Who We Are

Arthur Collins

Principal

As the co-founding Principal and President of Collins Enterprises, LLC, Arthur Collins is in charge of all development activities for the company. His responsibilities include sourcing new projects as well as budgeting, design, construction and timely delivery of the company’s redevelopment and development initiatives in all markets.

Mr. Collins has 35 years experience in managing development and construction for major residential and commercial projects in the New York market and in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. As a planning and development feasibility consultant, Mr. Collins has also helped cities such as New Orleans, Yonkers, NY, and large corporations maximize their financial returns through innovative land use concepts and building design. Mr. Collins initiates company policy and charts strategic direction along with the other company directors.

Mr. Collins is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, and Collins Enterprises is a sponsor of the Connecticut/Westchester local chapter. Mr. Collins is asked often to speak at conferences and seminars dealing especially with creative land use and urban redevelopment. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon and a Masters degree in Urban Design from the University of Pennsylvania.  Mr. Collins is a former trustee of the Conway School, a graduate institution in land planning in Massachusetts, a Real Estate advisor for the Kent School Board of Trustees in Connecticut, a speaker at Columbia University, Pace University and Yale, and is active in the Land Use Law Center at Pace University.

Jeffrey Sirkin

Managing Director

Jeff Sirkin has over 25 years of experience providing capital to developers and owners of commercial real estate.  He has completed over $2.1 billion in transactions encompassing a variety of debt and equity structures across a broad range of asset classes including multi-family, office, industrial and retail properties.

Mr. Sirkin began his career at the Chase Manhattan Bank where he completed the credit-training program and then joined the bank’s real estate group where he provided mortgage banking services to the bank’s real estate clients. Subsequently, he was involved in selling a large portfolio of Chase Manhattan Bank’s real estate loan assets. Mr. Sirkin later joined BHF-Bank and then GE Capital where he provided financing to a broad range of real estate companies and private equity funds purchasing or redeveloping real estate assets.

While at The Praedium Group and Intrepid Residential, Mr. Sirkin was responsible for capitalizing real estate projects with both debt and equity financing.  In doing so, he has worked with both entrepreneurial and institutional sources of capital including Northwestern Mutual, AEGON and Cornerstone (Mass Mutual). Over the course of this business cycle, Mr. Sirkin has advised institutions with portfolios of distressed assets on asset resolution strategies. Leveraging his capital markets experience, he developed and implemented successful asset strategies, which optimized proceeds and exceeded client benchmarks.

Mr. Sirkin graduated from Dartmouth College with an AB in history and The Leonard Stern School of Business at NYU with an MBA in finance.

Barbara Carmichael

Senior Director, Asset Management

With over 25 years experience at Collins, Barbara Carmichael is a seasoned veteran and the officer responsible for asset management, marketing, sales and residential community projects under development in the Northeast and Southeast regions. Ms. Carmichael has managed over $1 billion in development projects during her tenure with the company.  In her current capacity, she is responsible for budgeting, capital projects, marketing, as well as all other operational aspects of the southeast portfolio.  She has experience with project development, property management, and condominium regulations in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Virginia and is the company’s condominium board representative. Ms. Carmichael oversees all document disclosures, contract negotiation and property disposition. She is experienced in conversions and in coordination with construction teams for efficient project delivery. A Boston native, she holds a bachelor of arts from Sacred Heart University and currently resides in Danbury, Connecticut.

Elena Zaika

Controller

Ms. Zaika joined Collins in February 2022 and is responsible for accounting, financial reporting, information systems and human resources. She brings 25 years of finance, property and construction accounting experience in the real estate industry. She has held senior positions at Sentinel Partners, RFR Realty, and L&L Holdings. Ms. Zaika was the construction controller for TSX Broadway, a $2.2 billion mixed use project with a 670-room hotel, the landmark Capital Theater and 75,000 sf of retail space in Times Square, as well as 100 East 53rd Street, a 63-story condominium on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan consisting of 94 apartments.

Tracey Cain

Assistant Director, Project Management

Tracey Cain is the Assistant Director for the Norfolk division of Collins Enterprises and Collins Properties of Virginia.  With over 30 years of experience, Ms. Cain has extensive knowledge of the construction/multi family business and project management. Her strengths include project cost analysis, estimating, purchasing, and operations/resource management. She coordinates with our team during the design and permitting process, and assists in reviewing the plans and specifications, contracting, scheduling, value engineering, cost and quality control, as well as being a principal representative in directing the administration and performance of the general contractors for Collins’ Norfolk Division. Ms. Cain is also a licensed Property Manager and oversees the Collins holdings in Virginia.  Ms. Cain also assists in overseeing and directing regional office operations and Virginia personnel.  Before joining the Collins staff, Ms. Cain served as a contract administrator for Hoy Construction and at Armada Hoffler.