The Escapes! Second Home Expo is proud to present these fabulous world class professionals, chosen to help you gather important information on selecting your dream second, vacation or retirement home destination! For information on Seminar times, please visit the Seminar Schedule page.

Mitch Creekmore Mitch Creekmore is a licensed Texas real estate broker with more than 15 years of commercial brokerage experience. He joined Stewart Title Guaranty Co. in 1994 to develop a marketing strategy for the Mexico Division of the company. Creekmore's primary effort has been to enlighten the real estate community on both sides of the border about the availability and benefit of title insurance on Mexico land and how the land conveyance system in Mexico functions. As part of his marketing program, Creekmore gained approval from the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Real Estate Commission, as well as the Arizona Department of Real Estate, to provide a mandatory continuing education course for attorneys and real estate brokers entitled "Real Estate in Mexico Today." The course focuses on transacting real estate under the Mexican Constitution, the Foreign Investment Law changes of 1993, coupled with the "Notario and Registro Publico" system in Mexico. Creekmore has authored a number of articles on the Mexican system of real estate conveyance, Mexico's foreign ownership requirements, and Mexican land title and subdivision development issues. He has also been a guest speaker at many Mexico business conferences including the MBA Annual International Real Estate Conference, the San Antonio Board of Realtors Mexico Forum, Arizona's "Real Estate in Mexico" annual seminar and Houston's "Access Mexico" conference. Creekmore has a bachelor's degree in Economics from Louisiana State University. top

Samantha Brown For the past few years, Samantha has been traveling the United States, Europe and Latin America; hanging out in vacation homes; hopping in and out of great hotels, and even hula dancing in Hawaii for the Travel Channel. She recently won an Emmy for 'Outstanding Lifestyle Directing' at the 34th Annual Creative Arts & Entertainment Emmy Awards. top

James P. Gaines. Ph.D. Dr. Jim Gaines is a Research Economist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University focused on housing and land development issues. Dr. Gaines spent sixteen years with KPMG and Arthur Andersen providing real estate consulting services. He also served as President of Rice Center, an urban research center affiliated with Rice University for five years where he directed the real estate, urban economics, and demographic research programs. Dr. Gaines started his professional career as an Assistant Professor of Finance and Real Estate at Kent State University and later was an Associate Professor of Real Estate and Finance at the University of South Carolina, where he taught undergraduate as well as graduate-level real estate courses. top

Christine Karpinski Christine Karpinski is the Director of Owner Community for HomeAway, Inc. In this role, she educates second home owners on all aspects of running a successful vacation rental business. Christine leverages the company's leading position in vacation rentals to shape improvements in and promote the vacation rental industry, as well as continue her work as an independent author and speaker. Christine was a stay-at-home mom who desperately wanted to own a beach home, but couldn't afford one. After much research, she discovered the way to realize her dream was to own and rent the property herself, using the "rent by owner" vacation rental model. Christine purchased her first vacation home in Destin, Florida, nearly 10 years ago and quickly became a powerful voice for vacation rental owners. Christine Karpinski is the author of How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner and Profit from Your Vacation Home Dream. She is the host of the “How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner” podcast at HomeAway.com. She's also a frequent guest on television and radio shows such as CNN's "Open House," Bloomberg's "Personal Finance," CBS MarketWatch Radio, and HGTV Radio, and is often interviewed on real estate topics for Realty Times, The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger's Personal Finance and daily newspapers. Her books, combined with her seminars and media appearances, have helped thousands of people manage and profit from their second homes. ??Today Christine owns multiple properties and is often referred to as "The Most Respected Voice in the Vacation Rental Industry." top

Adsinar Cajar-Bocek Why Panama? You've heard that Panama is now the #1 retirement destination so come and find out exactly why! This will be a forum lead by, Adsinar Cajar Bocak, the Consulate General of Panama (Houston),. Mr. Bocak will discuss the Pensionado Visa -- a retiree benefits program and will lead a forum of panelists with Panamanian professionals from Real Estate, Finance, Legal/Residency. Come bring your Questions and find out Why Panama? Asinar Cajar Bocek is a visionary strategic with extensive expertise providing leadership and a unique cross-functional experience in international business and market development, sales and project management with uppermost emphasis on productivity and profitability. As Consul General of Panama in Houston, Texas, he is wholly responsibility for leadership of marketing and management operations, primarily servicing the international maritime industry and drilling contractors while representing the Republic of Panama’s diplomatic missions in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. Other business development skills include promoting and engaging opportunities in Panama in areas of Real Estate, Tourism and Retirement benefits and encouraging bilateral business opportunities between the region an Panama. Mr. Bocek received his undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and his MBA in International Marketing from Loyola top

