Meet The Team

Adam Gilbert is a third-generation resident of Palm Springs and an entrepreneur involved in various fields related to real estate. Adam began his career as a civil litigation attorney and quickly found his passion for real estate focusing his skills on Sales and Development. As a principal and President of The Firm Commercial, Adam leads a team of dedicated agents with offices in Palm Springs & Palm Desert, CA, specializing in: commercial real estate sales, leasing, land acquisition, development, government relations and value-added entitlement deals. As a principal of Gilbert Avriette Vacation Rentals, Inc., Adam managed 35+ vacation rentals throughout the Coachella...

Joel Handshuh is a 2nd generation Palm Springs Native who graduated from Palm Springs High School in 2003. After attending college at the University of Arizona, Joel fell in love with the Culinary Arts and pursued this passion, working tirelessly to develop his necessary work-ethic, organizational mind-set and problem-solving mentality through fine-dining and Michelin starred restaurants before becoming a private & personal chef for Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. Afterwards, he went on to be the executive chef of the critically acclaimed Lakehouse in Bellevue, Washington and win Rising Star Seattle from Star Chefs. Post Covid and the collapse of the restaurant ...

Nic was born & raised in the Coachella Valley and always had ambitions of working in real estate. After graduating from The University of California, Santa Barbara, Nic set his sights on real estate, devoting all of his efforts to the industry. Studying from various books and online platforms, he focused on wholesaling properties, where he began to virtually buy, hold, and sell investment properties in New Orleans, LA from his home in La Quinta, CA. After having some early success in this endeavor, Nic utilized his newfound skill set to help land a mentorship job at The Firm Commercial with Adam Gilbert, one of the Coachella Valley's top agents, investors, and ...

David Rios is an energetic designer with an eye for fusing modern art, mid-Century homes, and boutique resort styles together. He's been selling, flipping, and designing homes in Orange County, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs for the past 26 years and breaking sales records in Southern California consecutively for the past 5 years. David loves bringing the design dreams of his clients to life often going beyond expectations of what can be accomplished. David's passion for design and people is evident through his outgoing and over-the-top personality. He works professionally with major design brands and will be featured on a new motel renovation show debuting this June...

Michelle brings more than 20 years of commercial banking, business management and real estate experience to her role as Executive Vice President. Michelle launched her career with Palm Desert National Bank in the 80’s. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1990, where she worked for eight years at the largest Nevada based bank and gained much of her experience working with clients at the highest level, serving all of their financial needs. In 1995 she decided to transition to sales and marketing in the bustling hospitality industry, where she found success as the VP of vacation rentals. Michelle moved back to the Coachella Valley in 2005, where she worked as the Vi...

Ryan Berkowitz is a 3 rd generation Palm Springs Native and has lived there nearly his entire life. After High School, he left the desert to the greater Los Angeles Area to pursue a degree from UCLA. Through college, Ryan waited tables at celebrity chef and Michelin Star Restaurants developing skills in hospitality. After graduating, he began a decade long career in financial services as a Registered Investment Advisor in which he has managed assets for hundreds of households in the LA and desert areas. After returning home to the Coachella Valley, Ryan switched gears and realized his skill set and passion for helping others is best showcased in Real Estate where h...

Josh Rudin is a seasoned real estate investor with over 11 years of experience in house flipping. He has successfully flipped over 100 houses in his career and has become an expert in the real estate industry. Currently, he owns eight short-term rentals in the Joshua Tree area and manages 20 others for clients. Rudin's expertise in real estate investing extends beyond flipping houses. He also helps first-time home buyers and other investors make the right decisions when it comes to buying a home or investment property. He has the necessary skills and knowledge to guide his clients through the entire process and ensure they make informed decisions that align with t...

Joffrey Gurule received his business degree from CSUSB and his MBA from U of R. Driven by a passion for business and a love for serving others has been his keys to success. With over 15 years of experience in business to business consulting, he has built several multi million dollar businesses from the ground up. Experienced in residential, investment properties, and STRs. He says real estate is part of his DNA, as a boy his grandfather would take him to help fix the properties they managed. Most recently he added “Producer” to his title with a lifestyle show on NBC Palm Springs!