Cardinal Capital Management, Inc.

Dan O’Connell is vice president of Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. and has 40 years of real estate development and management experience.

Dan leads the acquisition and finance team, identifying appropriate apartment communities in need of preservation, performing the feasibility work, negotiating and handling complex financial transactions, and identifying a sponsor or owner for the real estate.

Prior to his time at Cardinal Capital, Dan worked in the construction and development side of the industry for 10 years overseeing the development, construction, and management of several commercial projects, as well as approximately 1,000 units of affordable housing.

Dan spent the earliest part of his career working for Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) in the development and asset management areas of multifamily housing and spent a few years involved in the disposition of WHEDA’s single family portfolio.

Erich Schwenker is president of Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. and has 40 years of real estate development and management experience.

Erich leads the development team and oversees business operations, including asset and property management. Under Erich’s leadership, Cardinal Capital and its affiliates have acquired, developed, financed, and manage 10,000 plus units of affordable housing on behalf of various non-profits.

In partnership with its various non-profit clients, Cardinal Capital has developed housing with features and amenities that address the needs of Veterans, Homeless, Deaf and Deaf-Blind, Vision Loss and Impairment, Substance Abuse, and Persons Recovering from Mental Illness.

Erich has a particular interest in Special Needs and Supportive Housing and has recently expanded Cardinal Capital’s diverse housing portfolio to include market rate housing.

Jack has been involved in commercial, institutional, and residential multi-family work for over 30 years. As owner of Reichl Construction Inc., Jack has completed numerous multi-family residential apartment projects including Highland Homes, Cherry Court, United House, Highland Gardens, Empowerment Village – National Avenue, Veterans Manor – Milwaukee, Green Bay Veterans Manor, Capuchin Apartments, Maskini Place and Thurgood Marshall. Many of the listed multi-family apartment projects were successfully completed for Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. Jack has a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, served as the 2011 President of the Association of General Contractors – Greater Milwaukee and has served on various bank, church and pension fund boards.

Jack joined Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. in July of 2018 and has managed the successful completion of the Clarke Square, 7 Penn, AJAX II, Tannery Falls, Aviary Apartments and is currently working with the Cardinal Development team on developing over 4,000 apartment units in multiple states.

Julie joined Cardinal in July of 2009. She loves supporting the construction team and other departments in whatever moves the team forward.

She loves to travel and has a passion for cooking, great wine and dogs.

Having owned and operated his own Construction Company for over 10 years, Keith joined Cardinal in 2019 as a Project Manager with the hands-on skill, training, and experience to also transition into the field as a Project Site Superintendent. Keith has managed both rehabilitation and new construction projects. Recent accomplishments include serving as one of Cardinal’s Site Superintendents for a 263 unit – 46-million-dollar new construction project in Middleton Wisconsin, as well as a Site Superintendent for a 1900’s hotel conversion into luxury apartments in Janesville, Wisconsin. He is also a licensed contractor in the State of Wisconsin. Keith enjoys golfing, DIY projects, and spending time with family and friends in his free time. He also loves to be on a cruise ship or the beach as much as possible.

Ricardo joined Cardinal’s Construction Division as a Project Manager in 2015. Ricardo manages construction projects, overseeing all aspects of the project from start to finish.

Ryan joined Cardinal in March of 2008 as a Project Manager. Ryan participates in project pre-development, reviews building plans, solicits and reviews bids, negotiates contracts, manages project budgets and schedules, submits and reviews RFI’s and submittals, submits pay applications and coordinates draw inspections. Ryan recently was the Project Manager for three new construction projects consisting of 400 units and 60 million dollars of construction costs which each finished in 2021. Ryan’s previous projects include various HUD, RD, and tax credit rehabs in both Wisconsin and Iowa and new construction tax credit projects in Wisconsin and Colorado. Ryan is a Certified Green Built Homes Verifier, is 30-hour OSHA certified, holds an Associate’s Degree in Real Estate and is a licensed Real Estate Salesperson.