Joe A. Patterson, Jr. Joe Patterson, New Braunfels, Texas, is the Vice President/Branch Manager of Capital Farm Credit’s New Braunfels credit office. Capital Farm Credit is Texas’ largest rural lending cooperative with more than $3 billion in loan volume, and Mr. Patterson is responsible for serving the trade area north of San Antonio with a variety of rural lending products for real estate, livestock, and equipment. In addition to his lending duties, Mr. Patterson is a key member of CFC’s corporate marketing committee, where he assists with the planning and execution of numerous marketing strategies and special events. Patterson is a native of Smithville, Texas where he was raised on a family-owned registered and commercial cattle ranch. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1988 with a degree in Agricultural Economics, and he is currently an active affiliate member of the Texas Alliance of Land Brokers, as well as the New Braunfels/Canyon Lake, San Antonio, and Seguin Boards of Realtors. top

Christopher Hill Christopher, as CEO, has led the development of Stewart Title Latin America (STLA) since its inception in 1997, beginning in Costa Rica. Currently, STLA has operations in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Anguilla, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, in addition to five companies in Mexico (Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Baja, and Puerto Penasco). STLA services many other regional countries through its headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica. Christopher also is a partner and Board member of Sothebys Mexico, as well as an active real estate investor in the Latin America region. Christopher is a graduate of the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!) top

Michael Gordon Michael Gordon is the Vice President, Broker and Director of Real Estate Operations for Horseshoe Bay Resort, located on Lake LBJ 40 minutes from Austin, Texas. Mike has been a Texas Real Estate Broker since 1981,and has experience managing and marketing Horseshoe Bay Resort and Hill Country properties statewide, nationally and internationally. He holds a Masters degree from Florida State University. His responsibilities include day to day management, marketing, representing individual developers, procurement and divestures for Horseshoe Bay Resort as well as being part of the development team for the Resort's future plans. Mike's interests include golf and tennis, and he thoroughly enjoys the Highland Lakes and Austin music scene. top

Alan Daniel Alan Daniel is an Executive at www.LandsofAmerica.com, the largest collection of premier ranches and country home sites online. Alan’s background has included many facets of real estate, from commercial lending to residential marketing and advertising. Prior to joining the team at LandsofAmerica.com, Alan started and operated several entrepreneurial ventures, his most recent included producing television programs hosted by Terry Bradshaw and Peggy Fleming. He also launched a real estate marketing company responsible for producing a 30-minute weekly television program in Chicago, “MetroSceneTV” featuring the most innovative and luxurious high-rise communities in the heart of the windy city. Alan’s upbringing in South Texas and the Hill Country (and his enjoyment of hunting) led him from Dallas and Chicago back to Austin to join LandsofAmerica.com. Alan contributes to the popular blog “The Land Man” and has unique insights into helping people find their perfect place in the country. top

Lyle Burke As President and Founder of Tropical Pathways, Lyle is an expert on the expatriate way of life. He has learned his appreciation of multi-ethnic environments by living in Qatar , the United Arab Emirates , Saudi Arabia , an Inupiat Eskimo village in the Arctic Circle, and the Caribbean Bay Islands where he spent four years. For the last 15 years Lyle has successfully introduced investors to emerging growth investment locals in the Caribbean basin, Mexico and Central America . He originally formed Tropical Pathways as a way to share his passion for discovery and investment with like minded people. top

Jeffrey J Prostor As president of Brookfield Homes Hawai‘i, Jeffrey Prostor is the guiding force behind one of Hawaii’s most diverse land development and homebuilding companies. Under Prostor’s leadership, Brookfield Homes Hawai‘i has developed four neighborhoods across Kaua‘i, O‘ahu and the Island of Hawai‘i that encompass nearly 800 homes with prices ranging from the $600,000s to above $2 million. Additionally, under his guidance, Brookfield is forging new opportunities in the age-restricted active adult market with its latest community on O‘ahu, Maile at Leihano. When completed, Maile will be the first neighborhood of its kind in Hawai‘i, seamlessly blending its active adult community with a planned continuing care retirement community. As reflected in the company’s vision, “Preserving the past and building for the future,” Prostor acknowledges that Hawai‘i's beauty and cultural richness require an extremely important sense of stewardship. Therefore, Brookfield’s communities have been designed to harmonize with the surrounding land and offer its residents breathtaking views of Hawai‘i’s natural beauty. The homes’ architectural styles and designs honor and incorporate Hawai‘i’s cultural heritage and island lifestyle, and are also built to accommodate the technological advances of the future. Prostor is also passionate about giving back to the communities where Brookfield builds its homes. In 2007 he led the Brookfield team when they were selected to be the builder of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Hawai‘i. It was the largest build in the show’s history and was made up of a 3,500-square-foot Hawaiian plantation-style home and a 4,500-square-foot headquarters for a non-profit organization that provides family support services for local children and their parents. These two structures were completed in an amazing 106 hours of around-the-clock construction. top

