The ValueXpress Leadership Team

MANAGEMENT
JOSEPH M. MURPHY, JR
MANAGING DIRECTOR/PRINCIPAL
White Plains, New York Office
(212) 883-6461 (direct)
jmurphyjr@valuexpress.com
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Joseph M. Murphy, Jr. co-founded ValueXpress LLC in 1995 and has been part of the management team that has guided the company for over 30 years. Mr. Murphy has an extensive background in banking and finance and is currently serving on the Board of Directors of OceanFirst Bank, a New Jersey based community bank with over $11 billion in assets.
Prior to OceanFirst, he served on the Board of Directors of Country Bank Holding Company from 2003 until the bank was acquired by OceanFirst in 2020. At Country Bank, Mr. Murphy held various leadership positions, as Executive Vice President in 1997, President in 2008 and President/CEO since 2012.
Country Bank specialized in real estate lending to small businesses and commercial real estate investors. The Bank ranked in the “Top 200 Community Banks” nationwide by US Banker magazine five years in the past decade.
Prior to his involvement with Country Bank and continuing today, Mr. Murphy has owned and managed family real estate investments in various commercial properties throughout the United States. He is President of Value Investors, Inc., his family’s investment office.
Mr. Murphy is a graduate of the University of Denver with a BSBA. He also holds a Master of Science in Real Estate Finance from New York University.
LOUIS TALLARINI
MANAGING DIRECTOR/PRINCIPAL
White Plains, New York Office
(212) 883-6473 (direct)
louist@valuexpress.com
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Louis Tallarini co-founded ValueXpress LLC in 1995 and has been part of the management team since its inception. He has held various executive positions in several ‘Value’ branded real estate companies based in New York since 1992. Mr. Tallarini has an extensive background in accounting and real estate management.
He started his career at the CPA firm Harris, Kerr, Forster in New York City. He has experience in the audit and management of large real estate projects including multifamily, industrial, office, retail, parking garages, hospitality and healthcare.
He is currently the President of New York-based Real Property Investors, Inc., a real estate management and consulting firm servicing the institutional real estate and banking industries.
Mr. Tallarini is a licensed real estate broker since 1986 in the State of New York. After serving in the United States Army in Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division he returned to the United States in 1968 and graduated from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University with a BS in Accounting in 1972. He has served as President and Chairman of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, The Singers Forum Foundation and is currently the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Italian Language Foundation.
Loan Originations
Michael Sneden
Retired – Consultant,
Commercial Loan Originations
White Plains, New York Office
(212) 883-6447 (direct)
msneden@valuexpress.com
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Michael Sneden is Executive Vice President of ValueXpress. For over 25 years, Mr. Sneden has been responsible for the origination and underwriting of loans primarily for the CMBS conduit market. Mr. Sneden has originated in excess of $2.5 billion in commercial loans in over 500 transactions nationwide. Mr. Sneden has closed fixed- and floating-rate loans secured by every income-producing asset type including multifamily (traditional, manufactured housing communities, student, underlying co-operative), retail (mall, community center, big-box, unanchored, single-tenant), office (urban, suburban, office suite, single tenant, office/warehouse), industrial (single tenant, multitenant, warehouse, light manufacturing), hotels (franchised full-service, franchised limited service, unfranchised) and self-storage. Through this broad exposure, Mr. Sneden has experienced and solved every possible issue that can arise underwriting and closing commercial loans and brings those solutions to his clients.
Mr. Sneden was part of the team that formed ValueXpress in 1995 and has been managing ValueXpress since 1998. In addition, Mr. Sneden manages and trades a CMBS portfolio for a ValueXpress LLC-affiliated company, Country Bank. Through his work, Mr. Sneden has unique expertise in both the origination and securities sides of the CMBS business. For over 3 years, Mr. Sneden has taught students how to originate and underwrite CMBS conduit loans at Commercial Capital Training Group (CCTG), a school that educates commercial loan brokers on techniques to originate commercial loans. To see what Mr. Sneden has to say about CCTG, click here.
Prior to 1995, Mr. Sneden was employed at Value Properties, Inc., where he was responsible for the acquisition, repositioning and sale of underperforming real estate assets. Mr. Sneden received a Master of Business Administration from Rutgers Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.
