Triumph management team

Steve Virostek, Co-Founder & Principal

Steve Virostek provides hands-on development expertise including deal sourcing and structuring, management of project design, entitlements, lease negotiations, and construction management. Having developed and acquired more than two million square feet of space valued at over $300 million, Virostek runs the Vail, Colo. development teams and oversees the new project pipeline. He plays an integral role in finding new leads and manages many of Triumph’s relationships throughout the industry. One of Triumph’s most recognizable projects is the redevelopment of The Willows in Vail Village. Completed in 2008, 74 Willow Road is also where Virostek and his wife reside.

Active in various charitable and community endeavors both in Colorado and in Washington, D.C., Virostek serves on the Board of Directors of the Vail Valley Foundation as well as Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area. He is also an active participant on the development committee for the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

A graduate of St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., where he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, Virostek initially planned on pursuing a legal career but after an internship during college decided it was not for him. Real estate had always appealed to him, partially due to his upbringing with a father who worked as a homebuilder. A six-month job pursuit after graduating landed him at a long standing development company headquartered in Montgomery County, Md. He initially started on the brokerage side until an opportunity opened up in development, where he quickly made the transition. An economic downturn and many layoffs of higher paid executives in the upper echelon catapulted him to the head of development. A passion for the business coupled with vision and perseverance landed him and the firm opportunities to expand the company’s role. Virostek then brokered and developed a deal with FedEx to build a mail facility, which grew into further facility expansions for FedEx as well as several other major development deals for Maryland-based companies.

Having made a name for himself and yearning to take on new challenges, Virostek, along with colleague James Fangmeyer who brought a background in finance, formed Triumph Development in 2002.

An avid skier with eyes on Colorado, Virostek and Fangmeyer opened Triumph’s Vail office in 2005, bringing on board M&A specialist Michael O’Connor. The three conceived, spearheaded and directed The Willows re-development project, along with Development Director and Architect Mike Foster.

Married for more than 25 years and the father of three adult children, other outside interests include music, arts, skiing and endurance sports including being a sub-3:20 marathoner and Century+ distance bicycle rider.

James Fangmeyer, Co-Founder & Principal

James Fangmeyer co-founded Triumph in 2002 with Steve Virostek after the two had been working together for ten years in a previous real estate development company in which they both were partners.

Fangmeyer came to the real estate business in the early 90s after six years as a CPA with Ernst & Young. His interest in real estate was first piqued by his father owning commercial properties and enhanced by working on bank audits during the downturn of the late 80’s. Starting in real estate in 1991 seemed a bit counterintuitive but proved to be very beneficial; proving the old axiom, you learn a lot more when times are difficult versus when they are easy. His responsibilities over the next ten years went from corporate controller, treasurer, to VP of finance to partner based on his accomplishments and contributions made to the team and the company.  Fangmeyer and Virostek’s personal and corporate success gave them the confidence to embark on their current company, Triumph. During the past nine years he has helped guide the expansion of Triumph from its primary roots of commercial development and acquisition into the mountain region of Colorado, which has included expanding the business into residential development, management, and sales.

Triumph principals Steve Virostek and James Fangmeyer are both closely involved in virtually all aspects of their businesses. While Virostek is the primary external force and dealmaker, Fangmeyer assumes the main responsibility for overseeing and managing the Companies. This ranges from negotiating the terms of acquisitions of companies and development projects, managing finances and lender relationships including the acquisition and financing of more than $400 million in new developments and property recapitalizations, and overseeing the firm’s existing portfolio of companies and properties, and strategic planning.

James is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business where he was an Academic All-American football player and a member of the Friar Senior Honor Society. He has been married for more than 20 years and is the father of eight. He sits as the chairperson on St. Patrick’s Parish Council and Building Committees, he is a former chairperson and board member of the Office of Youth Ministry CYO for the Archdiocese of Washington.

His interests include golf, music, the outdoors, and, when possible, riding his bike to work. He has a passion for coaching football at both the youth and high school levels; assisting with the three teams his sons play on at the youth level and with his high school alma mater which has been ranked in the top 20 in the country the past two years and has a 2011 pre-season ranking of fifteen.

Michael O’Connor, Chief Operating Officer

Michael O’Connor oversees the day-to-day operations of the firm’s ongoing development projects and performs due diligence on new development opportunities. He plays a hands-on role in managing and coordinating the development teams including budgeting, deal structuring, procuring entitlements, interfacing with the public, establishing the master schedule, as well as managing relationships with brokers, architects, engineers, attorneys, local officials, community groups, clients, partners and investors.

O’Connor joined Triumph in 2005 when he was brought in to assist with the negotiations and re-development of the highly touted Willows project. Prior to that O’Connor served as the development director at the Donohoe Development Company of Washington, D.C., where he supervised the development of new extended-stay and select-service hotel projects, as well as the design and execution of renovations to the firm’s existing hotels.

Prior to his time at the Donohoe Development Company, he was part of the Transaction Advisory Services Group of a Big Four accounting firm, assisting clients with the acquisitions of small and mid-sized companies across a range of industries.

O’Connor holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Mike Foster – Director of Design & Construction, AIA

Mike Foster came to real estate development after 17 years in the architecture world, where he was a very successful project manager with three different firms.

His most recent architectural endeavor was as a partner with Resort Design Associates International, where he was associated since 1993. Mike has worked on a wide range of commercial and residential projects, which include managing construction of the Austria Haus Club and Hotel in Vail, Colorado (1999 winner of the prestigious Gold Award for Resort Architecture given annually by the American Resort Development Association). He also was the project manager on numerous other projects such as The Tivoli Lodge, The Sonnenalp Resort and Spa addition, One Willow Bridge Residence, Belvedere Park, as well as a number of private residences. In addition to directly managing these projects, he has led or worked on a variety of hotel and high-end multifamily residential developments, including the Chateau at Beaver Creek, the Spruce Tree Lodge, The Market Square and Villa Montane Developments – all in Colorado.

Since joining Triumph Development in August 2007, he coordinates and leads the design team of project architects, engineers, interior designers, and general contractors. In addition, Mike is in charge of managing budgets, schedules, and customer satisfaction, as well as overseeing individual design, customization, and finish.

Mike actively pursues new opportunities within the Rocky Mountain region, using his established relationships and extensive knowledge of the area.

Nick Tanana, Asset Manager

Nick Tanana joined Triumph in January 2003. As Asset Manager, he is responsible for day-to-day management, tenant and vendor relations, financial analysis, and property leasing. Along with performing property and portfolio analysis, Nick formulates management strategies and yearly operating budgets for Triumph properties. By closely monitoring property performance, he is able to provide pre-acquisition assistance, including the review of operational assumptions for potential projects.

Nick is also responsible for leasing office and retail space. Possessing intimate knowledge of each building, he is able to educate prospective tenants so that they fully understand how a property is operating.