Pioneer Title Agency hires Patty Farkash
Pioneer Title Agency’s Phoenix Peak branch, which is located at 7310 N. 16th St. in Phoenix, announced that Patty Farkash has been hired as the branch’s newest escrow officer. In her new role, Farkash will be responsible for customer service, conducting closing appointments and communicating with all parties.
Prior to her position with Pioneer, Farkash worked at multiple banks and title agencies throughout Phoenix, including Chicago Title, First American, Ticor Title, Empire West Title and Bank of America. In addition to having over 40 years of experience in the industry, Farkash is a former member of the Central Arizona Escrow Association and was conferred a certified senior escrow officer in 1988.
Jones, Skelton & Hochuli adds associates
Jones, Skelton & Hochuli, PLC announced the addition of four new associates, Jonathan Brinkman, Christopher Heo, Lisa Papsin and Brian Ripple. All four associates worked at the firm as Summer Associates, where they had the opportunity to observe trials, depositions, mediations, settlement conferences and arbitrations.
Jon focuses his practice in general civil litigation and insurance defense. He represents clients in issues involving trucking, premises liability, contract disputes, and personal injury and wrongful death. During law school, Jon gained valuable experience in private practice working as a law clerk for three Arizona firms. He also worked as a legal extern for the Arizona Supreme Court. Jon earned his J.D. and M.B.A. from Arizona State University, in addition to graduating summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a B.S. in Finance, and B.A. in Legal Studies.
Chris works in the firm’s Transportation, Auto, Products and General Liability Trial Group, focusing his practice in general civil litigation and insurance defense. He represents clients in trucking, premises liability, contract disputes, and personal injury and wrongful death. Between his first and second year of law school, he worked as a legal extern in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Chris obtained his B.S. in Marketing and his J.D. from Arizona State University.
Lisa is a member of two of the firm’s Trial Groups: Professional Liability, Bad Faith and Complex Litigation; and Governmental Liability and Employment Law. While attending Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Lisa served as President of the Executive Moot Court Board and earned the CALI Award in Negotiation. In her third year, Lisa was selected by her peers to be the student speaker at her law school graduation ceremony. Lisa earned her M.F.A. in English and Creative Writing, and B.S. in Sociology and English from Northern Arizona University.
Brian works in the firm’s General Liability and Auto Trial Group, focusing in the areas of general civil litigation and insurance defense. While attending Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Brian worked as a legal intern for The Arizona Justice Project and served as the Associate Editor of Jurimetrics, The Journal of Law, Science and Technology. Brian graduated cum laude from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Economics and Political Science.
In addition, Jones, Skelton & Hochuli welcomed David Amundsen. David practices in the areas of automobile liability defense, general civil litigation, and insurance defense. He is experienced representing clients in arbitration and trial. Prior to joining JSH, David worked in-house at a national insurance company where he focused on property damage and personal injury defense. Before working in-house, David served as Deputy County Attorney for the Graham County Attorney’s Office. While there, he handled all manner of criminal prosecution matters including misdemeanor and felony cases.
Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs appoints general manager
Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs announces that Casey Lee, former director of operations at a Six Flags amusement park, will act as the general manager of the attraction which opens December 12 at OdySea in the Desert in Scottsdale. The family-friendly entertainment venue is designed to transport guests back in time to the era of dinosaurs with riveting educational exhibits featuring more than 50 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, true-to-life recreations of prehistoric habitats, interactive activities and more.
Lee has worked in executive management within the entertainment industry for more than 25 years, with a focus on family-friendly attractions and amusement parks. Lee formerly held management positions at some of the country’s most well-known entertainment venues, including Six Flags, Topgolf, Boondocks Food & Fun and OdySea in the Desert, to name a few.
Over the course of his career, Lee has planned and executed thousands of events and parties with an emphasis on entertaining and creating unique and unforgettable experiences. Lee has also been recognized by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, earning two separate honors from the organization.
YAM Capital adds Milton Barnes
YAM Capital, a private real estate bridge lender specializing in short-term commercial real estate financing, has added Underwriter Milton Barnes to its team. In this role, Barnes is responsible for supporting YAM Capital by conducting financial evaluations and assisting with the due diligence processes for commercial real estate lending.
After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Real Estate Finance from Portland State University, Barnes continued his education and earned his MBA from University of Portland. He brings seven years of industry experience to the YAM Capital team, most recently having served as a commercial real estate broker at SVN and a pricing analyst at Progress Residential.
“It’s an honor to work with a company as well respected as YAM Capital,” said Barnes. “Very few firms can offer the speed and flexibly we are able to provide our clients.”
