About Us
Meet Pilot Capital
Our mission is to make real estate investing simple and attainable, and we are passionate about providing quality real estate investment opportunities to accredited investors across the U.S.
A message from the Founders
In 2017, we started a company called Pilot Ventures to create a multifaceted real estate company catering to active and passive investors of multifamily properties. For active investors, we offered brokerage and property management. For those who wanted to invest passively, we offered syndicated real estate opportunities.
Back in 2008 when we first started syndicating to invest our own money, the reality was we didn’t have enough capital to buy properties on our own. When we saw a deal we liked, we had to raise the remaining money from friends and family to buy it. Initially, we saw syndications as a stepping stone until we had enough personal capital to buy deals on our own.
Co-Founders Casey Zejdlik and Jason Kono
Jason Kono and Jake Niles
Over the years, we realized we were hooked! It was obvious to us that the advantages of syndicated deals made more sense than owning real estate solo. Syndications allow for more diversification of investments, as well as allowing for the purchase of bigger deals with better economies of scale.
After nearly 20 years of being brokers, we found that for every person we met who wanted to own apartment buildings solo, there were 10x more who wanted to invest but were unlikely to do it on their own. Getting into commercial real estate investing is a daunting task! We knew that with our real estate brokerage and syndication experience, we could share this opportunity with more people. To better represent our focus, we rebranded our syndication division as Pilot Capital.
We are committed to the success of each deal, and we personally invest alongside our investors, both financially and in relationships. Our reputation has been established over time by doing the right thing, and maintaining trust is as important as earning it. When you invest with Pilot, you can guarantee a simple and attainable investing experience.
Casey Zejdlik & Jason Kono
Founders
Our Team
More than 50+ years of combined real estate experience
Jason Kono
jason@pilotcre.com | LinkedIn
Jason started in the commercial real estate industry in 2004 as a multifamily broker, and in 2008 he expanded into syndication and management of multifamily properties. Throughout his tenure as a real estate broker, he collaborated with private investors and families, assisting them in enhancing their cash flow and multiplying their wealth. His experience spans hundreds of transactions and over $1 billion of acquisitions and dispositions of apartment complexes, including many successful and complex 1031 exchanges.
Today, Jason is the president of Pilot Ventures LLC, a company he co-founded in 2017. Under the Pilot umbrella, two distinct brands exist: Pilot Capital and Pilot Property Management.
Pilot Property Management shoulders the responsibility of managing Pilot Capital’s assets within the Puget Sound area and extends its full-service third-party management expertise to regional apartment owners. The capable team at Pilot Property Management efficiently oversees a portfolio of more than 75 assets.
Jason attended the University of Colorado and has completed the University of Washington’s Commercial Real Estate Program. He is a dedicated advocate of continued education and is actively pursuing his Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation and is currently halfway through that coursework.
When not working Jason enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys, golfing, skiing, and attending Seattle sporting events.
Jake Niles
jake@pilotcre.com | LinkedIn
As the Director of Acquisitions for Pilot Capital since 2020, Jake oversees the firm’s acquisition efforts focused on high growth markets in the Western United States. Jake is responsible for locating, negotiating to acquire, underwriting, and completing due diligence for each of the company’s real estate acquisitions in Pilot’s target markets.
Jake has spent nearly a decade in the commercial real estate industry specializing in multifamily properties. Prior to joining Pilot Capital, he served as Director of Acquisitions with Passco Companies, a Southern California based private equity real estate group with just under $4 billion in assets under management.
Throughout his career, he has acquired properties with a combined value of more than $700 million and analyzed over $4.5 billion in multifamily investments. Jake is responsible for the oversight of acquisitions in the high growth Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, and South West markets including Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Illinois, Minnesota, and Kansas.
Jake received his B.A. degree from the University of Washington and is an active member within the NMHC community and a speaker at many panels at multifamily conventions. He was also recognized as a 2019 Next Generation Award winner for his contributions in the commercial real estate industry.
Outside of the office, Jake enjoys spending time with his family and two English Springer Spaniels, traveling, golfing, and mountain biking with friends.
