Firm & Team Overview

Our company’s leaders are amongst an elite group of professionals, whose industry savvy delivers results around the world. Succeeding in a cyclical market also demands a multi-disciplinary approach that ensures efficiency and streamlined service to quickly get properties sold.

We do it by leveraging our team of professionals with the skills and readiness to meet your critical goals. Our systematic approach to collateral preservation, securitization and disposition begins with a commitment to:

      • Draw from more than 90 years of experience in residential and commercial real estate from an elite team of professionals, whose industry savvy delivers results around the world. Combined, CEO Ira Norris, President Greg Norris, CFO Tobi Nieland and commercial property specialist Bryan Shaffer deliver timely solutions from one collective voice.
      • Accurately evaluate residential or commercial properties, as is or once revitalized, at the liquidation or completed price.
      • Provide our team of skilled and competitively priced subcontractors to efficiently improve properties throughout Southern California.
      • Expedite required city approvals, as necessary.
      • Leverage our legendary marketing expertise to quickly sell a range of properties.
      • Offer greater value through such added benefits as home warranties.

Special Asset Solutions will strategically enhance distressed assets for our investors and clients. We provide the following services:

      • Asset evaluation
      • Acquisitions
      • Fund Management
      • Construction estimating
      • Design build
      • Pre-construction services
      • Value engineering
      • Project management
      • Trash out
      • Eviction Services

 

Our Team

 

Ira Norris, CEOIra Norris
Chief Executive Officer

A career homebuilder on the national stage, CEO Ira Norris delivers decades of expertise from a professional and academic perspective. In addition to constructing, then selling an estimated 13,000 homes across California, Nevada, Arizona, Illinois, New York and New Jersey, this building industry luminary:

• Is a founding member of the USC Lusk Center, advancing real estate knowledge through innovative and relevant multidisciplinary research.

• Is a 23-year adjunct professor at the USC Lusk Center’s School of Policy, Planning and Development, offering graduate level degrees including the Master of Real Estate Development (MRED).

• Has been nationally recognized with –

“Housing Person of the Year” by the National Housing Conference
“Best Builder” by Builder Magazine
“Best Community in the Nation” and “Legends of Residential Marketing” by MIRM and Builder Magazine
“Best Affordable First-Time Buyer Home” and “Best Affordable Move-up Buyer Home” by Best in American Living
“Best Affordable Detached Housing Development” by the National Association of Home Builders

• Is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, and has served as national vice president and been named a life director.

A past president of both the Building Industry Association of Southern California and the Baldy View Chapter of the BIA, Ira was also designated Builder of the Year by both organizations and inducted into the California BIA’s Housing Hall of Fame.

Such distinguished accomplishments reflect a pursuit of home building excellence and an enduring commitment to higher education throughout Ira’s career.

Greg Norris, PresidentGreg Norris
President

As president of Horizon Communities, Greg Norris oversees all company operations including purchasing, construction, sales and marketing, escrow, and customer service.

He brings a wide-ranging knowledge of the building industry to his position. Previously, he served as vice president of Horizon Communities and prior to that, he was division manager and vice president of sales and marketing at RCR Companies, a large plumbing contractor in Riverside. A graduate of the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in communications, he began his career as a new homes sales agent for Mitchell Companies before joining INCO Homes in 1990 as a purchasing agent, and later as director of purchasing.

In 2006, he served as treasurer and secretary on the board of directors of the Baldy View Chapter of the Building Industry Association. His involvement with the organization continues as vice president of programs in 2007.

Greg lives with his wife and their two young daughters in Los Angeles. The couple enjoys spending time with their children, cooking together, and entertaining friends

Bryan Shaffer, Commerical Division ManagerBryan Shaffer
Commercial Division Manager

Spanning 20 years of restructuring, repositioning, developing and selling over $4.6 billion in commercial real estate and structuring $2.8 billion of debt in California, New York and portions of Asia and Europe, the experience of Bryan Shaffer delivers extraordinary value to clients of Special Asset Solutions.

Examples of Bryan’s notable industry experience include:

• Assisting such financial entities as banks, the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), international institutional investors, developers and private owners through his high level of expertise, management skills, turnaround strategies and restructuring knowledge.

• Successfully restructuring or repositioning in excess of 350 commercial properties including: multi-family, retail, office, industrial, hotel, health care and mixed-use retail/condominium.

• A keen understanding of: REIT formations, private equity structures, low income tax credits, HUD financing, international tax, and advanced capital markets structures, including CMBS, CDO, B-Notes and Mezzanine debt.

• Receiving, managing or contracting for over 135 special situation, distressed assets valued at over $550 million for: the Superior Court of California, California Federal Bank, First Nationwide Bank, Home Savings of America, River Bank America, Long Beach Savings and the RTC.
• Restructuring, repositioning and selling a portfolio of 85 properties valued at $1.5 billion for Mitsui Real Estate, a real estate fund subsidiary of Japan’s largest real estate company.

In addition to his service on the board of directors of the Distressed Asset Coalition (DAC), Bryan has been active in numerous industry associations including the ULI, NAREIT, NAIOP, ICSC, while founding the International Real Estate Trade Organization (IRETO). He has been a speaker/panelist at more than 120 conferences worldwide, including delivering the keynote at the 2006 Mortgage Bankers Association Conference, Chairman of Cityscape Singapore and Real Estate IQ China. Bryan will soon lead a distressed assets fundraising event with Cityscape in Dubai.
Bryan was the Hope Committee Chairman for the American Cancer Institute. A University of Arizona alumnus, he is also a licensed California Real Estate Broker and Approved Expert Witness and California Superior Court Receiver.

Tobi Neiland, Chief Financial OfficerTobi Nieland
Chief Financial Officer

Tobi Nieland, chief financial officer, is right at home with the dynamic, pro-active management style at Horizon. “Their terrific, family-focused culture brings key people into the decision making process to build strength and clarity into their plan for the future,” explains Tobi, who has spent her career in commercial and residential real estate as a Certified Public Accountant.

Tobi and her staff are responsible for all financial reporting, all lending, banking relationships, taxes, insurance, and budget coordination at Horizon Communities. In short, the buck stops here.

A graduate of California State University – San Bernardino with a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Tobi earned her CPA license in 1988 and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs. She lives with her husband, their children, and the family’s beloved sky terrier Flyer in Yucaipa where she grew up. A golfer, she enjoys the opportunity of sharing this new pastime with her son and daughter.