FIRM BIOS

ARTHUR A. KLIPFEL III

Arthur Klipfel is one of the founding Partners of Oaktree Development. He oversees project acquisition, and as a licensed architect, the design aspects of project development. He has a strong financial background, and plays a major role in creating project budgets and structuring joint ventures and partnerships.

Mr. Klipfel has a Masters Degree from Yale University in Architecture, and a Bachelors Degree from Cornell in Economics. He also completed a year of post graduate work at Harvard in Architecture. After becoming licensed, he perfected a patented factory-built housing system and completed a successful IPO under the name Unihab, Inc. Unihab’s mission was to design and develop efficient and affordable housing, utilizing factory built technology when possible. Mr. Klipfel served as President of Unihab for 18 years when, during the 1970’s and 1980’s, Unihab completed the design and development of over a 1000 units of housing marketed primarily to young professionals and empty nesters located in urban areas. In the 1990’s Unihab was reorganized as a partnership committed to sustainable design and development, and re-named Oaktree Development.

Mr. Klipfel won the Paris Prize in architecture after graduating from Yale, and spent a year studying in Europe. He has won two design competitions, one designing a museum for Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, and the second a state competition for senior housing in Chelmsford., MA. Mr. Klipfel is married to his partner, Gwen Noyes, and together they have five children.

GWENDOLEN G. NOYES

Gwen Noyes has been a partner of Oaktree Development and its predecessor, Unihab Inc, since 1973, when Arthur Klipfel and she founded Unihab. Her work in these multi-family housing development companies has been focused to date in Cambridge and several metropolitan Boston cities. Trained as an architect, she has been the designer and partner in charge of many complete renovations and new communities totaling several hundred units. Frequently working in neighborhoods that are apprehensive or resistant to change, Ms Noyes has gained substantial experience in successfully permitting Oaktree’s projects. She helps neighborhoods to envision the contribution that an Oaktree community will bring. She also led in the sociologically complex formation and development of the Cambridge Cohousing community, an award winning, and nationally acclaimed example of environmentally responsible design. Gwen and her husband, Arthur Klipfel, live in this community.

Ms Noyes has a Master of Architecture degree (honors) from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College. She has lived and worked in Cambridge, MA for thirty eight years, though she enjoyed brief working stints in Japan, Denmark, and NYC. She has traveled extensively and served as an officer and President of the Board for the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. She has also served as a founding trustee on the City of Cambridge’s Affordable Housing Trust, and is a member of Cambridge Friends' Meeting (Quaker), where she heads the EarthCare Witness Committee. Growing up on an organic farm in Illinois provided the 'germ' for Gwen's concern for the environment, and has long found expression in the transit

PAUL OGNIBENE

Paul Ognibene (pronounced own-ya-bay-knee) is a small business owner and entrepreneur with a passion for ideas and creative problem solving. Ognibene is the founder of Urban Spaces, a Cambridge-based real estate company that acquires, develops, and manages properties in close proximity to urban centers.

Urban Spaces is in the process of merging with Oaktree Development, a Cambridge-based company that has been developing for over 40 years, including 311-unit Cambridge Park Place. The combined firm has substantial track record and specializes in developing downtown, transportation-focused, infill locations which incorporate state-of-the-art green building design and technology. In his role as CEO, Ognibene provides executive oversight of all investor and joint venture relationships, labor and contract negotiations, and multi-million dollar project budgets.

Prior to Urban Spaces, Ognibene served as an advisor in Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s administration, providing real estate project management, financial analysis, and other consultation to the Secretary of the Environment. Ognibene also founded ClubTools, a provider of electronic banking transaction, promotional products, and online services to over 500 university clients, including MIT, Northwestern, and Ohio State. Ognibene started his career at the Northern Trust Company, a fortune 500 company and the 15th largest investment manager in the world, with $4.2 trillion in assets under administration.

Ognibene earned a BA in economics from Boston College and an MBA from Harvard Business School and lives in Cohasset with his wife and two children.

PATRICK CLEARY

Patrick Cleary came to work with Oaktree from a background in Retail Development. He has represented and developed for some of the country’s most prolific retail tenants throughout the highest barrier-to-entry markets of the Northeast. Patrick perfected a system for market/ trade area analysis, and site identification over a period of 10 years that meets the strictest criteria for the most discerning end-users. Patrick has brought this unique skill set to Oaktree Development and has applied it to the asset class of Mixed-Use Transit Oriented Development.

