Our Team

Rick Gersten

CEO & President

With over 30 years of experience as a commercial real estate broker, owner, and developer in the Washington, D.C. area, Rick knows the ins and outs of the local real estate market like few others. Prior to founding Urban Igloo, he led an advisory firm for real estate owners and renters, and has been a shopping center and office building developer. He also served as Deputy Director and Chief of the Real Estate Portfolio for D.C.'s Office of Property Management.

Rick started Urban Igloo to bring commercial market professionalism and service to DC-area apartment renters and landlords. His drive, expertise, and enthusiasm have helped transform Urban Igloo from a great idea to a vital rental resource, connecting over 40,000 renters with landlords throughout Metro DC in the span of only a few short years.

With four sons between the ages of five and 20, Rick doesn't have any shortage of activities to occupy his time when he's not at work.

Debbie Kaplan

Chief Operating Officer

It's little wonder Debbie ended up at Urban Igloo, where every day she gets to help people get their starts in new rentals and neighborhoods. Before joining us, she played a key role in getting numerous start ups off the ground, in addition to contributing to the growth of some little companies you've probably never heard of, like MCI, Sprint, and AOL.

With extensive experience in marketing, advertising, business development, and affiliate relations, Debbie is an expert at identifying needs and then developing and implementing strategies to meet them. In other words, she's exactly the sort of person you want steering the ship if you're trying to lease out or find a rental property.

Debbie serves on the Board of Directors for the DC Ad Club and Clarendon Alliance. She also participates in committees for the Property Management Association and the Northern Virginia Apartment Association.

When she's not figuring out ways to make Urban Igloo more effective and easy to use, Debbie enjoys urban hiking, movie-going, and dining around DC, as well as hanging with her family and friends.

Kate Becker

Marketing Manager

Kate Becker is a local girl through and through. Growing up in the popular DC suburb of Vienna, Virginia, she has spent a lifetime taking advantage of Metro DC's many unique cultural, leisure, and dining opportunities. Kate joined Urban Igloo to help others discover their perfect home base for taking advantage of those opportunities too.

Kate says she stays in touch with the needs and interests of those new to the area by pretending to be a newcomer herself. By regularly exploring neighborhoods and activities that she hasn't experienced before, she is constantly gaining new knowledge and new perspectives to share with Urban Igloo clients.

After graduating college, Kate returned to her local roots and worked for an advertising agency downtown, managing national as well as Washingtonian accounts. Described by those who know her as energetic, organized, outgoing, and inquisitive, Kate is the ideal Urban Igloo employee.

Bryan Zupan

Sales Manager

A native of Ohio, Bryan's has been helping people with their real estate needs for most of his adult life. His experience includes over 12 years in commercial real estate development, retail leasing, and construction, with roles as Senior Manager of Retail Leasing for Lauth Property Group, LP. and Senior Leasing Representative for Simon Property Group, Inc.

Bryan was one of the first leasing agents at Urban Igloo. His passion was evident in the time and effort he invested in getting to know the DC area, driving around and talking to residents to learn what each neighborhood offer and what makes each one unique. Based on his experience and performance, Bryan was promoted to sales manager in 2010.

Currently residing in Alexandria, VA, Bryan has been an invaluable resource of information for renters interested in Northern Virginia as well as D.C. Bryan devotes most of his free time to his family and learning more about DC's best neighborhoods than most Buckeyes will learn in a lifetime.

Alexis Rollert

Leasing Agent

Alexis's childhood in rural Michigan couldn't be much further removed from the hustle and bustle of Washington, DC. But those years spent living on a farm have actually come in quite handy for Alexis in her role at Urban Igloo. She has a keen understanding of the challenges involved in finding a place to live in a new and, in many ways, challenging environment.

Of course with a graduate degree from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and seven years of real estate experience, Alexis brings quite a bit more to the table than empathy. Alexis says she considers a new apartment the start of a new chapter in life, and she loves being part of so many different stories. She has been particularly focused on new units at metro oriented locations.

