The Aegis Group, LLC
Property Tax Specialists
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Mr. Robert McRae is a Principal and co-founding partner of The Aegis Group. Robert has over 27 years of experience in the property tax industry. He earned his B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University and an M.B.A. in accounting and finance from the Owen School at Vanderbilt University. In addition, he has successfully completed a number of continuing education courses sponsored by the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and the International Association of Assessing Officers.
He specializes in managing real estate property taxes for Senior Living, Retail, and Office taxpayers. Robert has significant experience representing clients before County and State Appeal Boards.
Mr. Anthony earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing and Business from Austin Peay State University, and subsequently, has completed a number of post-graduate courses in related disciplines. He began his professional career with a national sports equipment manufacturer and later joined the management staff of a major convenience store retailer.
During his tenure in the property tax field, Anthony has represented real and personal property taxpayers throughout North America and has directed property tax programs for retail, hospitality, manufacturing, banking, and health care sector clients.
As a principal and co-founding partner of The Aegis Group, Anthony is responsible for client relations, inter-company forecasting and strategic planning. Anthony holds an affiliate real estate broker’s license with the State of Tennessee (retired) and has been active in the International Association of Assessing Officers and the Institute of Property Taxation.
Mr. Chet Yancey is a Principal with the Aegis Group and has been with the firm since 1997. He received his B.A. in economics and business administration from Austin College and his M.B.A. with a concentration in marketing and accounting from the Owen School at Vanderbilt University in 1988. Additionally, he has completed several appraisal courses offered by the International Association of Assessing Officers and is also an active participant in courses offered by the National Retail Tenants Association.
Prior to joining The Aegis Group, Chet was associated with a full service commercial real estate development firm where his duties included preparing financial and marketing proposals, cash flow analyses, projections and reports. Since joining The Aegis Group in 1997, he has focused his efforts on assisting retail and entertainment corporate clients with their property tax needs. Chet’s responsibilities encompass the full spectrum of property tax issues which include preparing cases and successfully negotiating reductions with taxing authorities, developing budget and accrual reports and reviewing and correcting landlord tax expense pass-throughs.
Vincent S. Brown is a Principal at The Aegis Group and has been with the firm since 2002. Vince graduated from George Mason University in 1983 with a degree in Economics and Information Systems. After three years in Europe with Electronic Data Systems (EDS) as a systems engineer, he joined Fannie Mae in Washington, DC. During his ten years with Fannie Mae, he was promoted to Director of Client Computing and was responsible for the Mortgage Backed Security and Fixed Income Trading Floor technology Project from inception to completion. As Director he was directly responsible for the systems operation of a live floor trading 5-billion dollars daily and over a trillion dollars per year. He was also an analyst for several of Fannie Mae’s financial products including REMIC model pricing structures and the development of their FHA/VA pricing strategies. After moving to Nashville in 1995, he worked as a consultant focusing primarily on healthcare companies.
Vince combines his economics, technology, financial modeling, and healthcare backgrounds and focuses on business development, property valuation appeals, and all aspects of client management. He handles real property assessment appeals nationwide and oversees a diverse portfolio which includes hospitals, medical office buildings, senior housing, entertainment, restaurant and retail centers encompassing over $3 billion in assets.
Mr. Honhart’s professional background is a culmination of investment banking, real estate investment, and entrepreneurial endeavors. Joining Lehman Brothers Inc. in 1993, as an operations specialist, Honhart was responsible for monitoring the daily trading activity of the U.S. Treasury Trading desk. After three years he transferred into the Investment Banking Division’s Global Real Estate Group. As a corporate analyst, Honhart provided industry research and capital markets analysis for clients; as well, developed analyses for debt and equity financings, and valuation analysis for publicly traded and privately held real estate intensive companies.
Leaving Lehman Brothers in 1998 and later settling in Vancouver in 2000, Honhart followed two career paths simultaneously. First, he took on the role as Vice President, Finance & Production for Prophecy Entertainment Inc., an independent feature film production company where he helped formulate and execute their production slate. Second, Honhart started Lateral Line Investment & Management Corp., a partnership vehicle used to invest in multi-family residential properties.
