Meet the Team

Mr. Ekovich has been in the real estate business since 1985, both brokering commercial real estate and serving as Regional Manager for several Marcus & Millichap offices. He has closed or overseen over $3.5 billion of real estate transactions. Currently Steve is the National Managing Director of the Leisure Investment Properties Group and Vice President of Investments for Marcus & Millichap. Since 2011 Mr. Ekovich has listed, sold and underwritten in excess of $1 billion of leisure investment properties (golf courses, resorts, marinas and master planned communities). Ekovich has sold the nation’s largest banking institutions, as well as major national and international leisure asset owners.  Mr. Ekovich has been a published author in numerous golf trade publications such as: Golf Inc., Golf Business, Florida Golf Central and has been named one of the top ten “Movers & Shakers” by Golf Business for 2014. Additionally, Ekovich is routinely called upon for leisure investment industry statistics and quotes by well-known institutions such as Bloomberg News, The New York Times and the Business Journals in major metropolitan areas. Mr. Ekovich has been a featured speaker since 1998 at real estate and leisure industry events nationally.

Mr. Karamitsos has been a member of the PGA of America since 1995 and has worked in nearly every facet of the golf industry since 1990. He has played competitively since 1989 and served in a managerial/consulting capacity for golf course owners and developers throughout his career.  In 2004, Mr. Karamitsos became Associate Vice President of Commercial Investments for Great American Realty of Tampa Inc. In 2008 he and Steven Ekovich founded the National Golf and Resort Properties Group of Marcus & Millichap. The National Golf & Resort Properties Group, now the Leisure Investment Properties Group, has listed, sold and underwritten in excess of  $1 billion of leisure investment properties in over 30 different states.. He has been the editor of several golf publications, the featured instructor for PGA Magazine, and the St. Petersburg Times and is the author of School Golf – A Teacher’s Manual. Mr. Karamitsos has been the recipient of numerous awards from the PGA of America, has served on the executive boards of the North Florida PGA and the First Tee of Clearwater, and is a frequent presenter at industry trade shows and conferences.  Mr. Karamitsos graduated from St. Leo University in 1986 after having been awarded an ROTC scholarship. His degrees include a B.A. in Political Science, International Relations, Military Science and minor degrees in English and History. He served as an active-duty commissioned officer until 1990 at which time he pursued his career in the golf business. Mr. Karamitsos has worked at golf facilities as a Head Golf Professional, Director of Golf and General Manager. He founded the Karamitsos Golf Academy, Sigma Golf Management and Millennium Golf Ventures and was the Junior Golf Chairman of the North Florida PGA. 

Mr. Vanek joined the Leisure Investment Properties Group in 2010 after receiving his Master in Business Administration from the University of Florida’s Hough Graduate School of Business. Since that time, the Leisure Investment Properties Group has listed, sold and underwritten in excess of $1 billion of golf, resort and master planned community properties in over 30 different states. Now focusing exclusively on investment sales, Mr. Vanek has been active in real estate financial management and investment services since earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Duke University in 2004. He has an extensive background in financial analysis, brokerage, acquisitions, research, operations, accounting & business development. This expertise and experience together helps provide unparalleled market knowledge to our clients.

Rob Waldron joined the National Golf Division of the Leisure Investment Properties Group in 2013 as an Investment Advisor. His primary markets are the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Florida.

Mr. Waldron is a Golf & Hospitality Industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience. Rob has held management positions with well-respected firms such as Marriott Corporation, Fore Golf, Legg Mason Real Estate Services and Billy Casper Golf. His extensive golf background in finance, operations, marketing, acquisitions, brokerage, debt placement, business development and consulting provide a unique perspective to underwriting and the sale of golf course assets. He managed the acquisition of six golf course properties, brokered the sale of more than $30 million of golf course assets, underwritten the financing of more than $100 million of golf course transactions and has been directly involved with more than 150 golf courses in an advisory capacity.

Mr. Waldron is a published author of numerous articles for golf trade publications and has been a featured speaker for more than 15 years at Golf Industry events. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Chapter of the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Washington Metropolitan Golf Association. Rob volunteered as a Rules Official for USGA, MSGA, MAGA and WMGA golf tournaments and is a member of the Golf Digest “100 Greatest Courses in America” Panel. Mr. Waldron holds a BS in Finance from Penn State University.

Brett joined the Marina Division of the Leisure Investment Properties Group in May 2017 after graduating from the University of Florida. Brett has been exclusively focused on the marina asset class, bringing analytical and brokerage experience to every client and project. Since joining the LIPG, Brett has underwritten and/or sold over $450 million in marina and marina resort assets. Brett’s focuses include: brokerage; advising clients with long-term planning (i.e. continue to hold and operate, sell, etc.); asset valuation; marketing; and market research. 

When the LIPG was operating under Marcus & Millichap, Brett was the recipient of two Marcus & Millichap awards: the Pacesetter Award and the Most Committed Award. He has also been featured in Marina Dock Age on multiple occasions as a marina brokerage professional. Brett is an alumnus of the Alpha Eta chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha. 

Jeffrey brings over 40 years commercial real estate investment expertise to the LIPG team.  Jeff has extensive experience in marina market evaluation, marketing plans, investment modeling, and investor relations.

Mr. Spilman has participated in real estate development as partner, and managed personal and client real estate investments. Included in his experience has been working extensively with attorneys, title companies, contractors, and working with a network of real estate brokers. Mr. Spilman has been the recipient of  Marcus & Millichap awards including; National Achievement Award Winner, National Top 20 Agents, Overall Top 10 Agents for Central Florida and New Agent of the Year for Central Florida.

Mr. Tibbetts joined the Leisure Investment Properties Group in February of 2017 after graduating from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. Kody grew up playing golf competitively as a junior and was a part of the Professional Golf Management (PGM) Program at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) for two years before transferring to UCF.

Since joining the team, Kody has been involved in the valuation and underwriting of over $750 million in golf courses, master-planned communities and golf resort properties. Within two years of joining the team, Kody was promoted to Senior Financial Analyst in which his primary tasks involved underwriting, financial analysis, market research and marketing support. He has since been promoted to Director of Operations and is responsible for LIPG’s day-to-day business activities, business development, strategic planning, client relations, and transaction coordination. Mr. Tibbetts will also continue to oversee the golf divisions valuation and underwriting.

Mr. Griffith joined the Leisure Investment Properties Group in April of 2022 after working at Marcus & Millichap for twenty-two years. Jeff has joined the Leisure Investments Properties Group as a Senior Investment Analyst where his duties will focus on asset valuation, underwriting and marketing support. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Jeff came to Tampa in July of 1982 with American Tectonics, a Cincinnati based developer of multifamily, retail, office and industrial properties where he became President and broker of record of the Tampa office, overseeing a property management and construction staff of sixteen. Jeff is a supporter of the United States Army Rangers and was an original board member, designer, and project construction manager for the United States Army Ranger Memorial Foundation, Inc. at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia. As a result of his work designing and constructing the Ranger Memorial, he is the recipient of the United States of America, Department of the Army, Patriotic Civilian Service Citation and Medal.