When she's not helping her Urban Igloo clients find the right apartments, her own story includes volleyball, exploring new countries, and a fabulous rescue dog named Pepper.

Capri Baylor

Leasing Agent

Although a native of Indiana where the Colts and Pacers tend to dominate the chatter around the water cooler, Capri has always had more of a passion for real estate than for sports. Currently, a resident of Alexandria, VA, she joined Urban Igloo to help renters discover which of the DC area's many unique neighborhoods and cultures is just right for them.

Capri has a B.A. in communications and has most recently worked as a public relations and media relations account executive with a major international firm. She also has retail sales experience with major department stores and boutique chains.

Capri enjoys taking renters around on the Urban Igloo Neighborhood Tour and especially showing newcomers the best way to get around the city.

In her free time, Capri enjoys spending time with friends and family and taking advantage of DC's great theater scene.

Eric Sampson

Leasing Agent

One of Eric Sampson's favorite movies is Groundhog Day. You know, the one where Bill Murray has to keep reliving the same frustrating day over and over again? It's kind of like the experience of searching for an apartment in Metro DC on your own. Which is precisely why Eric came to work at Urban Igloo.

He says his role is to help make renting an apartment in and around DC amazingly easy and satisfying for landlords and renters alike. "If they end up feeling like they're running into the same frustrations repeatedly, then I haven't done my job," Eric says.

A native of Fairfax, VA, Eric also worked for an apartment finder service in Boston before coming back to DC. He considers himself fortunate to have a job where he gets to meet new people all the time and help them find the right place to live or a great renter.

Jacob Fuchs

Leasing Agent

A native of Long Island NY, Jacob spent his childhood summers on Fire Island where his passion for real estate started. Jacob joined Urban Igloo after receving a four-year degree at Catholic University, located right here in DC.

After taking many courses on the history and the development of the Washington DC area, he became interested in the new modern culture that has spread throughout the historical city.

His outgoing and high energy personality allows him to connect with newcomers to the area and help his clients in any way he can to make their transition easier.

Jacob enjoys his free time out on the Potomac with friends and family and by traveling.

Stephanie McWhorter

Leasing Agent

Stephanie is a DC area newbie, but she feels like she has found her place in the world. Prior to her move last November she spent 6 months scouting neighborhoods and looking at homes on her own with her daughter in tow. Once settled in DC, she decided she could take her experiences, her love of real estate, and her entrepreneurial spirit and help others find their DC home.

Stephanie is a native of suburban Detroit, who comes to DC by way of 9 years in Georgia, where she earned her BS in Accounting at the University of South Carolina Aiken. While in Georgia, Stephanie owned her own bookkeeping firm. She has a passion for marketing and social media.

Stephanie is a hippie at heart, and she loves all things earthy. You will rarely see her without a camera. She currently resides in Old Town Alexandria with her husband and two young children. When she isn't working she is enjoying all the activities DC has to offer with her family, running, and learning to knit and sew.

Tom Natali

Leasing Agent

Tom Natali was born and raised in the Washington, DC area getting to know, what he feels is, the best city in the world.

After earning a B.A. in communications from Coastal Carolina University, Tom returned to his hometown and now hopes to bring his intimate knowledge and love of the area with future clients. Tom's family members have worked in real estate for over 30 years and he plans on continuing with that success.

In his spare time, Tom enjoys sports writing and has been an active musician for years now.

Emily Bush

Market Manager, Philadelphia

How does a Syracuse University soccer player with a degree in biomedical engineering help Urban Igloo get established in Philadelphia? In the case of Emily Bush, it's a simple matter of wanting to spare people the frustrations of an apartment-hunting process she has been through herself numerous times in numerous cities.

Sure, Emily could develop a genetically-engineered cure for poison ivy, if she wanted to. But then how would renters and landlords in Philly know about Urban Igloo? So instead, Emily is using her outgoing personality and sharp mind to engineer ideal rental arrangements in the Philadelphia market.

When not helping her Urban Igloo clients, Emily loves spending time with her family and her golden retriever, Boo.