Speakers

	Dustin Abney Dustin Abney is CEO of Portoro, which he founded in 2022. He has scaled the company to 600 properties across 11 U.S. markets. Previously, Dustin co-founded and led D. Alexander, focused on single-family vacation rentals, and served as AvantStay’s VP of Homes. Earlier, he was a founding team member at Dotloop, acquired by Zillow Group, where he became VP. A licensed Property Manager In Charge, he brings 13+ years of experience in real estate and hospitality.
	David Angotti David Angotti is an entrepreneur with multiple successful exits across EdTech, property management, and SaaS. By 30, he had founded and exited an EdTech brand, consulted for Fortune 100 mergers and acquisitions, and led marketing for a global eCommerce network. He co-founded and exited a leading short-term rental management company in Gatlinburg and later co-founded StaySense, which he scaled and sold to Guesty in 2023. Now Guesty's Chief Evangelist, he oversees several U.S.-based teams. Beyond business, David is an author, land developer, and certified Airline Transport Pilot. A former NetJets pilot, he flew top executives aboard the world’s fastest passenger jet. An ultra-marathoner, he has completed the 100-mile Leadville Race Across The Sky.
	Sarah Bradford Sarah Bradford is a seasoned vacation rental industry leader and entrepreneur. She and her husband, Chris, founded Winter Park Lodging Company, growing it to manage over 110 luxury rentals in Colorado’s Winter Park Resort. In 2016, they launched Steamboat Lodging Company, applying lessons learned to build another successful business. In 2022, they sold both companies to Sunset Management. Now based in Steamboat Springs, Sarah enjoys life with her twin boys, Nicholas and Willem.
	John deRoulet John deRoulet describes himself as an artist with a hobby in developing revenue analytics for STR’s and Vacation Rentals. John has worked as a Revenue Manager in the space for a decade as the previous Head of Revenue for Stay Alfred and the current Director of Revenue Management Education at Wheelhouse. When John is not painting, he loves to dive head first into data, nest formulas within formulas, and chat about the proper way to visualize booking window data. (Hint: It’s a distribution chart with ADR overlaid on it).
	Jakob Dwyer Believer, husband to Carmen, father of five, and entrepreneur. As CEO of Awayday, Jakob leads with humility, drive, and a deep belief that culture is everything. He knows that great people provide great service—and that anything is possible through hard work and the will to win.
	Benjamin Gross Ben is the CEO & Co-Founder of Minty Living, Atlanta's largest vacation rental business with nearly 200 Units under management and 4.9 stars on Google (with nearly 500 Reviews). He has spent the last 2 decades building technology companies, leading teams, and advising tech-enabled startups in the financial services, invest-tech, food-tech, or prop-tech space. Benjamin earned Masters of Computational Finance from Carneigie Mellon and Bachelors of Business Administration & Applied Mathematics from Emory University.
	Rafi Haramati Rafi Haramati is a Principal at Garnett Station Partners. Previously, he worked at TriArtisan Capital Advisors, a private equity firm focused on consumer & retail, industrial services, and business services. Earlier in his career, Rafi was an investment banking analyst with Wells Fargo Securities. He holds a B.A. in Finance and Statistics from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
	Amber Hurdle Amber Hurdle is a globally recognized, multi-award-winning brand strategist, fractional CXO, and sought-after keynote speaker who connects the dots between customers, employees, investors, and communities to create unforgettable brand experiences. From Fortune 100 companies and celebrities to small and midmarket businesses, she helps organizations find and amplify their competitive edge. Ranked #2 among the world’s top 30 branding professionals by Global Gurus, Amber brings a proven track record in Vacation Rentals, Luxury Hotels, Real Estate, M&A and high-stakes brand strategy. Whether she's commanding the stage or advising in the boardroom, she delivers straight-shooting, actionable advice—backed by AI, psychology, and neuroscience—to drive measurable success.