Tanya Puyleart serves as Cardinal’s Operations Manager in the Property Management Division and brings extensive experience in the real estate industry. Tanya is skilled in Tax Credit and Section 8 housing, both seniors and family. She enjoys mentoring new team members by guiding them through all paperwork required for move-ins and recertifications and required reporting. A few of her focuses are writing and following property budgets, monitoring monthly financial reports, maintaining high occupancy numbers, and assuring high customer satisfaction.

As VP of Development, Thomas generates interest in developments and initiates company growth by networking and partnering with officials on local and state levels, and developers. He also works closely with elected officials to create innovative solutions to redevelop difficult sites and to help address housing needs in rural & urban areas throughout Arkansas, Wisconsin, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, North/South Carolina, Arizona, and Colorado.

Thomas spent more than a decade working in local, county, state and federal government including serving as Chief of Staff in the Wisconsin State Senate, Director of Community Relations for the Milwaukee County Executive, and Special Assistant to Milwaukee’s Mayor. He also worked as an associate in Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Government Affairs Department, lobbying in Wisconsin, Chicago and Washington D.C. During his years in government service.

Joining the Cardinal team as an Accountant in 2020, Alfred Denney brings over 13 years of experience in accounts payable, gained from his previous position at Cascio Interstate Music. Alfred earned his Associate Degree in Accounting from MATC. He enjoys the family atmosphere at Cardinal and appreciates their “employee-first” approach.

Alfred enjoys taking walks and spending time with his wife Loryn and their dogs Wyle and Willa. He also enjoys Sim Racing online and playing video games, board games, and poker with friends.

Ann Scallon values the mission here at Cardinal, as well as the fast-paced and evolving environment of the housing industry. Joining Cardinal in December of 2012, she helps to lead the Accounts Payable team for our Property Management Division. In addition, Ann maintains our national vendor relationships and assists with onboarding new employees. She holds a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a double major in Marketing and Management.

Ann enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, attending the kid’s sporting events, volunteering, gardening, and reading.

Chris has been involved in real estate for over 35 years. A career that started as a licensed real estate broker evolved into property management. Chris joined Astar Capital Management in February, 2006 as an asset manager for approximately 1,000 affordable housing units held by a local non-profit owner. This grew to a portfolio of 2800+ units covering 70+ sites in Wisconsin. As Vice President of Asset Management, his duties include overseeing annual and capital improvement budgets, soliciting grants for project improvements, reviewing property tax assessments, soliciting property insurance bids and maintaining property manager contacts.

He has recently joined the Development Team at Cardinal with a move to develop Workforce and Market Rate projects in several states including Wisconsin, Georgia and New Jersey. Chris holds a BS degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and has earned the designations of Certified Occupancy Specialist, Blended Occupancy Specialist and Certified Property Manager. Chris has served on the Board of Directors for IREM Milwaukee – Chapter 13 and is a current board member for Community Projects for Seniors.

Dana, our Construction Accountant, brings over 25 years of manufacturing/cost accounting experience, as well as an Associate Degree in Accounting from MATC. One of her favorite things about Cardinal is the family-friendly atmosphere and everyone works as a team.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband of over 30 years, her daughters and two grandsons. She also assists with the management of her family’s real estate business.

Jeff Fox joined Cardinal in 2022 and serves as our Corporate Controller. Jeff holds his CPA license and brings over 13 years of experience in public accounting, as well as over 7 years of accounting experience in the private sector with a publicly traded Fortune 500 manufacturing company. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting. He enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys, attending sporting events, watching movies, and coaching his boys’ sports teams.

Max Thompson joined the Cardinal team in 2022 as an Accountant for our Property Management Division. Max is a 2014 graduate of UW Milwaukee, with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Finance. He brings over seven years of accounting experience in the property management industry.

In his free time, he enjoys cooking, camping, and traveling.

Kelly Johnson has been in the property management industry for over 20 years. During this time, she has earned her Housing Credit Certified Professional designation, as well as her Certified Occupancy Specialist, Tax Credit Specialist and Management Operations Review Specialist. She has been a part of the Cardinal Capital Management team for over 4 years and is the Vice President of Management Services.