Success in Motion.
At Amberjack Partners, we move with the market to deliver top-tier leaders for real estate’s most demanding roles. With precision, speed, and a personal touch, we ensure every placement powers your success—right when you need it most.
Our Founding Cornerstones
Amberjack Partners was built on core principles designed to transform the executive search experience.
Unmatched Focus on Quality Execution
01
Curated Search Engagements: To ensure each client receives a dedicated and personalized service, Amberjack handles a maximum of 10 searches at a time.
Enhanced Attention: This focused approach provides dedicated, undivided attention to each mandate.
Accelerated Results: By concentrating resources on fewer searches, our average completion time is an impressive 72 days from start to finish.
Exclusively Served by Senior Professionals
02
Experienced Recruiters Only: Amberjack executives each have an average of 20 years of executive search experience.
Dedicated Senior Attention: Each engagement is handled solely by seasoned search professional, eliminating inefficiencies found in conventional search models.
Quality Over Quantity: Our exclusive focus on seasoned professionals ensures high-touch, consistent service on every search.
Expansive Market Access
03
Experienced Recruiters Only: Amberjack executives each have an average of 20 years of executive search experience.
Dedicated Senior Attention: Each engagement is handled solely by seasoned search professional, eliminating inefficiencies found in conventional search models.
Quality Over Quantity: Our exclusive focus on seasoned professionals ensures high-touch, consistent service on every search.
Our Team
Having worked and trained together for years, our partners have developed a seamless working style which benefits their clients. Our turnaround time for research and market outreach is half the market average.
All of the benefits of a bulge-bracket search firm, but with personal accountability backing all work.
MANAGING PARTNER
MANAGING PARTNER
Ryan Chatley
Ryan Chatley is a Managing Partner at Amberjack Partners, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His expertise spans the Real Estate spectrum in Development & Construction, Acquisitions, Asset & Portfolio Management, Accounting & Finance, Facilities Management and Senior Leadership/Management positions. His clients include – REITs, Investment Managers, Owner/Operators, Private Equity Firms, Family Offices, Investments Banks and Advisory Firms. Ryan has done work across all asset classes including Industrial/Logistics, Commercial, Multifamily, Retail, and Hospitality.
Prior to co-founding Amberjack Partners with Travis Kononen in 2021. Ryan spent three years with Ferguson Partners out of their West Coast office.
He was responsible for sourcing and executing Real Estate mandates nationally. Ryan spent three years at Korn Ferry before his time with Ferguson Partners, responsible for executing a wide range of senior level mandates. Earlier in his career, Ryan spent time at CTPartners and DHR International.
Ryan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Santa Clara University. He has been tied into the Bay Area Real Estate market for fifteen years managing his family’s real estate portfolio. In his free time, Ryan loves spending time with his wife, son, daughter, and their Saint Bernard. He is an avid outdoorsman and Eagle Scout.
Travis Kononen
Travis Kononen is one of the two founding partners of Amberjack Partners. With nearly 25 years of experience, Travis has worked in the London, New York and San Francisco real estate markets.
Travis has worked with Real Estate platforms of all kinds and specializes in offering a thorough and candid process for his clients. His career began in London where he worked for a variety of smaller boutique search firms until he was hired by Richmond & Co., a boutique Real Estate executive search firm. For five years he learned the ropes and executed search engagements throughout Europe and the Middle East. Richmond & Co. was purchased by a larger US based search firm, Ferguson Partners and so midway through the Great Financial Crisis, he relocated and began working in the New York office of Ferguson Partners.
There he worked with large financial institutions, hedge-funds and REIT clients to place executives of all seniorities and disciplines.
In 2013 he took the opportunity to open a San Francisco office for Ferguson Partners. For the next seven years, he grew the team and the business in the Western US.
Travis earned his Bachelor’s degree in English from Oregon State University. He lives in Portland, OR with his family where they enjoy an outdoor lifestyle.
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Jayme Book
Jayme Book is a Managing Director at Amberjack Partners, bringing over 17 years of distinguished experience in real estate executive search. Based in the New York City metro area, she’s renowned for her consistent success in leading high-profile searches and delivering exceptional results within Real Estate Acquisitions, Development, Asset Management, Property Management, Accounting & Finance. Jayme’s strategic approach and deep industry knowledge have contributed to Amberjack Partners reputation for excellence in executive search.