Steve Dering Steve is the founding partner of DCP International (“DCP”). He pioneered the Equity Residence Club™ concept, a specialized form of fractional ownership that has become the fastest growing segment of the vacation real estate industry. Actual and projected sales revenues for DCP residence clubs exceed $2 billion. Steve has been involved in more that 30 residence clubs in some of the world’s most prestigious destinations. He has been a presenter at numerous national and international symposiums on fractional ownership and has been quoted in the New York Times, Business Week, and Conde Nast Traveler, among numerous other publications. He first implemented the Equity Residence Clubsm concept at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, North America’s top-rated ski resort. The Deer Valley Club has served as the prototype for today’s high-end fractional industry. Steve has been the owner of a full-service advertising agency specializing in resorts and luxury resort real estate. He served as Deer Valley Resort's first marketing director and was responsible for the launch of this award-winning ski destination. He also supervised the marketing launch of Park City’s Park Meadows Country Club community, which features a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course. He was a founder, owner and editor of the local Park City, Utah newspaper, served as an elected member of the Park City Council, served on the Sundance Film Festival Board of Directors, and was a systems analyst for the National Security Agency in Fort Meade, Maryland. DCP has offices in Chicago, Dallas, London, Paris, Florence and Park City, where Steve lives with his family. top

Eric Gutierrez Eric Gutierrez is Chief Financial Officer of Stewart Title Latin America, responsible for finance & escrow operations in México, Central America & the Caribbean Eric joined Stewart Title in 2007. Before joining Stewart, Eric spent 12 years in Finance at Deloitte & Touche, Lucent Technologies and British American Tobacco Eric is a Certified Public Accountant and earned his business degrees from University of Costa Rica and Babson College. top

Joe Godar With over 20 years experience in Real Estate Sales, Appraising, Small Business, E-Commerce and Vacation Rentals, Joe Godar has developed a Patent Pending Software solution for private owners to run very successful vacation rental businesses online. With every industry going online, the private owner of one vacation rental unit had no options for complete online booking and property management until now. With the invention of ivacationonline.com Joe has brought to the market a solution for a private owner to not only compete, but prosper. Online booking for a private owner of one unit is now possible. Joe also wrote a book, "Vacation Rentals For Profit" and has just released the 2nd edition. Joe also holds seminars all over the country to show private owners, not only how to use the online booking system, ivacationonline.com, but how to advertise online, and how to deal with every aspect of running a vacation rental for profit! top

Rick Billington VlCE PRESIDENT SALES -MARKETING Long a prominent figure in Tri-Lakes marketing, Rick Billington played a key role in the Branson entertainment industry's surge to national prominence. Billington has been an active member of both the Branson and Tri-Lakes Chambers of Commerce, serving on their marketing and research committees. With MPI since its inception and now serving as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, he is creating and implementing the technology and systems to position MPl's Marketing and Sales department at the forefront of the industry. MPI is one of Southwest Missouri’s largest resort and residential developers with several thousand acres under development currently. Mr. Billington graduated from Southwest Missouri State University in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in Communications. top

Alan R. Andrus As President of Oceanside Developments Group which just built the tallest structure in Mazatlán, MEXICO, Alan Andrus is also an investment speaker, at which he has more than 10 years experience. Considered one of the top Investment Seminar Speakers in the world, Alan, former VP of Investor Education at Investools, has appeared on television for his investment expertise and has spoken at events for: CNBC, Businessweek Magazine, Learning Annex, and Brian Tracy Seminars. Alan has taught hundreds of thousands of investors in Singapore, Scotland, London , Malaysia , Egypt , Jordan , U.A.E., Australia , New Zealand and every major U.S. city. Alan, along with his current team at Oceanside Developments Group, is changing the face of Mazatlán. With two world-class condominium buildings on the “Golden Zone” beaches of Mazatlán already developed and sold, the company, with nearly ten years of experience in Mazatlán, is already the most accomplished developer and builder in the area. Its premiere project, Ocean Palms, is by far the tallest building in Mazatlán, with interior finishes and attention to detail unrivaled by any other developer in Mazatlán. Its newest project, Legacy, is under construction and will soon take the title as tallest building not only in Mazatlán, but the entire state of Sinaloa. top

Richard Charles Previous Business Experience Involved in development of Papa Johns Pizza franchise in St Petersburg Russia currently operating four successful franchise stores with an additional 16 scheduled for opening in 2008-2009. Involved with partners [20 years of Costa Rican experience] in Costa Rica real estate [1999- current] including land and private residences in Guanacaste Province. Previous projects include: “Oro del Sol” [2003-2005] 27 unit single family homes in Tamarindo Current Projects Include: Pacific Park – 7 story residential complex under construction and scheduled for completion 2009 Rio Santo Single Family Home Community Guanacaste; Under Construction Las Vistas; Ocean view parceled platforms with infrastrucutre prepared for future construction of high end single family homes Professional Experience Physician 25 years Private practice Clinical instructor Research Coordinator Team Physician Denver Nuggets Professional Basketball Team Currently resides in Denver Colorado and Tamarindo Costa Rica top

