeles, where she manages the office and assists Founder Kyle Ransford in many aspects of the firm’s operations while handling investor relations, correspondence and raising capital funds.

Along with compiling quarterly reports for investors, Fitzgerald supervises essential aspects of Cardinal Investments, including oversight of marketing, press strategy and website maintenance.

Fitzgerald earned a BA in International Relations Global Business with an emphasis in Marketing from the University of Southern California. She holds a California Real Estate and California Notary License. She also serves as the Secretary of the Bank of Manhattan.

Jason de Guzman, Acquisitions - jdeguzman@cardinalinvestments.com

Jason de Guzman joined Cardinal Investments in 2008 and specializes in acquisitions for the firm.

Prior to joining Cardinal Investments, de Guzman worked as a Land Acquisition Specialist for John Laing Homes, the second-largest new homebuilder in the nation. He was responsible for spearheading all land acquisitions for the Inland Empire Division, which encompasses Riverside County and San Bernardino County.

Before working for John Laing Homes, de Guzman also worked for Investments Limited, a large full-service commercial real estate investment firm in South Florida. He was responsible for the leasing of all commercial retail, office and industrial properties, as well as the acquisition of multifamily and retail assets.

De Guzman earned a BA in Business Administration with emphasis in Real Estate from the University of San Diego. He also holds a California Real Estate Sales License.