Aaron Saunders

Aaron Saunders is the President of Spartan Construction Management. He brings over 15 years of construction leadership experience including roles as a Sr. Project Engineer, Project Sponsor, and Director of Operations.  Aaron has managed concurrent projects ranging from 1M to 25M and has managed over 150M worth of projects during his career. He has a strong knowledge of project planning/scheduling, contract management, engineering oversite, subcontract management and has been a part of building multiple construction teams over his career. In addition to Spartan, Aaron oversees a real estate portfolio including single-family rentals, residential development, and multifamily limited partnerships.  

Caroline Hornback

Caroline Hornback’s career is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and leadership in the construction industry. She began hands-on work as a teenager, helping build a castle in North Carolina, and pursued her passion through college while working at Home Depot, ultimately earning a degree from Colorado State University.

With 22 years of experience, Caroline has successfully navigated residential, commercial, restoration, and self-storage construction. During the 2008 recession, she transitioned from residential to commercial projects for major brands. She later founded Delta Disaster Services of Northern Colorado, playing a key role in rebuilding efforts after a millennial flood.

Her strategic adaptability has been instrumental in restructuring businesses, including shifting Kustom USA’s focus to commercial contracts. Most recently, at Spartan Investment Group, she secured nearly $30 million in potential revenue within 90 days, showcasing her expertise in business development and industry leadership.

Thomas Landsberger

Zach Gumper

Zach Gumper is the Pre-Construction Manager for Spartan Investment Group. Zach brings his skills to support the SIG team by providing conceptual/detailed construction estimates that include subcontractor and engineering packages that will initiate future capital improvements. Once properties are under contract, Zach supports the rest of the Spartan Construction Management team with initial execution of developments.

Prior to working in the construction industry, Zach graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Darrin Johnson

Darrin L. Johnson is the Construction Accounting Manager for the Spartan Construction Management arm of Spartan Investment Group. He brings 25+ years of progressive and comprehensive experience in accounting including 23+ years in accounting/financial management roles with 19+ years in construction financial management. He has worked with both general contractors and subcontractors with annual revenues ranging from approximately $1M to $280M working in commercial, industrial, residential, and specialty contracting disciplines. Darrin is a proud alum of the University of Kansas where he graduated with degrees in both Business Administration and Liberal Arts. Additionally, he earned a Master of Human Resource Management with Specialization in Organizational Leadership and Change Management degree from Colorado State University Global Campus.

Darrin is from Kansas City, MO and has lived in Colorado for 32 years. He is married and father of three adult children and three grandchildren. In his time away from work he enjoys traveling, riding three-wheeled Harley Davidson motorcycles, and E-biking with his wife Gigi. Being from Kansas City, he also likes to pursue his passion for BBQ by smoking meats and grilling, trying out new BBQ restaurants, and making his own original BBQ sauce. He is also highly active in the CO-WY Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society where is has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2014 as well as an avid fundraiser and volunteer.

Kenny Rodrigues

Kenny Rodrigues is a Project Manager for Spartan Investment Group. Kenny focuses on initial improvements and due diligence of newly acquired assets while bringing to the team strong project management and implementation. He has over 10 years of commercial development experience with mixed-use projects in urban markets ranging from $5M to $75M. Prior to Spartan, Kenny worked at a family office overseeing the buildout of a private real estate portfolio in Northern CA. 

Kenny graduated from California State University-Chico with a B.A. in Communication Studies.

Eric Horton

Tim Littlejohn

Tim Littlejohn is a Preconstruction Engineer on the Spartan Construction Management team. He manages construction projects on the front end in design development, estimating, and risk mitigation prior to breaking ground in the field. Tim’s background in asset classes includes healthcare, multi-family, special purpose, hospitality, aviation, mixed-use, and self-storage. Tim graduated with a B.S. in construction management from Indiana State University and an A.S. in HVAC from Ivy Tech Community College. He maintains credentials in sustainability through the USGBC and was awarded Northern Colorado’s 30 under 30 and Indiana States Pioneers of Tomorrow.

Prior to working with Spartan, Tim started his own general contracting and land development company in Northern Colorado and continues to develop real estate concurrently. He serves on the board of directors for the Loveland Habitat for Humanity affiliate, which creates affordable housing in the Northern Colorado market.

Alex Dick

Alex Dick is the Construction Specialist for Spartan Investment Group, focusing on supporting the acquisition of new properties, assisting with the due diligence process, overseeing initial improvements on newly acquired properties, and reviewing the project in-depth to schedule deliverables and estimate costs. He has 10+ years professional experience in financial sales, business development, and relationship management. Alex graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Organization and Innovation Management.  

Derrick Harris

Derrick Harris is the Vice President of Freeup Storage, the national banner under which Spartan manages its 65-property portfolio. Derrick leads the Freeup Storage. Derrick oversees the Freeup Storage operations to ensure field operations are positioned to deliver optimal results to key stakeholders. His focus areas include ensuring seamless collaboration with key departments within the Spartan Investment Group, building sustainable operating systems to scale, and providing oversight to field operations.

With nearly two decades of invaluable industry experience at Shurgard Storage, Metro Storage, and Store Space, Derrick brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team. Derrick is based in Golden, Colorado, and holds a B.S. and an M.B.A. from the University of Houston. He enjoys spending time with his wife, kids, and four grandchildren. He also enjoys running, hiking, and the outdoors.

Kelly Williams

Kelly Williams is the Senior Marketing Manager for FreeUp Storage, based in the Golden, CO office. Kelly has 7+ years of marketing experience and previously worked in the commercial real estate, real estate investment, and property management industries.

Kelly is originally from Chicago and graduated from Winona State University with a BA in Mass Communications Advertising. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, hanging out with friends, and playing with her dogs Churro and Hazelnut.

Mike Scott

Mike Scott is the Revenue Operations Manager at Spartan Investment Group. His ongoing research is developing the FreeUp Storage Revenue Management Strategy to optimize revenue across the portfolio with an emphasis on customer retention. Before working at Spartan, Mike worked in data analytics roles across the Real Estate Services and Mineral Rights industries. Mike graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a dual emphasis in Finance and Marketing. 

Danielle Tricarico

Danielle Tricarico is the Operations Specialist for Spartan Investment Group.  For 13 years, she worked in the Real Estate Investments Department for a public pension plan and prior to that as a paralegal in the student loan industry.  Danielle has earned an Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a Finance concentration.