Absolute Real Estate Knowledge

We actually know what we’re talking about. We know who you need, what they cost and how to get their attention.

Very Few Restrictions

The average search firm is prohibited from approaching 35% of the relevant talent pool. Amberjack Partners is free to approach any relevant candidate.  

We Do the Research

We do the research and interviewing and as a result, we actually know the candidates we are presenting to you.

Low Retainers and Transparency

We’re confident we’ll find you the best talent, and the best person for the position you are looking to hire.

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. 

Ryan Chatley

Managing Partner

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 and their Saint Bernard. He is an avid outdoorsman and Eagle Scout.

Travis Kononen

Managing Partner

Travis Kononen is one of the two founding partners of Amberjack Partners.  Travis has twenty years of experience in real estate executive search across the UK, Middle East, and US, and specializes in offering clients a thorough and candid search process.

Travis's career began in London working for a variety of small search firms until landing with Richmond & Co, a boutique real estate search firm.  During his five years with Richmond & Co he developed research and execution skills, and a strong focus on client service and finding the "right" candidate through candid dialogue between search partner and client. Richmond & Co was later acquired by Ferguson Partners Ltd ('FPL'), a US based search firm, and he took the opportunity to relocate to join their New York team and then later, build and lead FPL's West Coast operation. Travis specializes in execution of C-suite searches for financial institutions, hedge funds, REIT clients, owners, operators and developers.  

Travis earned his Bachelor’s degree in English from Oregon State University.  He lives in Berkeley, CA with his Kiwi wife and three kids.

Jayme Book

Managing Director 

Jayme Book is a Managing Director at Amberjack Partners, based in the New York City area. Jayme brings fifteen years of experience in Real Estate executive search specializing in leadership positions within Property Management, Asset Management, Acquisitions, Development, Accounting & Finance.

Jayme’s search career began seventeen years ago working for several small search firms, until ultimately solidifying her career in Real Estate search as the Manager of Recruitment at Tishman Speyer, a global Real Estate owner, operator and investor headquartered in New York City. During her tenure at Tishman Speyer, Jayme developed a deep understanding of the drivers of Real Estate and supported Tishman Speyer’s recruitment platform. She took her knowledge of Real Estate to Terra Search Partners, where she spent the next seven years responsible for sourcing and executing executive level Real Estate mandates nationally.

Jayme earned her Bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College. She lives in Northern New Jersey with her two kids.