Maine Commercial Property Management Team with Experience

Heather joined J.B. Brown & Sons in November 2020 as Office Manager, where she oversees the daily operations of the office. Her work focuses on identifying opportunities for streamlining processes and creating efficiencies through project work and using her strong problem-solving skills. In addition, fostering strong, authentic relationships with our tenants is central to her work.

Prior to joining J.B. Brown, Heather brings with her 15+ years of experience working in commercial real estate, compliance & safety in a local corporate office. Earlier in her career, she worked at a real estate auction company. Heather earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern Maine and has continued studies earning certificates in Human Resources and Risk Management.

She resides in Portland, Maine with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys traveling, watching her children's sporting events, and spending time with family and friends.

Sara Solebello – Property Manager

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Sara has been with the company since 2014, beginning as an Office Manager and progressing into a leadership role as Property Manager after serving as Assistant Property Manager starting in 2020. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Husson College and currently oversees nine properties within the portfolio. She is focused on driving operational success, delivering consistent results, and fostering strong relationships with tenants and vendors. She has lived in Maine her entire life and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.

Ken Mitsui – Leasing & Project Manager

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Ken joined J.B. Brown & Sons in 2016 as Leasing & Project Manager, where he leads commercial leasing strategy and oversees project and asset management across the firm’s portfolio. With nearly two decades of experience, he brings deep expertise in asset performance, tenant relations, and the management of real estate assets.

Prior to joining J.B. Brown & Sons, Ken served as a Property Manager with CBRE/New England in Boston, Massachusetts, where he managed a diverse portfolio on behalf of institutional clients, delivering third-party management services across multiple asset types.

Ken is an active member of the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) and serves on its Local Issues Committee. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Saint Michael’s College and an MBA from the University of Southern Maine, including coursework at the Muskie School of Public Service.

He resides in West Gardiner, Maine with his wife and two children. Outside of work, he enjoys skiing, fishing, hunting, and spending time outdoors throughout Maine.

Bob Vallee – Property & Construction Manager

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Bob joined J.B. Brown & Sons as Property & Construction Manager in 2018. Prior to joing J.B. Brown & Sons he worked at Community Concepts Inc. as Property Director. Bob brings 24 years of experience in the field of Property, Facility and Asset management related to HUD and LIHTC Affordable Rental Housing complexes, and commercial office and head Start facility management. His Certifications and trainings include: COS, COS(PH), CMM, CMH, HQS, C3P, AC&C2, TheoPRO4a; LIHTC x4 (Elizabeth Moreland), ARM (IREM), Fair Housing/504, ADA, Facilities Management.

Rafael Henckel – Director of Finance

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Raf joined J.B. Brown & Sons in April 2021. Prior to joining the Company, Raf had over a decade of experience in the Public Accounting sector (Braver P.C. in Boston, MA and BerryDunn in Portland, ME) where he was exposed to clients in a variety of industries including Real Estate. Raf holds his CPA license from the State of Maine. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Assumption College. Raf grew up in Brazil and went to College in Massachusetts prior to moving to Maine in 2013. He currently resides in the town of Scarborough, ME with his wife and two daughters. Raf enjoys playing (and watching) soccer in addition to spending time with his family and friends.

Gillian West – LEED AP, Director of Operations

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Gillian joined J.B. Brown & Sons as a Property Manager in March 2015. Gillian manages a number of properties and assists with the design & planning of suites and structures in our portfolio. In 2020 she was promoted to Director of Operations. Prior to joining J.B. Brown & Sons she worked for Katinas Bruckwick Architecture in Washington DC designing residential and commercial spaces. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from Washington State University & a Masters of Real Estate Development from the University of Maryland.

Stuart “Tuck” O’Brien – President and CEO

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O’Brien brings more than 20 years of experience in real estate development, public policy, and complex project execution across Northern New England. Most recently, he served as Executive Director of the Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority, where he led the organization from its creation to a fully operational entity with statewide impact. During his tenure, Maine Redevelopment launched the state’s first comprehensive redevelopment toolkit for communities, expanded technical assistance and redevelopment support across Maine, and helped advance transformative projects in communities including East Millinocket and Hartland. Under O’Brien’s leadership, the organization became a recognized statewide leader in helping communities move challenging redevelopment projects from stagnation to productive reuse. Earlier in his career, O’Brien served as Planning Director for the City of Portland, Maine, where he oversaw development review, long-range planning, and comprehensive zoning reform during a period of significant growth and investment. He also held senior legal and leadership positions in both the private and public sectors, including with Tilson Technology Management and the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

A Responsive Management Team with Decades of Experience

J.B. Brown & Sons’ strengths lie in the experienced ensemble of professionals operating the company. Vin Veroneau, President and CEO, leads a team of esteemed employees with a vast background in commercial real estate. Gillian West, Director of Operations, oversees all operational aspects of the company.