Andrew Hadley Originally from Austin, TX, Andrew is a leading specialist in resort real estate. He has been a respected top producer in such renowned resort markets as Vail and Beaver Creek, CO, Crested Butte, CO, the U.S. Gulf Coast, and the Caribbean. He has 16 years of experience in Luxury 2nd Home and Vacation Real Estate Sales and Development and has particpated in over $500 million in real estate transactions. He consults to many of the top developers and brokers in the industry. He combines his real estate knowledge with expert understanding of demographics, marketing, financial markets, and historical market data to provide unmatched market knowledge to his clients. top

Cathi Montgomery Cathi retired from the Federal Government after 32 years of service within the Department of Defense. During her career, Cathi held several management positions for a range of essential programs, including time as a Congressional Liaison for a major Defense agency. She oversaw the operation of hundreds of millions of dollars; was key in standing up several new organizations at the agency level; and managed financial resources and contracts. Cathi received numerous awards and accolades over the course of her career. Although she and her husband had talked about where they might like to retire, they had done nothing serious about actually buying property. So when Cathi finished successfully fighting breast cancer, she got to work. She used her organizational and managerial skills to narrow down locations and communities, as well as her experience in selecting and buying a second home at the beach. She will share her knowledge and experience to aid you in buying that vacation home or retirement site. Cathi and her husband, John, currently reside in Reston , VA , own a vacation home in Ocean City , MD , and own a lovely piece of property in Hertford , NC where they hope to begin building their retirement home in the next 3 years. top

Judith Snively Judith is a licensed Texas attorney and the Managing Broker of International Home Brokerage, in Houston, Texas. Her company focuses on the second home market in Latin America. She has an undergraduate degree from Ohio State University in International Studies and a law degree from South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas. She has lived and studied on four continents and has maintained a broad base of clients from many parts of the world. Along with the practice of law Judith has been the principal in South American Projects, a consulting firm and operated an office in Lima, Peru. She also formed TLC Trade Company, LLC, with offices in Houston, Texas and Santiago, Chile. She is currently the President of the Houston Council of the International Real Estate Federation and the Vice-Chair of the Houston Association of Realtors International Advisory Committee. top

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Stacy Germaniuk Stacy started with Bear Mountain Resort as a Sales Associate in January of 2004. She has had the opportunity to see the resort grow and take part in the various real estate developments from their inception to successfully closing. Now as the Director of International Sales, Stacy oversees Bear Mountain’s commitment to grow globally by participating in tradeshows in Dubai, London-UK, and Vegas along with sales presentations in Scotland, Madrid and Barcelona. Her experience and overview of Western Canada’s largest and fastest growing golf resort community will, no doubt, show you why Bear Mountain has become Canada’s World Class Resort. top

Brooke Blackwelder Brooke is a community specialist for Huntsman Springs and is best known for the enthusiasm she brings to The Huntsman team. Brooke made her way to Idaho viaFlorida, Texas, Kansas, Arizona and Colorado. A formal professional cyclist for the US National team and outdoors enthusiast, it is easy for her to feel at home in a community that embraces hiking, biking, golfing, fishing, horseback riding and wellness activities. Representing Huntsman Springs, Brooke will give a complete overview of the community as well as Teton Valley, Idaho and all it has to offer. top

Chris Hill Chris graduated from Texas Tech University in 1997 with a BBA in Finance with Real Estate focus. While at Texas Tech, Chris was a three year letterman on the Texas Tech Golf Team. After graduating from Tech he began work for an apartment developer and custom home builder in Houston where he focused on permitting, takeoff and bidding of more than $50 million worth of apartment projects in Texas, Colorado and Arizona. In 1999, Chris went to work for DH Investment Company, a family owned company based in Lufkin, Texas. DH Investment has been active primarily in residential development throughout Texas and Louisiana since the mid 1980’s. At DH Investment, Chris focused primarily on financial modeling for all existing and new residential projects. By 2001, one of the flagship developments of DH Investment Co., Cordillera Ranch, had taken off and Chris relocated to San Antonio to oversee the day to day operations of this project. During his time as project manager of Cordillera Ranch, some of the accomplishments have been to secure all necessary entitlements necessary to build the golf course, help formulate and launch the extremely successful membership offering of the club, coordinate design and construction of the clubhouse and all other club amenities. Also during this time as manager of all sales and marketing for Cordillera Ranch, overall sales volume of real estate sales has grown from $26 million per year in 2001 to more than $50 million in 2007. top