	Jamie Lane At the intersection of economics, travel, and technology, Jamie Lane leads market research and forecasting as Chief Economist at AirDNA. His work helps STR operators, real estate investors, and policymakers navigate a dynamic and data-rich environment. Jamie also hosts the STR Data Lab podcast, where he explores what’s next for the short-term rental space—backed by numbers and driven by insights.
	Steven Lawson Steven Lawson is the Founder and CEO of Monk Manual, a company dedicated to helping high-performing individuals cultivate whole-person productivity—getting more done while living with greater peace and purpose. As a sought-after coach and strategic consultant, he advises entrepreneurs on how to build thriving businesses without sacrificing themselves in the process. His work has been featured in Inc., Fortune, and Forbes, and he specializes in helping leaders create sustainable success by aligning their time, energy, and vision with what truly matters.
	Jennifer Mucha Jennifer Mucha is the owner and founder of Arrived. 21 years ago, Jennifer started Arrived with 1 home and grew it to approximately 350 homes on the west coast through both organic growth and acquisitions. Having a quality business that she is proud of is her passion. She loves to provide the most amazing vacation rental experiences throughout Oregon, Washington, and California. Jennifer is currently focused on leading her team as they provide genuine hospitality to everyone they reach: every guest, every owner and to each other. She has the happiest guests and happiest owners.
	Jacobie Olin Jacobie Olin is the Managing Partner of C2G Advisors, the leading advisory firm in the short-term vacation rental industry. Having completed 50+ deals totaling over $400M in the past five years, Jacobie guides sellers and buyers through transactions with expertise. C2G also provides KPI benchmarking, strategic consulting, and purpose-built assistance. With over a decade of experience in short-term rentals, hospitality, and real estate, Jacobie brings unmatched insight to every engagement.
	Michael Pedenko With over 10 years of industry experience, Michael Pedenko has both bought and sold Vacation Rental Management companies and continues to scale his current company, Porter Vacation Rental Management, via strategic acquisitions and organic growth.
	Steve Schwab Steve Schwab is the founder and CEO of Casago, a short-term rental and property management company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Steve is a former U.S. Airborne Ranger and NMSU graduate who founded Casago (formerly SeaSide) nearly 25 years ago in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. For over 2 decades, he has developed and transformed Casago into a leader in the vacation rental industry in communities across the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, and Aruba. Casago’s owner-centric approach and franchise model ensure local market knowledge, genuine hospitality for guests, and confidence for owners. Steve has also been fundamental in developing diverse software solutions within the industry, including Streamline, Guest Ranger, and Good Neighbor Tech, among others.
	Jason Sprenkle Jason Sprenkle is the CEO of Key Data Dashboard, the leading provider of analytics and data for the vacation rental space. He previously co-owned 360 Blue (acquired in 2020 by Natural Retreat), and he was a co-founder and CEO of Glad to Have You (acquired by Expedia). Prior to that, Jason was a luxury real estate developer and a software attorney
	Steve Trover A 28-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Steve Trover brings deep experience and a visionary approach to vacation rental management. As Chief Commercial Officer of Coastal Vacation Properties and CEO of Better Talent—a subscription-based talent acquisition company serving the fast-growing vacation rental space—Steve is passionate about building world-class teams. He has founded and led a four-location vacation rental management company, designed and built hundreds of vacation homes, and created a proprietary property management software platform. A former President and longtime Vice President of VRMA, Steve has also served on the boards of several industry associations. He is the Co-Founder of Optimal Growth Advisors, offering strategic support to vacation rental startups and growth-stage companies, and currently serves as a fractional Chief Strategy Officer for five vacation rental firms. Representing Coastal Vacation Properties at the VRMA Executive Summit, Steve lives by the mantra “The Best Teams Win”—and works every day to help companies find, grow, and retain top talent.
	Matt Varabkanich Matt is a Senior Associate at Cleveland Research Company (CRC), an independent research firm. His team covers the travel sector, with a focus on identifying inflections across the lodging, cruise, short-term rental, and online travel end markets. Matt's team provides in-depth financial analysis and proprietary surveys to generate unique research that is respected both within industry and on wall street.