Ben Hindle
Owner of HGCC | General Contractor
Ben Hindle is a seasoned construction professional and Charlevoix native, bringing both national experience and deep local roots to Uptown Village. Born and raised in Charlevoix, Ben has a strong connection to the community and a passion for building homes that stand the test of time.
Ben previously held a senior leadership role at Westhaven Builders, a Detroit Metro firm, where he managed large condominium and multifamily projects across the country, including Michigan, Texas, and Ohio. He has also built high-end spec homes throughout the Detroit area, blending quality craftsmanship with smart, market-driven design.
At Uptown Village, Ben serves as the General Contractor, overseeing construction from start to finish and ensuring each home is built with care, quality, and attention to detail — and delivered on schedule.
Developer | Director of SalesBorn and raised in Charlevoix, Austen Lobenherz is a Northern Michigan–based real estate developer focused on thoughtful, design-driven residential projects. He brings a disciplined development and investment perspective to each project, with experience across land acquisition, feasibility analysis, entitlement, financing, construction coordination, and sales execution.
Austen has been involved in several notable residential developments throughout Northern Michigan, where he led pre-construction sales teams and market positioning efforts.
At Uptown Village, he is the main point of contact for prospective buyers and outside sales professionals, responsible for coordinating between future owners and the build team.
Ryan Schneider
Architect | Designer
Jeff Witek & Matt Meade
With a hands-on development approach backed by more than 50 years of combined experience in commercial real estate and development, our team has developed, renovated, and owned residential, office, industrial, and retail projects nationwide totaling over 5 million square feet. We pair this national expertise with a strong local presence—including a home in Charlevoix County—bringing broad market perspective to the Uptown Village project.
Together they bring decades of experience in sales and strategic execution provide invaluable insight and leadership, Uptown Village is positioned for successful delivery and long-term value.
Developers | Development Consultants
Richard Lobenherz
Developer | Development ConsultantRichard “Rik” Lobenherz brings more than four decades of leadership in Northern Michigan real estate. He is the former owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northern Michigan and a CCIM, with a career that spans large-scale development, land acquisition, and high-value residential and commercial projects. Rik was instrumental in the development of Charlevoix Country Club and was a member of the original development team behind Bay Harbor, one of Northern Michigan’s most prominent master-planned communities.
At Uptown Village, Rik provides senior-level strategic oversight, drawing on decades of experience to guide disciplined execution, market positioning, and long-term value creation.