Meet the Bliss Team

Paul Bliss – Owner

Paul Bliss has over 30 years of commercial construction experience, from starting as a tradesman to eventually owning and managing his own company. Paul started Bliss Construction in 2011, which he has built into a company that now employs 30 people. Over the years, he has been able to expand and diversify the services offered by Bliss Construction to include land development and property management for clients throughout the Amherst, Williamsville, and surrounding Buffalo, NY areas.

Paul has led the design, development and construction of numerous successful rental properties either on his own or working with partners. He has always prided himself on putting a strong emphasis on people and attributes much of his success and growth to his ability to employ, manage and develop good people.

He has been heavily involved with the Town of Clarence Baseball Association for some time. He became involved while raising his children who participated in the program, but continued his involvement even afterwards and is currently a Coach and Board Member. Additionally, he has been involved with Amherst Youth Hockey and annually participates in activities to benefit Kids Escaping Drugs, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Lewiston Porter High School Academy of International Business & Finance and many more community-based charities.

Rob Cavallari - Chief Financial Officer

Rob Cavallari is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a graduate of Canisius College with degrees in accounting and accounting information systems, where he also earned his MBA. He started his career at Deloitte & Touche and brings extensive experience in a number of industries, including construction, real estate, manufacturing, and insurance.

He joined the Bliss team in 2018 and has formed a strong finance team with a focus on technology and process efficiencies. His expertise in financial reporting, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), internal controls, and information systems brings valuable expertise to the company and its customers. He is a father of two and in his free time enjoys golfing and coaching his daughter's tee-ball team. 

Steve McClelland – Project Manager

Steve has coordinated construction processes from initial space planning through substantial completion. He has 20 years of diverse experience in full service and turnkey construction, facility operations, as well as project consultation. This includes Commercial, Residential, as well as the Rehabilitation and Development of Multifamily and Student housing portfolios. 

His broad focus has ranged from project planning, schedule development and management, project budgeting, estimating, value engineering, to overall management of the entire construction process.

Steven has managed projects with unique needs throughout the Continental US and now brings his experience and expertise to the Bliss Team.

Chris Ortloff  - Project Manager

Chris is a Project Manager with Bliss and has been working in the western New York construction and design industry for 17 years, managing building projects and consultant teams for a wide range of private development projects. After several years as a residential carpenter, he began his professional career drafting in architectural firms on many local historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects before transitioning into development and construction. The majority of his work has centered around ground-up multi-family, mixed-use and hospitality projects. He joined Bliss in 2022 and brings his knowledge and expertise guiding these project types through all phases of development, from navigating entitlements and consultant contracts through budgeting, procurement, and closeout.

Chris is a graduate of the University at Buffalo, holding degrees in Architecture, Urban Planning and Environmental Design. He maintains a NYS license for architecture and designs smaller projects in his off time. As a LEED Accredited Professional, he is committed to quality and efficiency, promoting sustainable and responsible (as well as profitable!) construction practices.

Joe Ditto - Project Manager

Joe has been working in the construction industry for 9 years now. He started as a laborer in the field and transitioned to Estimating and Project Management. His background is residential, remodeling and light commercial construction, from ground up to completion. He’s always had a goal to work his way up to commercial/multifamily/mixed use construction projects and is grateful for the opportunity from Bliss to do so. Joe is an ECC grad with a degree in Construction Management Engineering Technology.

Norm Frazier - Head of Field Operations

As an original team member of Bliss Construction, Norm brings over 20 years of construction experience to the team. Managing subcontractors and being in constant communication with crew members has helped him be successful in completing building projects from start to finish. He has both commercial and residential building experience and has been successful in coordinating job site logistics with the Project Manager to help bring jobs to completion on time and on budget. He has worked on a wide variety of projects, which include schools, public works, apartments and senior housing complexes, restaurant remodels, and more. His vast experience and ability to communicate allow projects he oversees to run smoothly from beginning to end.

Kurt Hersee - Project Superintendent

Kurt has more than 30 years of residential and commercial construction experience, over 20 of which have been as a Project Superintendent. His tasks consist of communicating between the field and the office, as well as coordinating daily on-site activities. Also, he makes sure all jobs are kept on schedule and on budget. His job experience includes hospitals, restaurants, offices, retail spaces, churches, apartment buildings, and hotels.

Rachel Cisco – Property Manager

Rachel has over 12 years of property management experience, specializing in managing homeowner associations. Duties include soliciting estimates on proposed projects, making sure fees are paid by homeowners, providing financial reports and yearly budgets, enforcing rules of the bylaws, and maintaining the overall aesthetics of the property. Also, she manages apartment complexes, which includes renting vacant apartments, dealing with tenant requests, overseeing maintenance, and assisting in maintaining the apartment grounds.

Heather Buchheit - Property Manager

Heather has over 15 years of property management experience and possesses a New York State Real Estate License. Her duties include: providing financial reports and yearly budgets, enforcing rules of the property, and maintaining the overall aesthetics of the property. In addition, she is responsible for renting vacant apartments, dealing with tenant requests, and overseeing maintenance and leasing staff.

