Marlton, NJ, – March 26—The Michaels Organization, a privately held, full service real estate organization based in Marlton, NJ, today announced the appointment of Laura Ochipinti Zaner as vice president of Corporate Communications and Marketing. In this position, Zaner will have primary responsibility for creating and implementing a comprehensive marketing, communications, and public relations program that showcases the Michael Organization's strengths as one of the nation's leading housing developers.
"For almost four decades now, Michaels has quietly become one of the largest and most innovative real estate organizations in the country," said John O'Donnell, chief operating officer and executive vice president of the Michaels Organization. "As our portfolio of services continues to expand, this is a good time to start telling our story, which is a story of financial strength, housing expertise, and a deep commitment to our residents, our employees, our investment partners, and the communities where we build and manage multifamily housing."
Headquartered in Marlton, NJ, The Michaels Organization comprises seven affiliated companies—including Michaels Development Company, Interstate Realty Management, and Michaels Military Housing — dedicated to excellence in affordable, mixed-income, and military housing.
Since its founding by Michael J. Levitt in 1973, the Michaels Organization has developed, financed, or acquired more than 40,000 apartments, and currently manages 33,000 units in 26 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2008, Affordable Housing Finance magazine ranked Michaels Development Company as the Number 1 affordable housing owner in the United States. The company has won numerous industry awards and has been recognized as a pioneer for its success using Hope VI, a major Housing and Urban Development program designed to revitalize the country's worst public housing projects by transforming them into mixed-income developments.
In 2004, the Michaels Organization created Michaels Military Housing to develop, finance, build and manage best-in-class residential communities for military personnel. Most recently, Michaels Military Housing completed the historic renovation of officer housing at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Before joining the Michaels Organization, Zaner served as staff vice president for Multifamily and 50+ Housing, at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Prior to being named an NAHB staff vice president in 2001, Zaner served as Communications Director for the association's Multifamily Housing Division. She has a B.S. in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. Zaner will serve as the Michaels Organization's primary contact for the media and industry organizations, and will lead the efforts on a new corporate branding strategy. She can be reached at 856-988-5983 or at lzaner@irmmgmt.com