Paul Whiteman, CEO
Paul has over 21 years of residential and commercial development experience. Paul is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Vita Attiva Developers. Paul is the sole member of PDW Investments, LLC (f/k/a Maple Design Develop Build, LLC). PDW was founded in 2008 to acquire, renovate and sell homes in Minneapolis and Edina. PDW’s business has grown to include multimillion dollar projects including the construction of the 93,000 sq. ft. Dundas/Northfield Sports Dome, in Dundas, Minnesota , and the Southwest Animal Hospital in West St. Paul, Minnesota. More information on PDW and photos of recent projects can be found at https://www.pdwinvestments.com/
Maria Whiteman Coar, Chief Operating Officer
Maria handles the operations, legal matters, risk management, and performs the corporate secretarial functions for Vita Attiva. Maria is a license attorney in Illinois and is legal counsel for developers and real estate investors in the hospitality industry. Maria was part of the team that created, developed, managed and franchised the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotel systems for a subsidiary of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Maria played an integral role in growing the Hyatt Place brand from a system of 70 hotels to almost 500 hotels. Maria was also lead counsel on a portfolio transaction for an estimated $590MM that was awarded the Merger and Acquisition Deal of the Year at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (“ALIS”) in 2014.
Graham Smith, Sales Division
Graham Smith is the CEO & Lead Listing Agent of The Graham Smith Team (GST). Since 2002 he has been serving the needs of buyers, sellers, and investors in the Twin Cities Real Estate market. By utilizing effective marketing tools and strategic negotiating tactics, The GST has consistently out-performed the market year after year. Graham dedicates his time and business to ensure that each client receives the best real estate experience possible.
Dave Bialke, Sales Division
Dave specializes in helping home buyers, investors and builders in the Twin Cities Metro area. WIth a degree in Real Estate and Finance from St. Cloud State University and more than 14 years working in the industry, Dave has the knowledge and experience necessary to help clients successfully navigate the intricacies of buying a home.
Brian Zielke, Vice President, Operations
Brian joined the Vita Attiva team in September 2021 and serves as the Vice President for the development. In this role, Brian manages our marketing initiatives, accounts receivable and payable, homeowner communications, and assists our Job Supervisor with material purchasing. Brian brings 10+ years of account management experience to the team working for advertising and creative agencies in Los Angeles and Portland.
Jeremy Beaulieu, Vice President, Estimating & Building Management
Jeremy brings 15+ years of industry experience to the team and joined Vita Attiva Developers full-time in the fall of 2023 as our VP of Construction Estimating and Building Management. Jeremy works closely with our Job Superintendent and the Subcontractors that includes managing schedules, bids and estimates, and analyzing production and cost data for each project.
Jason Novacinski, Job Superintendent
Jason has partnered with our CEO on residential and commercial development in the Minneapolis area over the last 15 years. Jason serves as Vita Attiva’s Job Superintendent that includes managing construction schedules, material purchasing, and overseeing the sub-contractors in place at the development. Jason brings 25 years of experience to the team and has worked most of the trades in the industry before moving into a Job Superintendent role.
Matt Havel, Mortgage Loan Officer, Bell Bank
Matt has served the Twin Cities mortgage market for over 15 years. Many of his clients at Vita Attiva have not bought or sold a home in decades. His job is to simplify the process and show you the best options for your dream home.