Meet Our Team — Sampson Morris Group

Ben Sampson Principal

A third generation developer, Ben began developing real estate on Route 286 in Plum Borough and surrounding communities with his father, Orin, in the early 1970s.

In 1973, he formed Cano, Inc. to build a 20,000 square foot strip center, Presque Isle Plaza, as part of Plum Borough’s main shopping district. He also established Bar Development Company and The Meritage Group to manage both his and his family’s land development needs. He continues to be the driving influence behind both company’s contract work and sub-division developments located throughout Pittsburgh’s suburbs. Over the last 30 years, these and other partnership affiliated companies have developed industrial, commercial, and retail space as well as thousands of single family lots, apartments, and condominiums.

A graduate of Bucknell University and veteran of the Vietnam War, Ben is active in professional organizations that include the Urban Land Institute, Society of Industrial Office Realtors, and National Association Industrial and Office Properties.

Michael Morris CEO

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a MBA in Finance, Michael embarked on a career in real estate development with a nonprofit organization committed to buying, renovating, and selling distressed residential properties in a hopeful Pittsburgh neighborhood. In 1992, he joined Cano, Inc. as a leasing agent and financial analyst and eventually became its Vice President. In 1997, Michael and Ben Sampson formed the Sampson Morris Group to take over the management of their real estate holdings and to take advantage of additional development opportunities. On February 26, 2004, the corporate name was changed to Sampson Morris Group.

Michael is continually involved in multiple development projects from the initial analysis and mortgage acquisition to the construction management and lease-up phases. Through personal attention, quality management, and a keen sense of direction, he continues to lead Sampson Morris Group forward.

A graduate of Bethany College (BA in Economics) and the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh (MBA in Finance), Michael is actively involved in various professional organizations, including the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). He continues his education in real estate through various seminars held by both the Urban Land Institute and NAIOP.

Dave Sarver President

Dave joined Sampson Morris Group in 1997 as a project manager. He put his 25 years of commercial and residential construction experience to work designing and writing specifications, procuring approvals and permits, estimating project costs and developing project budgets, awarding and managing contracts, and reporting on project budgets and schedules. In 2011 he received the title of President.

Dave is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He is licensed by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission.

Steve Rossi Chief Financial Officer

A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Steve started a career in public accounting with the firm of Henry Rossi & Co. in 1980. His primary responsibilities at that firm included financial statement reporting, estate planning, business consulting services, I.R.S. representation, and tax planning and preparation. Steve passed the uniform CPA examination in 1985. He is currently a member of both American Institute of Certified Public Accountant and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.Steve joined Sampson Morris Group in August 2002 after 22 years in public accounting. His responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer include financial analyses, banking relationships, tax compliance, and the overall day-to-day financial operation of the company. He was named Pittsburgh’s 2015 CFO of the year by the Pittsburgh Business Times.Steve lives with his wife Sandy in Monroeville and has two sons currently living in the Pittsburgh area. In his spare time, he is an active participant in both obstacle course racing and cross-fit training.

Tom Dixon Chief Accounting Officer

As a recipient of a fine arts scholarship from Duquesne University, Tom was fortunate to travel to 47 States and Provinces of Canada while earning a degree in Accounting. After graduating in 1996, he worked for a small construction company before beginning his corporate career.

After 8 formative years in public accounting at Henry Rossi and Co. and completion of the uniform CPA exam, Tom turned his focus to the private sector and manufacturing. He worked as Chief Financial Officer for Blumcraft of Pittsburgh, a high-end custom door and rail manufacturer, for 5 years. In 2011, he joined the Sampson Morris Group as Chief Accounting Officer.

Tom and his wife Cassandra live in the South Side where they have taken a personal interest in their community. He continues to travel and, although he loves living in the city and the urban environment, would not miss an opportunity to embrace his outdoor hobbies.

Chris Braden Sr. VP Residential Property Management

Chris has been part of the Sampson Morris team for over 45 years. She started out as a leasing consultant at the Holiday Park Apartments office where she was later promoted to the manager’s position. During the following years, she was able to grow with the company and take on many different roles and challenges – overseeing marketing, staffing, and the reorganization of 7 additional apartment communities added to the portfolio over time.

Chris was promoted to Vice President of Residential Property Management in 2001 and then to Sr. Vice President of Residential Property Management in 2016. Her responsibilities include overseeing the management functions of 4,000 homes made up of apartment and manufactured home communities. Her continued commitment is spurred by a love of the industry and the people she works with.

Chris has been active in the Apartment Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh since the 1990s, serving as President for two years and now holds the title of Lifetime Director. She is licensed by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission.

Brian Synan Sr. Vice President

Brian came to Sampson Morris Group as a result of a corporate merger with Rimco Properties in 2012. He is the Sr. Vice President as well as the corporate Broker and manages the commercial property management team.

Brian is a graduate of Grove City College (BS in Business Management) and John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business (MBA). He also has designations as a Certified Property Manager (CPM) from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).

Brian is also the Fire Chief for Murrysville VFD #1 and a member of the Westmoreland County Hazardous Materials Response Team 800.

Michelle Waros Vice President/Controller

After retiring from a rewarding career in financial industry to raise her children, Michelle returned to the workforce as an Accountant with Sampson Morris Group in March of 2014. After several promotions, Michelle began her role as Vice President, Controller in June of 2019.

Michelle is an alumna of Washington and Jefferson College, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a minor in Spanish. She is an alumna of Omicron Delta Epsilon, Economic Honorary, and a past recipient of the Vira I. Heinz Program for Women in Global Leadership. Michelle also attended The University of Salamanca, Spain.

