Our Team
J. Robert Smyjunas - Chief Executive Officer
Rob Smyjunas has been in the commercial real estate business since 1987. He has enjoyed an extremely successful real estate career with commercial office, retail, industrial and mixed- use developments in seven (7) states, valued at a total of more than $700 million dollars.
Early in his career, Rob was at the center of the last U.S. financial crisis in the late 1980's and early 1990's, when the United States was in the midst of the Savings & Loan (S&L and Banking) crisis. During this period, commercial real estate values fell more than 40%. He provided advisory services to both lenders and to the Federal Government and he also purchased commercial mortgages and foreclosed properties from banks, savings and loans and the Federal Government-managed Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC).
Steven N. Dragon, P.E. – V.P. Development & Design
Steve has been an integral part of Vandercar for almost 20 years. He spent eleven years as an Associate and Senior Project Manager in the land development group of regional engineering and architectural consulting firm CDS Associates, Inc., prior to joining our team. Steve’s expertise at Vandercar includes planning, design and permitting of large real estate development projects.
During his career, Steve has worked on well over 300 residential, office, retail and industrial developments. He is a registered Professional Engineer with a degree in civil engineering from Purdue University and holds an MBA from Xavier University.
Carey Rivard – V.P. of Operations
Carey Rivard brings many years of management experience to Vandercar. As V.P. of Operations, Carey has handled all day-to-day responsibilities of the firm including broker/vendor relations, information management (internal/ external) and general management of the firm's operations for over 16 years. She is an integral part of our team and the “go-to person” for every aspect of our business.
Tyler Fojtik- V.P. of Acquisitions and Finance
Tyler Fojtik holds a BBA from the Carl H. Lindner College of Business with a focus on Real Estate Finance. Before joining Vandercar in 2020, Tyler spent a decade in corporate finance, where he served as Director of Financial Planning and Analysis and later as Chief Financial Officer. His tenure there provided him with extensive expertise in project and structured finance, strategic planning, and corporate development. Tyler's seasoned background brings invaluable depth to Vandercar's leadership team.
Jack Kelly- Project Supervisor
As Project Supervisor, Jack is responsible for on-site owner representation, monitoring of construction and demolition projects, and asset recovery operations. He serves as a liaison between our firm, property managers, contractors, and neighbors to coordinate initiatives. As an asset recovery specialist, Jack works to maximize the value of our projects through the sale and sourcing of commercial, residential, and industrial building systems and components.