Patrick started his career in real estate development when he founded CCR Development Group, specializing in the development of luxury single family homes. He eventually turned his attention to commercial real estate and went on to become Vice President of Development for the shopping center development firm The Hecht Company. As both exclusive broker and fee developer, he represented some of the country’s most sophisticated and prolific retail companies in the country and was involved in the development of over 4 million square feet in one of the highest-barrier-to-entry markets in the United States. Rather than working strictly as a fee developer and broker, however, Patrick was instrumental in moving the Company into the development world as Principals. With the growing volume of retail developments The Hecht Company was engaged in as Principals, Hecht Development was founded in December of 2006, and Patrick was named a Partner. During his tenure, Patrick was responsible for market analysis, site identification, acquisition strategy, management of project consultants and contractors, and the permitting of complicated and often-times politically delicate projects.

In 2008, Patrick was asked to take on the project management for New Boston Fund’s million square foot mixed-use project "The Gateway at Quonset Point" in North Kingstown, RI. Patrick was responsible for overseeing the construction of a Lowes Home Improvement Store, Kohl’s Department Store, and a regional high-end grocery store called Dave’s Marketplace. Patrick also was able to attract and negotiate a deal for a Marriott Town Place Suites, which was the only hotel deal in the United States able to secure financing at the time.

Patrick is a Georgetown University graduate and he currently lives in Boston, MA.

JEFF HIRSCH, RA

Jeff Hirsch brings over 20 years of design, construction, and real estate development experience to Oaktree Development. As Vice President of Operations, he currently presides over the day to day operations of Oaktree Construction, Urban Spaces development and overall project management services.

As part of the merger of Urban Spaces and Oaktree Development, Mr. Hirsch is responsible for the management and construction of projects in the Oaktree and Greenline systems. Additionally, Mr. Hirsch heads up the general contracting arm for Oaktree Development. Prior to joining Urban Spaces, Mr. Hirsch served in various executive positions within the construction management and real estate development industry. Over the past 10 years, he has developed, designed and built over 500 residential units in the New England area.

Mr. Hirsch has served as Director of Architecture and Engineering for The Gnome Group / Metronexus, a premier design/build firm in the telecom industry. Prior to that, Mr. Hirsch was an Associate Director at Vanderweil Facility Advisors (VFA) focusing on facility management and capital asset planning. He served as Facilities Administrator for the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Mr. Hirsch is a licensed Architect and general contractor in the state of Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor of Environmental Design and Masters of Architecture from Texas A & M University. He currently lives outside of Boston with his wife and 2 children.

GUSTAVO PARDO, LEED AP

Gustavo is a Designer with expertise in Building Information Modeling, using Revit as the primary tool for more than 8 years. His experience in sustainable design and computer modeling interprets the construction modeling system into a tangible and stimulating reality. He collaborates with site development, marketing and the development departments to produce and implement a proprietary multifamily building design system.

Gustavo has design experience with several architectural firms including Oaktree Development, Cambridge MA, Ellenzweig, Cambridge MA, Arrowstreet, Somerville MA and Kuhn and Riddle, Amherst, MA. Gustavo has a degree in Industrial Design; he studied interior design, and has a Masters in Architecture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. At UMASS, Gustavo earned a Certificate in Excellence in Sustainable Design in Multi Family Housing for his work. Gustavo’s forte in design is the translation of design language, from perception into 2D or 3D responses.

With many years experience teaching design and BIM, Gustavo has instructed classes at the Boston Architectural College and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Gustavo is a LEED accredited professional and teaches a course in Sustainable Design and LEED certification at the University of Massachusetts.

A consummate designer, his creations range from commercial exhibits to jewelry and furniture. He has entered numerous architecture and design competitions including a Bus Stop In Belmont Ma, the World Trade Center Memorial in New York, One Good Chair Sustainable products, High Density on the High Ground in New Orleans.

CHRYSE GIBSON

Chryse Gibson joined Oaktree Development in 2010 bringing with her an eclectic blend of skills and expertise to support acquisition, marketing and investor relations.

Chryse began her building career working for Paolo Soleri at Arcosanti before earning her license as one of the first three women journeyman carpenters in NYC. In 1982, Chryse moved to Canada where she founded Sisters’ Construction, a home renovation company before going to Nicaragua to work with the Center for Appropriate Technology to create a national carpentry training center.

On her return, Chryse joined OXFAM-Canada as the director of domestic programs to pursue her second career in organizational development. With an expertise in strategic change, Chryse continued her work as the Executive Director with Youth Challenge International with offices in Costa Rica, Guyana and the Solomon Islands and as the founding Executive Director of the Women’s Future Fund, an innovative collaboration of national women’s organizations raising financial support through workplace giving.

In 2005 Chryse returned to the United States with her family, taking the position of Executive Director for the Newton Schools Foundation. Currently Chryse is developing Living Ahead, an interdependent living solution to support financial, social and health security.

Chryse studied sculpture at the Philadelphia College of Art, received her BFA, magna cum laude from U-MASS Amherst, is a certified carpenter and licensed real estate agent. Chryse currently lives in Newton with her husband and daughter, traveling frequently to Canada to visit her son.