Robert Bowman Senior Vice President, Development & Finance

As Senior Vice President of Development & Finance, Rob is responsible for seeking out new acquisitions and analysis on our existing real estate portfolio. His responsibilities include the oversight of new acquisitions, portfolio value, and other areas of finance.

Rob graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. He began his career in the property management industry while attending WVU, by turning and leasing apartments, and has slowly worked through the various positions in property management.

Rob likes spending time with his wife and three children and is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking.

Michael Murphy Sr. Property Manager

Mike earned a B.S. in Real Estate from LaRoche University in 2006. He interned with L.J. Melody and David J. Murphy Real Estate. Mike started with Sampson-Morris Group in 2006 working on land development, marketing, maintenance, leasing, project coordination and technology. In 2015 his promotion to Sr. Property Manager increased his responsibilities to include capital improvements and tenant relations.

Mike is licensed by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission and is a member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). In 2014, he earned the Accredited Commercial Manager (ACoM) certification from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and Certified Self Storage Manager© (The Self Storage Association). Mike earned his Remote Pilots License in 2019 (FAA Part 107 Drone). Mike enjoys volunteering at Allison Park Church as a FOH Audio Engineer.

Janine Rager Lease Administrator

Janine joined Sampson Morris Group in 2015 as an assistant property manager. In 2018, she was promoted to Lease Administrator. Real estate as a career is not new to Janine, her summer internships were spent at Muri-Muri & Associates where she gained skills related to the real estate appraisal industry.

In 2014, Janine graduated from Slippery Rock University (Master’s Degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education). She also has degrees from the University of Pittsburgh (BA in Anthropology with a minor in Sociology) and the Community College of Allegheny County (Associates in Hospitality Management). 

Janine is licensed by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission and is certified as a Self-Storage Manager through Self-Storage Association. In 2018, she earned the Accredited Commercial Manager (ACoM) certification from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM).

Clayton Morris Vice President of Development & Leasing

Clayton is part of the second generation at Sampson Morris Group and has recently taken on the role of Asset Manager. His responsibilities focus on enhancing the value of the portfolio through leasing, marketing, asset management, property management, and acquisitions.

Clayton is a graduate of Katz School of Business (MBA in Finance and Business Strategy) and Allegheny College (BA in Managerial Economics with a minor in Astronomy/Astrophysics).

Clayton is also an avid kitesurfer and inventor. He designed and has a patent pending for a practical, adjustable-size kite and collaborated to start a new company, “Guzt, a kitesurfing innovation company”.

Andrew Venturino Senior Project Manager

As the Senior Project Manager, Andrew is detailed with cost control and management of new developments, adaptive redevelopment of acquired properties and tenant buildouts.

After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, Andrew started in real estate management and development with Rimco Properties, gaining knowledge of capital improvement budgeting, contracting, property acquisition procedures and tenant buildouts. He has continued to plan and guide construction projects of various nature such as commercial and industrial, historic restorations, and specialized home construction.

Jeff Kramer Human Resources Generalist

Jeff brings over a decade of human capital service and management experience to SMG including a diverse and multifaceted corporate background in talent acquisition, performance and development management, and broad ranged experience within human resource generalist functions. Throughout his corporate tenure he has sourced, acquired and aided within the overall professional development of hundreds of business and information technology professionals. Along with implementing and orchestrating organizational succession planning and reclassification projects.

After obtaining an associate degree in Information Systems and Technology, Jeff began his career by progressing through leadership roles within Data Center and IT service management. For many years he was a hiring manager leading 35+ service professionals while developing and implementing incident management protocols and strategies. Due to the rapid growth within the company along with his passion and success within assigned HR management responsibilities his position began to resonate directly in acquiring, training and developing talent for a 24/7/365 NOC and IT support operation, while at the same time managing incident, change, and release tracking applications through a standard ITIL framework.

With Jeff’s transition into human resource management roles and responsibilities he continued to pursue his education graduating from Geneva College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management. With the continued desire to focus his career solely within human resources and before starting at SMG, he dedicated his efforts and responsibilities specific to workforce and job analysis in restructuring the corporation’s personnel-support product, strategy and overall organizational status, through the use of human resource practice and solutions.

Rachael Portz Marketing Manager

Rachael joined Sampson Morris Group in 2017. With her role as Marketing Manager, she creates marketing materials while also maintaining a consistent brand throughout the residential and commercial portfolios. She is a graduate of Robert Morris University with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts with her concentration in Graphic Design.

Suzanne Hoffman Accountant

Ten years after graduating from high school, Suzanne enrolled in college and earned her bachelor’s degree from California University of Pennsylvania, graduating with highest honors in Accounting.

Suzanne joined Sampson Morris Group as a bookkeeper in 1998 and was promoted to the position of Accountant in 2003, fully managing the accounting and property management software systems.

Julie Zahrobsky Accountant

Julie joined Sampson Morris Group in October of 2010, coming back to work full-time after raising her family. She is a graduate of Robert Morris College with a concentration in Business. She works in the accounting department concentrating on the residential accounts payables and other accounting functions.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, kayaking, walking with her dog and spending time with her family.

Heidi Tomicek Accountant

Heidi joined Sampson Morris Group in 2011 as part of the Accounts Payable/Receivable team. She is a graduate of Seton Hill University (BA in Mathematics with a minor in Biology).

In her spare time, Heidi enjoys biking, exercising, reading, antiquing, and vacationing.

Linda Yost Administrative Assistant

Linda joined Sampson Morris Group in 2014 as Administrative Assistant and has taken the initiative to learn what property management is all about. Her life experience and people skills have contributed to her success in office management.