- Rockefeller Group has named J.P. Harlow senior managing director and head of its West Region, based in Irvine, effective Oct. 1. He will succeed James V. Camp, who plans to retire at the end of September. Harlow was recruited to Rockefeller roup by Camp in 2023 to lead the expansion of the company’s West Region to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.
- Henry Cassiday has joined JLL Capital Markets as a senior director in its Orange County Capital Markets team. Cassiday will advise commercial real estate owners and investors on debt and equity capitalization strategies, with a focus on structuring and placing financing solutions across the capital stack.
- Dealpath, an AI-powered operating system for real estate investing, has appointed Michele Thiel as VP of marketing. Thiel previously spent more than a decade at CoStar Group and will be based in Dealpath’s San Francisco headquarters.
- Ascent Developer Solutions LLC, a relationship-based lender providing customized financing strategies to top-tier real estate investors and developers, has appointed John Richardson as chief credit officer. Richardson joins Ascent most recently from Arbor Realty Trust as managing director, chief credit officer, where he managed an underwriting pipeline exceeding 500 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans across approximately $5 billion in annual production.
- Echelon Studios Management announced that Jamie Crosbie has joined the company as EVP, head of studio operations. Crosbie will be responsible for overseeing studio operations, client and production services, and facilities. The studio services company, headquartered in Hollywood with a bi-coastal presence, will manage three purpose-built studio campuses, including one in Hollywood and two in New York City.
- RentCafe has introduced Ren, a built-in AI apartment search agent available nationwide on RentCafe.com. Whether renters begin with a detailed checklist or a general idea, they can state their priorities in everyday language. Ren keeps those criteria as renters refine their preferences and explore matching listings without rebuilding the search.
- The County of Ventura has partnered with ForeFront Power, a leading developer and asset manager of commercial and industrial-scale solar energy and storage projects, to develop a 7.7 megawatt-DC (MW-DC) solar energy and storage expansion project at the Ventura County Government Center. The 7.7 MW solar and storage project includes a 5.8 MW solar canopy parking system and a 1.9 MW battery storage component installed across Parking Lots “A” – “F” at the County Government Center, making it one of the largest solar canopy and energy storage projects in California.
- First American Exchange Company, a Qualified Intermediary providing a comprehensive suite of 1031 exchange services and a subsidiary of First American Title Insurance Company, has launched The 1031 Brief podcast. Published monthly and hosted by Ashley Stefan, divisional counsel for First American Exchange Company and a leading voice in the 1031 exchange industry, the podcast is designed to make complex topics more approachable and actionable for real estate investors and the professionals who advise them.
The post California People and Company News, Week of August 28, 2026 appeared first on Connect CRE.
