About The Team
Rick Ward
Founder
Rick’s leadership spans 4 decades of team building, deal structuring, underwriting, due diligence, & financing for power plants, senior assisted living/memory care, & manufacturing. He coordinated local/state agencies, lenders, stakeholder/investor relations, & tax-exempt bond issuers to rollout a 3-state 25-facility 2000-unit ALF/ALZ portfolio. Now he invests in value-add multifamily. After-hours you may find him in his greenhouse or rose garden, playing jazz/gospel piano, camera hunting for wildlife/landscapes, or tearing up a ski slope.
Bethany Laflam, JD
Legal Advisor--Securities & Syndication
Bethany has 20 years of legal expertise in startup, M&A, corporate transactions, and securities; representing companies, investors, and institutional lenders. She helps Brightline on strategic transactions, capital raises, and exits; with an emphasis on private securities offerings, strategic planning, and new venture formation. She guides legal compliance with SEC documentation, reporting, and procedures. She has also been an advisor and leader for multiple nonprofits, such as Team Kids, and is the loving mother to her daughter.
Nico Iannelli
Advisor--Risk Management
Nico serves as a strategic advisor and value-added resource during Brightline’s multifamily opportunity evaluation, underwriting, deal structuring, due diligence, acquisition, and property management phases. We leverage his more than 25 years experience in finance and insurance, specializing in tailored risk management strategies for commercial real estate property owners, and helping reduce organizational risk, increasing the worth and risk profile efficiency. He is also a proud Rotary Geek, Leadership Executive, and a Foodie.