Team Bios

Travis Pacoe has been continuously involved in real estate since 1990 and has both brokered and invested in nearly every property type, including apartment projects, retail and industrial real estate. Travis is responsible for origination of potential transactions; negotiation of transaction terms; marketing oversight; and due diligence oversight.

Travis’ completed transactions total in excess of $1.1BBN, including properties valued in excess of $990MM that he has acquired as an investor and general partner through various partnerships he has formed. He has been an active principal in the acquisition of multifamily and commercial real estate since 1994 and as an owner has extensive experience in the management of multifamily and commercial properties.

Travis brings his extensive history as a principal investor to bear in completing every property purchase, including extensive transaction management experience, negotiation of relevant documentation and effective navigation through all due diligence matters; accurate valuation of many property types in numerous regions or submarkets; and origination and structuring of a wide variety of financing instruments.

Travis has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a dual emphasis in Real Estate & Urban Land Economics and Finance from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, CA, class of 1991.

Ron Abta has over 15 years of residential real estate experience, having completed in excess of $1.2BBN in transactions as both a broker and investor. He brings multifamily management and remodeling experience to the team, having actively overseen the maintenance, renovation, and financing of multi-unit apartment units and residential properties throughout his career. Ron is responsible for investor relations, marketing oversight, and general transaction management for acquisitions and financing.

He has been involved in the structuring and management of numerous real estate general partnerships. He has also been involved in almost every type of residential purchase over his career, whether it be multifamily assets, tenancy-in-common interests, or single family dwellings. He brings a wide breadth of experience to the team as both an investor, as well as operator of multifamily properties. He has consistently managed to completion a very high number of transactions annually for many years. He has intimate knowledge of the financing side of real estate transactions, having worked as a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley and as a product manager at iOwn.com, one of the first internet mortgage brokers (acquired by CitiMortgage).

He holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Economics with a minor in Business Administration at University of California Berkeley in Berkeley, CA, class of 1993, as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Stanford, CA, class of 1999.

Chi is our Marketing Coordinator who is responsible for developing and executing our marketing strategy on market outreach. Chi helps make sure that our potential customers are increasingly more aware of the Polaris brand and all of its properties on the market. Chi has great project management skills and consistently deliver high quality results on schedule. She also works as our in-house Photographer and Graphics Designer to create original designs and templates for our property websites and marketing brochures.

Chi was originally from Vietnam. She has studied and worked in 3 different countries over the past few years. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Global Marketing from University of Huddersfield, UK in 2013. And in 2015, she graduated from Hult University, San Francisco with a master’s degree in International Marketing. She speaks Vietnamese and English.

James Hetherington joined Polaris Real Estate as Legal Counsel in 2022. With over thirty years of experience as a trial attorney and a partner at a San Francisco litigation firm for fourteen years, James has worked with insurers and insureds to resolve complex litigation matters in a variety of practice areas, including negligence, premises liability, employment, construction, personal injury and contractual claims.

James brings his extensive experience in handling legal disputes to Polaris as our Legal Counsel to address and resolve claims, assess risk, control losses and mitigate exposure.

James obtained a BA in English from California State University/Northridge, and a J.D. from the University of Arizona College of Law. He has been a member of the California bar since 1990. James is on the Board of a local open space conservatory in San Francisco and is an avid runner and musician.

Austin Paul joined the Polaris team as a Financial Analyst in 2022 to assist in portfolio management. Austin is responsible for updating and creating financial models to evaluate both existing and potential assets, analyzing property operations’ financial data to provide forecasting support, creation of property level investment reports and presentations, and study of broad level business and economic trends.

Austin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with a minor in U.S history from Occidental College, CA, class of 2020. His major’s area of focus was U.S. macroeconomic policy and history.

Belinda Aguirre joined Polaris Real Estate in 2023 as the Vice President of Operations with over 23 years of experience in multifamily management in the Dallas and Fort Worth Texas region. She will work closely with the management companies to ensure they reach their potential and provide guidance and assistance where needed regarding occupancy, community outreach, income, renovations, permitting and meeting lender expectations.

Belinda has extensive knowledge of property budgets to maximize NOI’s, market surveys, value-adds and has managed all types of renovations for interior and exterior remodels throughout her career. She has managed multiple properties while training new managers at other locations. She works closely with DFW Housing Authorities, DFW Police & Fire and DFW Code Enforcement as well as Veteran Affairs and Domestic Violence organizations for urgent rehousing. She has organized several community outreach programs such as budgeting for adults, computer literacy and child tutoring. She also strongly encourages and promotes all management, residents, surrounding communities and local law enforcement relationships to ensure the wellbeing of the communities.

Belinda received her education from TCC and has a strong work ethic, likes a hands-on approach and is goal oriented. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. She loves to travel, and her favorite spot is any island with blue water, sun and a good book.

With excitement and enthusiasm, Gigi is ready to bring her expertise to the field of real estate investments, having recently transitioned from residential real estate. Her 20-year career in the industry, coupled with her passion for learning, has allowed her to gain a unique perspective of the market. Throughout her career, Gigi has held various positions ranging from transaction management to director of operations, making her a strong professional and well-equipped to handle the challenges of real estate investments. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Gigi is also a licensed as a real estate agent in the state of California.

Born in San Francisco and raised in the Bay Area, Gigi earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from San Francisco State University in 2001. Additionally, she has been licensed with the California Department of Real Estate since 2017.

Paula Dela Rosa joined the Polaris Accounting team in 2023. She brings her diverse experience in finance and accounting, having worked in both public accounting and the industry sector. Prior to joining Polaris, Paula worked at a Big 4 Public Accounting firm, where she honed her skills in auditing, internal controls, and regulatory compliance. Transitioning into the corporate realm, Paula joined the finance team at a global consulting firm. Here, she gained experience in financial forecasting and analysis, collaborating seamlessly with cross-functional teams to evaluate budget performance, monitor trends, and provide actionable insights.

Paula leverages her varied background to support Polaris in managing financial transactions and handling a range of accounting responsibilities, working closely with the CFO and Financial Controller.

Paula holds a B.S. in Health Science and a M.S. in Accounting from San Jose State University. When she is not crunching numbers, Paula enjoys photography, videography, and traveling.

James Choi joined Polaris Real Estate as their Chief Financial Officer in 2023. James brings over 20 years of extensive real estate experience having worked in a wide range of asset classes including office, multi-family, single-family, retail, and hospitality assets both on the operational and development sides.

Prior to joining Polaris, James was a Vice President at a publicly traded REIT where he oversaw development and construction accounting for over $3.0B of Class A office assets. He brings a strong background in technical accounting, internal controls, budgeting, forecasting, and multi-entity partnerships. James is an adaptable team leader who prides himself on working cross functionally with all stakeholders to achieve optimal results for investors.

James obtained a B.S. in Accounting from Illinois State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) and Certified Internal Auditor (“CIA”) in the State of Illinois (inactive). In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending quality time with his family.