Ed joined the 1st American Management in July of 2022 as a Property Manager. His property portfolio includes Laporte County neighborhoods. Being an NWI native, Ed is very comfortable visiting the neighborhoods across multiple counties. He joined the team with 10 years of experience in Homeland Security and over 5 years as a store manager for Family Express, where he was awarded manager of the year. Away from the office, Ed is a father of 1, an avid superhot pepper grower to create his own hot sauces, and hosts and organizes Retro Gaming competitions.
Amanda Havard
Amanda joined 1st American in August of 2022. She has 13 years of administrative and customer service experience along with 4 years in a management profession. Amanda is a native of the NWI region and enjoys spending time with her family. She also spends her time exploring on her kayak, playing softball, or cheering on her children at sporting events. She is an active supporter of Mission 22 – Support for America’s Veterans and Lurie Children’s Hospital.
Nicole Jefferson
Nicole joined 1st American Management in July 2018 as a Residential Property Manager, taking on a portfolio with properties in both Lake and Porter counties. Her educational background is in Behavioral Science, which she studied at Purdue Northwest. Nicole has 14 years of experience in customer service, retail, and management including 7 years as a store manager for Family Express as well as 2 years of leasing and rental property experience. Nicole is an advocate and ally online to Survivors of Domestic Violence, and she volunteers between LaPorte and Porter County food banks and women’s shelters.
Lora Kokot, CPM
Lora is a graduate of Indiana University with a degree in Finance and Economics. While in college she worked for American Sunbelt in Bloomington and PMM in Valparaiso as a leasing agent. After graduation, Lora came to 1st American as a Residential Manager, handling a portfolio of apartments and townhomes. She then began to take on commercial properties and was the head of the Commercial Department from 1993-2000. After leaving 1st American in 2000 Lora worked for CB Richard Ellis/Sturges out of Merrillville, and Holladay Properties out of Portage Indiana. She returned to 1st American Management in 2020 to handle high-profile commercial properties and new business development.
Lora has received the prestigious Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), an internationally recognized designation for Real Estate Management professionals. She currently serves as the Treasurer for IREM’s NWI Chapter. In addition, Lora is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Indiana.