Liquidating the real estate portfolio in 2005, Honhart moved to Nashville, matriculating in May 2007 with an MBA from Vanderbilt University; at which time Honhart assumed the role of interim CFO for an investment group attempting to acquire a portfolio of senior living facilities. Honhart joined The Aegis Group in January 2008, where he now focuses his attention on property tax issues relating to the senior living industry.
Brian N. Bishop has been with The Aegis Group since 2005. He provides a wide range of tax consulting services to his clients, focusing on the negotiation and settlement of real property tax protests and advocacy at administrative hearings. Brian’s specialization is the valuation of bank branches, grocery stores and restaurants.
Brian received his MBA and BS in Accounting from Lipscomb University. He is currently licensed as a Registered Tax Agent with the Tennessee State Board of Equalization and as a Certified Tax Representative with the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance. His designations include:
-Certified Appraiser / New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department
-Level 3 Assessor-Appraiser / Indiana Department of Local Government Finance
-Certified Illinois Assessing Officer (CIAO) / Illinois Property Assessment Institute
-Certified Louisiana Associate Assessor (CLAA) / Louisiana Assessors’ Association
In 2009, the Wall Street Journal interviewed Brian on how the downturn in the economy impacted appealing property assessments. Prior to joining Aegis, Brian worked for The Kroger Company, Direct Insurance & American Machine and Foundry (AMF), Inc.
Primarily focusing on real estate valuation appeals, Mr. Carter has carved out a niche with retail banking and big box grocery stores. Representing a footprint that spans across the U.S., and includes all major taxing jurisdictions, Mr. Carter ensures that his client’s real estate tax obligations are fair and equitable. Along with valuation appeals, Mr. Carter assist with annual budgets, new construction tax projections, and filing TPP returns for various clients across numerous industries. Joining The Aegis Group in 2008 as a college intern, Mr. Carter has successfully completed numerous appraisal courses and seminars sponsored by the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO).
Mr. Carter graduated from Lipscomb University with a B.B.A. in Marketing and Management. While at Lipscomb, Mr. Carter was an All-Conference student athlete on both the track and cross country teams.
Ms. Chester began her career in 1988 as a property tax consultant with a Southeast based, national consulting firm. She has extensive experience representing personal property taxpayers throughout the United States, holds an affiliate broker real estate license with the State of Tennessee and is a Registered Tax Agent with the State of Tennessee. Chester’s clients cover a diverse spectrum of taxpayers in the entertainment, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail fields. Chester is responsible for analyzing asset bases, filing requisite returns, supplying audit support, negotiating appealed accounts, compiling annual reports, budget and accrual projections, and fostering client relationships. She is past secretary & board member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).
Since joining The Aegis Group in 2000, Davis assists personal property tax clients with respect to tax return preparation for compliance, budgeting, audit support and valuation negotiations. She currently manages a portfolio which includes taxpayers in the banking, healthcare, and retail sectors.
Ms. Davis completed her B.S. Degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1995. Upon graduation and prior to her association with The Aegis Group, Davis worked for two years with Tax Management Associates (TMA), a property tax auditing firm which specializes in supporting assessors with compliance and valuation issues.
Mr. Rittenberg graduated in 1986 from the University of Tennessee with a B.S. degree in accounting and received his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation in 1990. Starting his career with the Tennessee Division of State Audit, Rittenberg’s career progressed to internal audit with HealthTrust and then Senior Accountant for a convenience store chain, Rittenberg joined The Aegis Group in 1995 and since has specialized in representing corporate personal property taxpayers in jurisdictions throughout the United States. He is particularly adept at supplying audit support assistance, budget and accrual development, and in presenting documentation during appeal hearings and processes. Rittenberg oversees the entire spectrum of personal property tax services for clients from analyzing asset bases, filing returns, monitoring assessments, preparing tax projections, and writing annual tax management reports. In addition, he serves as the Controller for The Aegis Group.
Mr. Binkley has been Vice President and Senior Property Tax Analyst with The Aegis Group, LLC since 1991 and brings to the table 50 years of experience in real and personal property appraisal activities. Binkley is currently responsible for personal property tax compliance. Over the years, his responsibilities have included the review, appraisal, and appeals of all types of commercial real and personal property including shopping centers, retail stores, office buildings, banks and industrial and warehousing facilities. Formerly an appraisal supervisor with Cole-Layer-Trumble, now Tyler Technologies, he has worked as an appraisal consultant with both the State of Tennessee (Division of Property Assessments) and various county assessing offices in the states of Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Binkley attended the University of Tennessee and has also successfully completed numerous appraisal courses and seminars sponsored by the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO).