Jessica Hitch
jessica@pilotcre.com | LinkedIn
As the Director of Operations at Pilot Capital and Pilot Property Management since 2018, Jessica works across departments to keep things running smoothly. She coordinates HR and compliance for the company and its syndicated entities, as well as supporting Investor Relations and special projects, such as facilitating the successful merge of Pilot’s multifamily brokerage division (now part of CPX) in 2021 and supporting merge-related HR and legal compliance into 2022.
With more than two decades of experience in HR, education, program development, and customer service across the globe, Jessica’s experiences have always focused on building connections. She received a B.S. in Social Science from Portland State University and a M.A. in Culture, Communication, and Globalization from Aalborg University in Denmark.
Although she grew up in the Seattle area, Jessica spent seven years overseas in Greece, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and South Korea. After returning stateside, she continued working in international education for five years before making the move into real estate, including becoming a licensed real estate broker in the state of Washington.
Jessica loves to get people involved and that extends into her free time. When she’s not greeting participants or pouring beer as a volunteer at local events, Jessica can often be found cooking new recipes or cycling through the city.
Angela Traynor
angela@pilotcre.com | LinkedIn
As Controller of Pilot Capital and Pilot Property Management since 2020, Angela orchestrates internal and external accounting and tax resources for all Pilot investments. She provides the management team, its syndicate investors, and its clients with timely and thorough information needed to make confident decisions in a fast-moving environment.
Leveraging her earlier experience in M&A transactions, she oversaw the finance function at a newly formed brokerage when Pilot merged its multifamily brokerage operations in 2021 and took an ownership position in the combined entity.
Angela is a graduate of Western University in London, Canada, with a degree in Finance and Economics. She earned her Chartered Accountant (CA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designations while working at KPMG in Toronto, where she assisted clients in a variety of industries, including real estate and hospitality. During that time, she supported her clients in several capital offerings and financial transactions, both public and private. Before joining Pilot, she was Controller for a software engineering startup where she was instrumental in its successful acquisition by a German industrial company.
Outside of the office, Angela enjoys cycling the Pacific Northwest and other locales and spending time with family. In addition to being a proud Seahawks fan, she is excited to see the early success of the Kraken transform Seattle into a serious hockey town which harkens back to her Canadian roots.
Kalisha Mickalich
kalisha@pilotcre.com | LinkedIn
As the Senior Analyst for Acquisitions and Asset Management at Pilot Capital since 2023, Kalisha assists with sourcing, due diligence, and closing of new real estate acquisitions. She also helps oversee Pilot’s current real estate portfolio and partners with property managers to maximize asset performance and growth.
Kalisha has over a decade of experience in commercial real estate specializing in multi-family lending and commercial insurance. Prior to joining Pilot, she was a Senior Production Analyst at a major lending institution where she was responsible for the initial underwriting, analysis and quoting of multi-family loan products which resulted in over $1.68 Billion/508 transactions in loan originations.
Kalisha received her B.A. in Business Administration from Seattle University with a focus in Management, Operations, and International Business.
When not in the office, Kalisha enjoys going on new adventures, paddle boarding and hiking with her daughter and their family dog “Winnie” who is a Bernadoodle, as well as yoga and attending her daughter’s competitive gymnastic events.
Want to work with us?
Send your resume to connect@pilotcre.com
Casey Zejdlik
casey@pilotcre.com | LinkedIn
Casey started his real estate career in 2005, with a focus on apartment and commercial transactions. Over his career spanning 17+ years as an advisor and multifamily broker, he has successfully completed over 250 transactions, including 40+ 1031 exchanges, on behalf of private capital and institutional clients. He has also assisted in the purchase and repositioning of multiple properties in partnerships under Pilot.
Currently, he holds the title Senior Vice President of Investment Sales, at Northmarq’s Seattle office. At his previous firm, Casey served as a managing partner where he led the multifamily division. His vast knowledge of investment real estate stems from his analytical approach, market research, and years of ownership experience. His clients appreciate his attention to detail, ability to negotiate complex transactions, and drive to provide impeccable service.
Prior to his career in real estate, Casey spent six years as a Nuclear Engineer in the Navy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering Technology and is the recipient of two Navy Achievement Medals. Residing in Woodinville with his wife and two children, Casey enjoys adventures on the family farm, spending time outdoors, and is active in the local hockey community where he serves as a head coach in the SnoKing youth organization and player in the adult league.
