Leadership

The officers and department heads of Landmark have specialized in the full-service development of outpatient buildings for a combined total of more than 200 years. Over the years, Landmark’s current leadership team has successfully developed more than 250 outpatient buildings located in 38 states, with project values ranging from $10 million to $150 million. The leadership team personally supervises the majority of the work associated with the design, development, and construction of these buildings. As an organization, Landmark is large enough to provide all the personnel and professional services required for successful development, yet small enough to ensure the hands-on involvement of its principals.

Leadership

Executive Chairman

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.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

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.

President and Chief Operating Officer

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.

Chief Financial Officer

Dan Brandt

Dan Brandt brings more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate banking to Landmark Healthcare Facilities. He has provided debt financing for more than $1 billion in real estate projects across a wide range of asset classes, including outpatient medical buildings, multi-family, retail, and industrial. Mr. Brandt was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Landmark in 2025.

Before joining Landmark, Mr. Brandt served as Senior Vice President in the Commercial Real Estate department at Old National Bank. Earlier in his career, he held credit underwriting positions in the commercial real estate departments of Associated Bank and M&I Bank (now BMO Harris Bank), where he specialized in evaluating and structuring project finance deals.

Mr. Brandt is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

EVP For Design and Construction

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.