Jayme launched her executive search career with a leading Healthcare search firm, gaining experience in identifying and securing top-tier talent for clients nationwide. Her sharp perspective on organizational challenges and proven talent in identifying leaders led her to a pivotal role as Manager of Recruitment at Tishman Speyer, a premier global real estate owner, operator, and investor based in New York City. During her tenure at Tishman Speyer, she gained an insider’s perspective on the dynamic forces driving the industry, refining her ability to align exceptional candidates with strategic business needs. She was instrumental in supporting Tishman Speyer’s talent acquisition platform, positioning her as a trusted expert in the field.
Following her success at Tishman Speyer, Jayme joined a prominent real estate search firm Terra Search Partners, where she spent seven years leading national executive search mandates for clients across the real estate sector. In this role, she developed a nuanced understanding of the industry's complexities and cultivated a broad network that continues to drive her success today. Her tenure with Terra Search Partners solidified her reputation for delivering high-impact talent solutions, leveraging her deep network and consultative approach to address her clients' unique needs.
Jayme holds a Bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College and resides in Northern New Jersey with her family and three children. Outside of her professional pursuits, she values time with family and enjoys cooking, watching a good comedy, and spending time on the beach. Jayme’s commitment to both her career and personal life exemplifies her balanced approach to success, making her a vital asset to Amberjack Partners and the clients she serves.
Success in Motion
Amberjack Partners is a premier executive search firm exclusively focused on the real estate industry, delivering high-touch, specialized services that keep your business moving forward with the right leadership. With over 50 years of combined experience across every real estate sector, we bring unmatched expertise, deep industry relationships, and a relentless commitment to securing executive talent that drives meaningful growth. Amberjack Partners isn’t just a search firm; we’re a driving force in your pursuit of excellence, dedicated to putting your success into action. With us, your business is always on the move.
Customized Searches with Dedicated Attention
Limiting our engagements to just ten searches at a time, we ensure each client benefits from our complete attention and senior-level expertise. Our recruiters manage every search stage personally, customizing our approach to fit your business’s unique needs. This focus guarantees candidates who are not only qualified but also aligned with your vision, advancing your goals in an ever-evolving industry.
Technology-Enhanced, Relationship-Driven Approach
For Amberjack, technology elevates our search quality, not just speed. By leveraging tech to strengthen our personal connections and comprehensive research, we maintain a relationship-driven approach that centers on your success. With Amberjack Partners, you’re not merely filling roles; you’re strategically positioning your business for immediate, lasting success with a team that understands what it takes to lead in real estate.
Unrestricted Access to Top Talent
We conduct talent outreach without constraints, providing you with expansive access to the real estate industry’s top professionals. This approach allows us to deliver unparalleled talent solutions, securing the ideal fit for each role with the agility and reach that set us apart.
Transparent Pricing with Modest Retainers
Our transparent pricing model, backed by modest retainers, reflects our confidence in delivering top-tier talent. By providing clarity and fairness in pricing, we emphasize our commitment to building trust and securing talent that perfectly meets your business needs.
Moving Leaders Forward
We find top talent for public and private companies across every property type—delivering leaders who thrive and drive success, right when you need them. In just three years, Amberjack Partners has successfully completed 70 high-impact executive searches, demonstrating our expertise and reach across the real estate industry. Our track record spans diverse property types and alternative asset classes, with a presence in nearly every major U.S. city.
Types of Companies Served
Private Companies
Construction companies, general contractors, accounting firms, family offices, developers
Debt Focused
Investment banks, debt funds, insurance companies, service providers
Equity Focused
investment managers, opportunity funds, family offices, owners, homebuilders, operators and developers
Public
REITS, Mortgage REITS, non-traded private REITS
Functional Roles
C-Suite roles
CEO, CFO, COO, CIO (Investment and Technology)
C-Suite roles
Originations, underwriting, asset management, syndications, risk/credit, closing officers
Equity
Acquisitions, asset management, leasing, property management, development, construction, capital raising, securities investment, portfolio management, facilities management
Reputation-Driven Hiring, Leaders with Proven Reputations, Credibility in Every Hire
We hire for roles where an executive has existed for long enough that their reputation is known and can be referenced.
Expertise Encompasses A Diverse Range Of Real Estate Assets
Industrial, Multifamily (Market-Rate, Affordable, And Build-To-Rent), Office, Commercial, Retail, Hospitality, Self-Storage, Seniors Housing, Single-Family, Life Sciences, And Alternative.
Contact Us
Put your success into motion today. Get in touch and let’s find the leaders that are right for you.
Travis Kononen
tkononen@amberjackpartners.com
Ryan Chatley
rchatley@amberjackpartners.com
Jayme Book
jbook@amberjackpartners.com