Chevron Partners

John Szum serves as Director of Asset Management and Investment Analysis. His responsibilities include tenant lease negotiations, investment analysis and underwriting, financial reporting, vendor contracting, and facilities maintenance management. John acts as the primary point of contact for all investment partners at the asset level.

John also brings his essential property and asset management experience to conducting the firm’s investment modeling and analysis. Prior to joining Chevron Partners in September 2014, John spent years working in Property Management at CBRE-New England. His clients varied from large institutions to local investment funds, and he worked on assets both in Downtown Boston and its surrounding metro areas. John graduated from Loyola College in Maryland in 2010 with bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Sociology. He also spent a semester studying in Copenhagen, Denmark at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad.

Marcel Safar is a founding partner of Chevron Partners and its affiliated companies. Marcel founded the firm with longtime friends and colleagues of the Parisian development firm Fulton.

As Managing Partner, Marcel directs all firm activities from investment decisions to asset execution. In over two decades, he has developed a wide range of real estate—from condominium conversions to office and mixed-use properties to hotel projects.

Prior to founding Chevron Partners, Marcel developed, repositioned, leased and managed family-owned real estate, including  office, retail and residential assets.  Marcel’s real estate philosophy stems from this family experience, emphasizing broad-based real estate knowledge and commitment to ensuring thoughtfulness, quality and care in development to reduce operational costs and drive long term asset value.  Previously Marcel was a practicing attorney at the law firms of Sidley Austin LLP and Otterbourg, Steindler, Houston & Rosen P.C. in New York City.  Marcel holds a J.D. from Cornell Law School, a Maitrise en Droit from Université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and a B.A., summa cum laude from Boston University.

Michael Lucas serves as the Director of Construction for Lazare Builders, Chevron Partners’ construction subsidiary. He oversees the entire field and safety operations for the business.

Bringing over 30 years of construction industry experience to the Lazare team, Mike plays an integral role with the business development, estimating, and execution of all of Lazare’s commercial and residential projects. Mike holds a MA Unrestricted Construction Supervisors License, Mass HIC license, & OSHA 30 Certification.

Corinne Engelbert acts as Development and Construction Project Manager for Chevron Partners. She is involved in all facets of design and construction, including budgeting, scheduling, and design review, assists with marketing, and oversees progress on project sites.

Corinne has a background in construction management and architectural history and preservation. She previously worked as a project manager for Lazare Builders and as a historic preservation researcher and consultant, contributing design, regulatory, and technical expertise to historic rehabilitation projects. Corinne has successfully managed high profile initiatives, such as the historic landmark designation of the Bergdorf Goodman Department Store and the Pepsi-Cola Sign in New York City. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Swarthmore College and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from Columbia University.

Clarissa Budd serves as the Marketing & Graphic Arts Manager at Chevron Partners. Her responsibilities include managing the firm’s brand, and producing all graphic design efforts firm-wide.

Prior to joining Chevron Partners, Clarissa worked as lead designer for multiple event campaigns across the country in addition to freelance design and photography work. Clarissa is passionate about strategic design that clearly defines and upholds the firm’s mission and brand. Additionally, she organizes and manages photo shoots, social media campaigns, and marketing collateral for Chevron Partners, its affiliates, and the firm’s properties. Clarissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design with a minor in Photography from Framingham State University.

Bill Kelly serves as Chevron Partners’ Building Engineer. He oversees building and ground maintenance for all of Chevron’s commercial and residential properties.

Bill brings over 17 years of professional experience managing facilities and maintenance of commercial and residential buildings. He thoroughly and efficiently owns all aspects of building maintenance. Bill works closely with Property Management to ensure all properties are clean, well maintained and up to Chevron’s brand standards.

Emerson Madeira serves as the Labor Foreman for Lazare Builders, Chevron Partners’ construction subsidiary.

He manages all field labor as well as the coordination of construction jobsite logistics, site safety, and subcontractor management. Emerson ensures that every Lazare project is met with the highest standards.

Jessica Mancuso serves as Chevron Partners’ Asset Manager, responsible for several of the firm’s mixed-use assets in Downtown Boston. Her focus is towards the long-term value of Chevron Partners’ portfolio and as such, handles many of the day-to-day operations including lease negotiations, budget preparation, financial reporting, and property management oversight.

Over the course of her career, Jessica has been active in all facets of the commercial real estate industry including industrial asset management, urban retail brokerage, commercial property management, and in-house development for a regional restaurant chain. Jessica holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Massachusetts.

Ken Lyons manages investor relations for Chevron Partners. In this role, Ken sources equity for Chevron Partners’ transactions and maintains relationships with institutional investors, family offices as well as individual investors, enabling direct access to top quality real estate investments.

Prior to working with Chevron Partners, Ken represented the firm for 7 years as legal counsel for general corporate matters, permitting, community relations and zoning. In addition to his experience as a real estate attorney, Ken has over 20 years of experience leading and expanding his private real estate investment company which invests in residential multi-family assets in Brookline Massachusetts and Boston’s Back Bay and Beacon Hill neighborhoods. Ken is a graduate of Trinity College and Suffolk University Law School and completed his LLM studies in International Law at The University of Miami Law School. Ken is a former Board member of the University Club of Boston where he chaired the Scholarship Program and currently serves as President of the Chestnut Hill Association.

Laurent Bouzelmat serves as Chevron Partners’ Investment Manager, responsible for sourcing, underwriting, and executing investment opportunities.

Laurent’s key responsibilities include the coordination of the due diligence and underwriting processes, the negotiation of the P&S, capital structure, subsequent joint venture agreements as well as asset business plan execution.

A French civil engineer, Laurent has over 15 years of global real estate experience, including acquisitions, development, finance, design and construction management.  Prior to joining Chevron Partners, Laurent’s career included work for large international construction companies, building large hotels around the world including Russia and Cuba.  Laurent graduated from l’Ecole Speciale des Travaux Public de Paris, where he received a master’s degree in Civil engineering. Laurent also holds a master’s degree in Science and Technology from La Sorbonne University.

Veronique Garro serves as the Office & HR Manager at Chevron Partners. Bringing over 10 years of Office and Operations Management experience to the firm, her responsibilities include all Office & HR initiatives as well as People & Culture management.

Veronique previously worked in the Robotic Industry and most recently at an execute search firm, specialized in leadership and strategic roles for a wide range of companies. As Head of Administration, Veronique oversaw many Business and Administrative Operations activities, including People relations, HR functions, facility management, vendors relations, event planning, and internal communication.

Veronique holds a Maitrise de Science & Gestion from Institut de Gestion de Rennes and an MBA from IUA/University of San Francisco.