J. William Blackham joins Al. Neyer, Inc. as Chief Financial Officer

Cincinnati – Al. Neyer, Inc. has hired J. William Blackham as Chief Financial Officer.  It is a new position for Al. Neyer, a 115-year-old commercial real estate development and design-build firm, and one created with Mr. Blackham – a 30-year industry veteran ­­-- in mind.

In his role, Mr. Blackham oversees all financial functions related to Al. Neyer’s real estate development projects in the office, industrial, mixed-use and health care segments, as well as its portfolio of properties.  Mr. Blackham is a member of Al. Neyer’s executive management team, and key to the company’s initiative to evaluate acquisition opportunities and identify new markets for growth outside Greater Cincinnati, according to David F. Neyer, president and chief executive officer.

Most recently, Mr. Blackham was president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hospitality Properties Trust, Inc., a publicly traded real estate investment trust, until its August 2007 acquisition by private-equity investors. Under Mr. Blackham’s leadership, Eagle grew from its 2004 inception to some $200 million in revenues and assets of more than $700 million in 2007. Eagle Hospitality was created with the acquisition of nine hotel properties from affiliates of Corporex Companies, Inc., where Mr. Blackham spent more than a decade as a key executive.

“Bill Blackham is a great addition to Al. Neyer’s executive management team,” David Neyer says.  “His knowledge of capital markets and key relationships in the financial industry is uniquely valuable.

“Bill can zero in on the fundamentals of whether a property is going to perform or not pretty quickly,” Mr. Neyer says. “He adds substantially to our bench-strength in our ability to execute acquisitions.”

“I welcome the opportunity to work with Dave Neyer and the executive team and propel the company in its next exciting phase of growth,” says Mr. Blackham.  “In his decade as Chief Executive Officer, Dave has established the highest professional standards of operational practice. Al. Neyer is a privately held company with an enviable organizational structure. The company is positioned to become a much larger and national player through acquisition, geographic expansion and a broadening of our access to capital.”

Al. Neyer’s current Greater Cincinnati development projects include Linden Pointe on the Lateral, a $105 million professional office campus in Norwood; Columbia Square, a $25 million mixed-use office and retail development at Delta Avenue and Columbia Parkway; East Pointe Building 200, a LEED-Certified registered office building in Middletown near Atrium Medical Center; a six-story medical office building and six-level parking garage for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Avondale; The Herald Building, a three-story, mixed-use LEED-Certified registered building in Avondale; and Evendale Healthcare Center and Evendale Office Condominiums in Evendale.  The company is also developing Turnpike Distribution Center, a 410,000-square-foot property outside Pittsburgh. Al. Neyer activity covers 15 states in the Midwest and Southeast.

A Boston area native, Mr. Blackham earned a Bachelor of Science degree from The Carroll School of Management at Boston College and a Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In Cincinnati, he serves as Honorary Consular for the Republic of Brazil. Mr. Blackham lives in Anderson Township with his wife, Dr. Dora Savani, and son, Nicholas. They have four older children.

Company Contact:

Gail L. Paul
513.379.8153
www.neyer.com