Reginald V. Armstrong
CREF Senior Correspondent
White Plains, New York Office
Reginald V. Armstrong, CREF Senior Correspondent of Valuexpress LLC, is recognized for his deep expertise in deal origination, negotiation, and transaction execution. Backed by the firm’s trusted brand and national platform, Mr. Armstrong is positioned to deliver sophisticated CRE financing solutions for complex transactions across the United States— continuing our firm’s 30+ year-long track record of high-touch service and results-driven execution.
Following honorable service in the U.S. Navy beginning in 1981, Mr. Armstrong excelled in automotive sales and management, serving as Sales Manager, F&I Manager, and luxury brand presenter at the NYC Jacob Javits Auto Show. He transitioned to Wall Street in the mid-1990s as a Series 7/63 licensed broker, specializing in equities and private placements. By 2000, he entered real estate finance, brokering transactions nationwide with a focus on the Northeast and Eastern Seaboard.
Mr. Armstrong is equipped to originate and structure CRE financing across a wide range of asset classes, leveraging market knowledge and capital relationships to fund transactions from $2M to $100M+. His no-nonsense approach, clear communication, and deep listening skills enable him to align borrower needs with the strategic priorities of capital partners, delivering results for General Partners and Limited Partners across the country.
A thought leader in socioeconomic insight and narrative strategy, Mr. Armstrong brings a storytelling lens that often uses sports as a mirror for society. He contributes periodic editorials to an emerging independent media platform, where his voice adds depth and context to complex themes. His media highlights include serving as Sideline Reporter for Hofstra Football on MSG Network (2000), Weekend Sports Anchor for News-12 Long Island (2001), and Founding Co-Radio Voice for the Brooklyn Cyclones (2001–2002), a role that marked the return of professional baseball to Brooklyn after a 44-year absence following the Dodgers’ departure.
Connect with Reginald V. Armstrong to elevate your next CRE transaction.
GARY UNKEL
Commercial Loan Originations
White Plains, New York Office
(212) 883-6475 (direct)
gunkel@valuexpress.com
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Gary Unkel has been a member of the loan originations team at ValueXpress since 1999. Since joining ValueXpress, Mr. Unkel has been responsible for the origination and underwriting of loans primarily for the CMBS conduit market. Mr. Unkel has closed fixed- and floating-rate loans secured by every income-producing asset type including multifamily (traditional, manufactured housing communities, student, underlying co-operative), retail (mall, community center, big-box, unanchored, single-tenant), office (urban, suburban, office suite, single tenant, office/warehouse), industrial (single tenant, multitenant, warehouse, light manufacturing), hotels (franchised full-service, franchised limited service, unfranchised) and self-storage.
Mr. Unkel has also closed SBA 504, 7(a) and conventional commercial loans for Country Bank (a ValueXpress affiliate) and other community banks.
Mr. Unkel has an extensive accounting background and also serves as the CFO for ValueXpress. Mr. Unkel is expert in all accounting software utilized by owners of commercial real estate including QuickBooks and Peachtree. These skills allow Mr. Unkel to quickly understand accounting issues, solve them and accurately model cash flows for income-producing properties resulting in quick closings for his clients. Mr. Unkel attended Saint Peter’s University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Deb Oprean
Commercial Loan Originations
New England Office
716-946-2332 (direct)
doprean@valuexpress.com
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Deb Oprean is a member of the loan origination team at ValueXpress. Ms. Oprean has been working in the financial service industry for over 30 years. Ms. Oprean has closed fixed- and floating-rate loans secured by all income-producing asset types with a particular focus on Self-Storage loans. Prior to joining ValueXpress, Ms. Oprean held
upper-level bank management positions at HSBC Bank and Bank of America. Ms. Oprean has been involved with the American Bankers Association and provides consulting services to commercial real estate owners in the areas of marketing and finance. Ms. Oprean earned a Bachelor’s degree from Niagara University.
Underwriting
Brian Murphy
Underwriter, Internet Tech
White Plains, New York Office
(212) 818-0997 (direct)
bmurphy@valuexpress.com
Brian Murphy has been with ValueXpress since 2021. He supports the underwriting team in analyzing multifamily, hotel, office, industrial, and mixed-use first mortgage requests. He works with borrowers to provide historical financial data and other information to support underwriting in the CMBS, bank, and private lender platforms.
Brian also supports the weekly ValueXpress Newsletter updating and posting rates and ValueXpress news weekly. He processes this weekly email news blast to over 10,000 ValueXpress customers.
Brian received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Syracuse University in 2021.