Annette Palmerton – General Manager @ FayeBrooke on Youngs

Annette has 34 years of facility, property and community management experience.

She joined the Bliss team five years ago to serve as the Property Manager of FayeBrooke's first property on Maple Road in Williamsville. She now serves as the General Manager of FayeBrooke's new location on Youngs Road, which opened in March 2022.

Annette is dedicated to bringing optimal levels of efficiency and care to Seniors and the company. 

Tricia Bleecher – Property Manager @ FayeBrooke on Maple

Tricia has over 25 years of accomplished management experience in various fields, including 10 years of property management. Prior to joining the Bliss team, she was a senior property manager responsible for the total leadership, strategic operation, and financial aspects for 3 senior housing properties. For over 2 years she worked as a Regional Compliance Specialist for senior properties in 3 different states with a portfolio of 18 properties. She has a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Niagara University.

She believes in balancing a strong attention to detail and excellence with communication, passion and understanding. Striving to exceed expectations in her commitment to meeting the needs of her residents and within the Bliss organization are her highest priority.

Chef Chris Andres  – Culinary Director @ FayeBrooke on Youngs

Chef Christopher Andres joined the Bliss team in 2022. His background in culinary arts started when he was 15 years old, and he has now been cooking professionally for over 22 years and has extensive experience throughout the industry.

He enjoys sharing his expertise and passion for cooking with the residents at Fayebrooke on Youngs.  His goal is to provide an exceptional dining experience in FayeBrooke’s beautiful restaurant style dining room.

With Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner being served on a daily basis, and an always changing menu, Chef Chris sets Fayebrooke on Youngs apart from all other Senior Living Facilities. 

Mike Seege – Property Manager

Mike joined the Bliss team in early 2022 and has much experience with Property management and has a background in maintenance. Mike manages Homeowner’s associations and apartment complexes for Bliss and his duties consist of: managing residents, collecting fees/rent, soliciting estimates on projects, working with subcontracts, renting the apartments, enforcing the bylaws and much more!

Mike is a father of one and enjoys watching him play volleyball, as well as long walks on the beach with his family. He also enjoys doing magic in his spare time.

Nick Morganti – Accounting Manager

Nick joined the Bliss team in 2023 and has been working in the accounting field for 6 years. Nick has experience in both the construction and the manufacturing sectors, using 9 different ERP accounting systems during his time.



Nick is an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy and loves watching and playing sports such as Hockey and Football.

Bonnie Litz - Executive Assistant

Bonnie has been with Bliss since 2013 and has worked in the construction/land development industry for over 15 years. Her responsibilities include assisting management with the smooth running of the office on a day-to-day basis pertaining to scheduling, administrative I/T functions, office equipment, event planning, etc. She handles the coordination of commercial construction contracts and insurance for customers and subcontractors. Bonnie also assists with legal paperwork, closings, and insurance coordination for land development projects. 

Michael Bliss – Property Manager/Leasing Agent

Michael Bliss joined the Bliss team in 2020 and is in charge of making sure all vacant units are marketed properly and leased in a timely manner. Additionally, Michael manages five apartment complexes for Bliss, that consist of 101 units. Michael’s duties consist of keeping units full, overseeing maintenance, getting quotes from subcontractors, and dealing with the day-to-day needs of tenants.

Previously, Michael interned at Bliss where his duties consisted of assisting maintenance, leasing, accounting, and property management. Michael graduated from St. Lawrence University in 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business as well as Economics.

Dave Prenatt – Maintenance Supervisor

Dave joined the Bliss team in June 2023. He brings with him 20 years experience including 10 years as a mechanical technician specializing in machine repairs and PMs. He has extensive knowledge of electric, plumbing, carpentry and fabrication. Most recently, Dave has spent the last 7 years as an independent contractor working on a range of projects including complete kitchen and bath restoration and remodels. Additionally, Dave holds certificates in shop math, blue printing and welding.

Dan Baker - Maintenance

Dan Baker is a Bliss Maintenance Technician. He brings 30 years’ experience in building and facilities management to the department as well as 10 years’ experience as a private contractor. He is a NYS licensed lead removal contractor, NYS licensed manufactured housing mechanic, and a former CSEA local union president. Mr. Baker has a certification from Penn State in Facilities and Operational Management

Tom Proko – Maintenance

Tom Proko is a maintenance technician for Bliss Property Management. He has worked in the property management field for over thirty years and has been involved in all aspects of maintenance. For the past three years he has been working for Bliss Management, taking care of multiple properties in the Buffalo area.

Joe Zuppelli – Maintenance

Joe Zuppelli joined Bliss in 2022 where he has brought his general maintenance and contracting skills along with a strong work ethic and is quickly learning the ins and outs of property maintenance. Joe is in charge of Maintenance at Creekview Court and the Parkway Apartments, which consists of 172 apartments.

Chris Rignel – Maintenance

 Chris Rignel joined the Bliss team in 2023 and brings much experience to the maintenance department. He has been in the business for over 20 years and has worked multiple construction and maintenance jobs in different industries. Chris is a friendly, customer service orientated maintenance tech who prides himself on his hard work and dedication to his job.