Leadership
Leadership

Joseph Checota
As a national leader in the development of outpatient buildings for 40 years, Joe Checota has participated in the development of 150 facilities located throughout the United States. He has been an officer of Landmark since founding the company 29 years ago. Mr. Checota has served as faculty for more than 300 medical building workshops and seminars, many of them sponsored by leading universities, the American Hospital Association, and the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Before beginning his career as a developer of outpatient buildings, Mr. Checota served as director of the U.S. Department of Commerce loan and grant program for economically depressed areas in the eastern United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He was chairman of the Committee for the Future of Milwaukee in 1988 and 1989, and served as chairman or vice chairman of the Milwaukee Harbor Commission from 1978 to 1981. Mr. Checota currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Board of Directors of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Deeni Taylor
Prior to joining Landmark, Deeni Taylor served as Senior Vice President and Head of Strategic Relationships for Healthpeak Properties, where he was responsible for developing and maintaining key partnerships within the healthcare industry. Healthpeak, a publicly traded healthcare REIT listed on the New York Stock Exchange, holds assets valued at $25 billion.
Earlier in his career as a developer of outpatient and other healthcare buildings, Mr. Taylor was Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of Milwaukee-based Physicians Realty Trust for nine years and Executive Vice President of Indianapolis-based Duke Realty for ten years. Before beginning his 20-year career as a healthcare real estate developer and investor, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for St. Vincent Health, an Ascension Health ministry encompassing 16 hospitals in central Indiana. He also served as President of Unity Health Management Services in Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. Taylor is a graduate of Purdue University.

Michael Cleary
Michael Cleary is a 17-year veteran of Landmark. He served as Landmark’s Senior Vice President for Property Management for seven years and Executive Vice President for Development for eight years before being promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer two years ago. Prior to joining Landmark, Mr. Cleary was Vice President of the Rubinoff Company in Pittsburgh, where he managed approximately three million square feet of commercial space and more than 2,000 residential units.
Earlier in his career, he was Vice President of Realty Growth Corporation in Pittsburgh, overseeing a portfolio of more than two million square feet of office and industrial space. He also served as a Regional Property Manager for Realmark Corporation in Lansing, Michigan. Mr. Cleary holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University and is a Certified Property Manager.

Joel LaBlonde
Joel LaBlonde has been exclusively involved in the development of outpatient and other healthcare buildings for 14 years. Prior to joining Landmark, he served as Director and Vice President of Development for Irgens Partners in Milwaukee, a national healthcare real estate developer. During his time at Irgens, he managed the development of more than $500 million in healthcare facilities.
Earlier in his career, Mr. LaBlonde worked as a Senior Acquisition Analyst and Asset Manager for Waterton Associates in Chicago. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance, with a concentration in Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, from the University of Wisconsin.

Steve Kroening
Steve Kroening has been exclusively involved in the design and construction of outpatient and other healthcare buildings for 40 years. Prior to joining Landmark six years ago, he spent 25 years as a Senior Project Executive with the Hammes Company, a national developer of outpatient facilities. During his tenure there, he managed several major healthcare projects, including the development and construction of a $182 million cardiac center and patient tower expansion for Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, an 866,000-square-foot, $450 million hospital for Elmhurst Memorial Hospital in Elmhurst, Illinois, and a 305,000-square-foot translational and biomedical research center for the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Kroening managed the development and construction of numerous outpatient buildings and hospitals for two other national healthcare facility developers. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management with a concentration in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin–Platteville.