Meet our leadership

As founder and CEO of Smartland, Vadim drives the firm’s strategic direction across energy infrastructure, private equity, and real asset operations. A serial entrepreneur with deep roots in technology, he applies an engineering mindset to capital deployment, using AI and data-driven systems to create competitive advantages at the asset and portfolio level. Since founding Smartland in 2013, he has expanded the firm from a regional operator into a diversified private equity platform with active energy infrastructure development, essential services acquisitions, and a multifamily portfolio spanning Ohio and Florida.

Irina Kleyner is the Broker of Record at Smartland Realty LLC, overseeing real estate brokerage operations, land acquisition, and property transactions across the Smartland portfolio.

Steven is responsible for the strategic direction and performance of all teams within Smartland. As EVP Steven is the catalyst for all department directors to ensure the Smartland vision and Smartland standards are being implemented and adhered to. Prior to joining Smartland, Steven was an Operations Administrator at the Cleveland Clinic, where he was instrumental in the implementation of new strategies and efficiencies. Steven holds an MBA from CSU Monte Ahuja School of Business as well as a Bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University.

Valerie oversees day-to-day property management and leasing operations from inception of a tenant’s lease to their living experience with Smartland to their move-out. In addition, Valerie is a licensed real estate agent with twenty years of experience in residential, commercial and corporate real estate and continues to work with both internal investors as well as external buyers and sellers. As Client Relations Manager, it is important to Valerie to harbor positive relationships with Smartland’s tenants, investors and vendors. She is a Cleveland native and supports the city development and sports teams. Fun fact, Valerie and her fiance own a pet pig!

Victor is a SEO/digital marketing expert and experienced software/web developer. He has nearly 20 years of experience working for both educational and commercial industries. He is always thinking of out-of- the-box ways to utilize and combine his expertise. He strongly believes that a company needs to educate their clients with awesome content on its industry. Victor has participated in many private thought-leadership sessions with Google on how to help increase page rankings for the ultimate benefit of the user experience to get the answer they were searching for. In his free time, he enjoys annoying his wife and two daughters by singing while playing his guitar.

Matt oversees all marketing efforts within Smartland. He collaborates with all of the divisions of the Smartland team to convey our company’s mission through web advertising and various media outlets. He uses competitive analysis to integrate effective marketing concepts and oversees marketing campaigns within the local community once areas of growth potential are identified. Matt wears many hats and has experience in almost every department of the company. Personally, Matt is a newlywed and enjoys watching and coaching baseball. Matt has a BA in sports management with minors in marketing & coaching from Notre Dame College while playing varsity baseball all 4 years.

Viki works with all Smartland departments to ensure all payments are processed accurately. She performs daily accounting tasks, daily cash flow, maintain financial databases and reconcile vendor & bank statements, reconciliation of tenant bills. Viki has 15 years of general accounting experience & payroll processing I enjoy hiking, sports activities with my family & reading. Proud of my Slovenian heritage & excited to see new development happening in Cleveland that focuses on the diversity of its residents.

Alex supervises the maintenance associates who perform services and repairs for our investors and tenants at Smartland. Alex is accountable and prepares work schedules, assignments and oversees the satisfactory completion of all maintenance work orders. He then maintains the management system for tracking work orders and maintenance history. Alex has a knack for quick troubleshooting and figures out how to accomplish tasks at hand. His hard-working nature and hands-on mentality makes Alex an imperative part of the Smartland team. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his kids, hunting, fishing, riding dirt bikes, water parks and amusement parks.

Jack is a Senior Associate, Acquisitions at Smartland, where he underwrites prospective multifamily investments and sources off-market acquisition opportunities aligned with the firm’s strategic objectives. His responsibilities also include evaluating ancillary opportunities and longer-horizon projects that support Smartland’s broader growth initiatives.

Outside of work, Jack spends his time traveling and pursuing interests in poker and applied mathematics. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from John Carroll University.

Yuri is a seasoned leader in investor relations, specializing in real estate investment and financial strategies. With a background that includes an advanced AI Executive education from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, he brings a unique blend of financial acumen and cutting-edge technological expertise to his work. Yuri is known for leveraging AI and data-driven insights to maximize value in real estate portfolios, ensuring his investors and partners capitalize on the most strategic opportunities. Throughout his career, Yuri has built a reputation for cultivating strong, long-term relationships with investors, family offices, and institutional partners. His deep knowledge of real estate and finance, combined with his ability to communicate complex ideas with clarity, has made him a trusted advisor and key player in driving growth for investment portfolios. His focus on aligning investor goals with market opportunities sets him apart as a leader capable of delivering both innovative strategies and tangible results in the ever-evolving real estate landscape.

Vladimir leads Smartland’s largest department, overseeing maintenance and property operations across both multifamily and single-family units. He ensures every property in the portfolio is kept to the highest standards of quality, safety, and efficiency.

Before joining Smartland, Vladimir served as Maintenance Director at a 114-unit assisted living facility, where he managed a smaller team and built a strong track record in property operations. As both a real estate owner and an active market investor, Vladimir brings an owner’s perspective to his work, shaping how he maintains Smartland’s properties with a long-term, investor-minded approach.