Derrick Hammond joins The Aegis Group, LLC after a twenty-five-year career in both local and state government. During his career, Derrick has obtained multiple appraisal certifications including the Tennessee Master Assessor (TMA) certification and Tennessee Certified Assessor (TCA) certification. Derrick has served in various capacities, including Manager of Appeals, Commercial Real Property Manager and Commercial Personal Property Manager. While employed with the Davidson County Assessor, Derrick assisted the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Equalization; by serving as a valuation specialist during commercial-industrial real property appeals, and commercial-industrial personal property appeals.
Derrick is excited to begin his new career advocating for clients during valuation disputes. His expertise in valuing multiple property types, including apartments, hotels, offices, retail shopping centers, warehouses and movie theaters is invaluable. His experience and expertise from the “other side” makes him uniquely qualified to address the concerns of our clients while also understanding the constraints of the local Assessor. The challenges experienced in today’s real estate market have provided Derrick an excellent opportunity to launch his new career.
Ms. Price joined The Aegis Group in 2006. Price has been involved in the real estate industry since 1985 as an Affiliate Broker (TN License Retired) and investor. Prior to joining Aegis, Price worked in Financial Services for Regions Bank. She also owned and operated an international supplies company for 18 years and worked in store operations at The Kroger Company. She is responsible for overseeing the tax payment processes for a national parking management company and a large restaurant chain. She also files personal property returns, provides tax projections and handles real estate appeals for several financial institutions.
Ms. Michelle Horne graduated from the University of Alabama with a BA in Fashion Merchandising. Prior to joining The Aegis Group in 2016, Michelle spent over 20 years in marketing and media working for various advertising agencies as well as Brookdale Senior Living as their In house Director of Media.
Michelle specializes in budget and invoice reconciliation for many of Aegis’ clients, publicly traded and privately held, including grocery store chains, banks, restaurants and senior living companies.
Mr. Stephen Denney graduated with a B.S. Degree in marketing from the University of Kentucky and later earned a B.S. Degree in Accounting from Middle Tennessee State University. He began his real estate career in 1990 working as a commercial real estate broker specializing in tenant representation. From 1996 to 2006, he worked for Hospital Corporation of America as a Senior Real Estate consultant responsible for overseeing a geographic region encompassing 30 hospitals. In 2007, he was hired by Healthcare Realty Trust as an Associate Vice President specializing in medical office building development and site acquisition.
In January, 2013, Steve joined The Aegis Group focusing on property tax matters (real and personal) relating to healthcare, restaurants, warehouses and office buildings.
Ms. Trish Marshall joined The Aegis Group in 2003 as an administrative assistant and research associate. During her tenure with Aegis, she has provided personal property compliance and audit support and has directly represented clients in the banking, healthcare, and retail sectors.
Prior to joining Aegis, Trish worked in management with a national retail chain and owned and operated a software consulting firm with her husband while continuing her education and obtaining her A.A. in Graphic Arts from Nashville State Technical College.
Ms. Sandy Hoiberg joined The Aegis Group in a staff support position in 2009. She now provides compliance, audit and research assistance to multiple Aegis clients, primarily in the health care and senior living industries.
Sandy began her career in Chattanooga, Tennessee after studying at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville and Chattanooga State. She later moved to Nashville where she first appeared as a commercial actor, and owned and operated an antique store before becoming a stay at home mom until her children graduated from high school.
Ms. Austin joined The Aegis Group in 2015 as an administrative assistant to company CEO, Robert McRae. During her tenure at Aegis, she has provided Real Property support working in database file set up and maintenance, and general duties. She also assists the Controller with Personal Property Filings during its respective season.
Prior to joining Aegis, Ms. Austin worked as an administrative assistant to the Vice President of Multi-Unit Account at Sysco Food Services in Nashville for sixteen years. She is a native of Nashville, and graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science degree.
