Our Executive Team

Mark Holmes

President & Designated Broker

Mark was born in Kansas and raised on a farm in Iowa.  Even as a young boy, Mark loved business, spending summers mowing lawns and winters shoveling snow and was attracted to sales, selling all kinds of products from Amway to Encyclopedias.  Mark graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Finance and Accounting and moved to Seattle in 1985. There he started his business life with a company that put together limited partnerships to buy apartment buildings before taking a job with Yates Wood & MacDonald and rising to the level of Senior Vice President.  In 1990 Mark left Yates Wood to start his own company, Kappes Miller Management, which he still oversees today.  That company has grown into a family of companies that includes three condominium management companies, a commercial and residential property management company, a commercial sales and leasing company, an insurance brokerage, a collection agency, a project management company, two construction companies, an association funding company, a residential sales and leasing company, a lumber & hardware store, and a heavy equipment rental company. The KM Family of Companies has enjoyed consistent and methodical growth over the past three decades and prides itself on low turnover of staff in an industry where that is uncommon.  In 2016 Mark acquired Yates, Wood & MacDonald, Inc., the company that he ran before leaving to start his own company. Mark is married to his wife Jennifer (27 years) and together they worship their four children, Max, Sam, Beau and Grace.  They have two golden retrievers, Moose & Oliver.

Walter Berninger

Chief Executive Officer

Walter Berninger came to Kappes Miller Management in 1998 after working with a family owned company, Berninger Construction. After graduating from Washington State University with a degree in Business Administration and English, Walter began working with the family construction company learning all aspects of construction development and management. ln 1998 Walter joined Kappes Miller Management as a Community Association Manager. Walter was promoted to the General Manager of the Seattle office of Kappes Miller Management, and later to the Chief Operating Officer for the KM Family of Companies, with offices in Seattle, Bellevue and Portland. ln 2002, Walter helped with the startup of a new division for the KM Family of Companies. He now heads that division. Since the inception of this division, which was solely created to help Condominium Associations mediate construction defect issues with developers, KMCDS has successfully recovered over 30 million dollars for Associations in Washington and in Oregon. Starting 3 years ago Walter became the CEO of Yates, Wood & MacDonald and has been overseeing all aspects of the day-to-day operations including the Brokerage, Condominium Management, Maintenance and Commercial divisions.  In Walter’s free time he enjoys spend time with his family and traveling to Europe and Mexico.

Kelly Szeto

Chief Financial Officer

Kelly joined Yates, Wood & MacDonald in 2016 and currently serves as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Kelly is a graduate of the University of Washington Foster School of Business with a B.A. in Finance. Kelly started her career with CNA Insurance working in the field of property and casualty underwriting and risk control. Since joining the KM Family of Companies in 2010, Kelly has gained expertise in budgeting, risk management, strategic planning, business strategy, and forecasting in commercial and residential real estate. Kelly oversees all aspects of the Company’s full cycle accounting process, financial reporting and department operations of the KM Family of Companies’ growing assets. Kelly serves as key resource to internal and external stakeholders by communicating financial reports and analysis and enhancing Yates Wood’s processes, policies and procedures. Kelly enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Administrative & Accounting

Amy Boldenow

Accounts Payable

Amy is a native Oregonian who earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She returned home and found a job in Accounts Payable here in Seattle, which she has been doing for over eight years. In her free time, she enjoys going to live theater and ballets.

Elizabeth Lee, CMCA

Condominium Services Manager

Elizabeth is a graduate from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.  She has over ten years of experience in association property management and over fourteen years of experience in customer service coordination. In her free time, she enjoys reading, music, fiber arts, and participating in the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Ella Russell

Accounts Receivable

Ella has been in an administrative support role for 13 years in a variety of different fields.  She previously worked at a CPA firm, and an insurance office before joining Yates, Wood in the spring of 2019.  In her free time Ella enjoys baking, searching out cool vintage finds, and spending time with her husband, son and two adorable Australian shepherds.

Mike Schultz

Accounting Manager

Following the restoration of their historic Spokane 1889 Queen Anne Victorian, Mike and his husband moved to Seattle in 2010. With an emphasis in finance and property management, Mike has held various management and executive level positions in an eclectic range of industries spanning the last three decades. Before joining the YWM team, Mike served as Controller of another regional property management company. Mike innately exercises a strong sense of vision, operational efficiency, and accountability. When Mike isn’t at the office, he indulges his passion for problem-solving, restoration, and all things nautical, including the completed restorations of two classic motor yachts on Seattle’s Lake Union. Mike also owns and manages rental properties in Ocean Shores, and he serves as President of a condo owners association board of directors.

Tiffany Taylor

Office Administrator

Tiffany is now considered an Northwesterner since she’s been here since 2000, but she grew up in Alaska and Scotland. Tiffany started with Yates Wood in 2022 and brings with her over 14 years of experience in customer service management, HR, bookkeeping and administrative roles. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, baking, and spending time with her husband and her fur baby, Dexter.

Kim Thomas

Property Accountant

Kim moved to Seattle from Illinois in 1999 and graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle with an Associates of the Arts degree in Fashion Design. After living in New York City for two years Kim returned to Seattle & started working at Bachtel Property Management. Kim has twelve years’ experience in residential property management accounting. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, backpacking and traveling.

Maintenance

Kai Waiau

Kai Waiau

Maintenance Department

Kai is from Hawaii and moved to Washington in 1999. He has been doing maintenance for 21 years and has been with Yates Wood since 2010. He likes to spend his down time with his family and friends.

Kai Waiau

Aaron Butler

Maintenance Department

Kai Waiau

Doy Diamond

Maintenance Department

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