Team

Dennis Goedheid – CEO & Founder

Dennis Goedheid is a seasoned entrepreneur and the CEO and founder of Casiola, a vacation rental management company based in Orlando, Florida. With over 20 years of experience in marketing, e-commerce and entrepreneurship, Dennis has built a reputation for his expertise in property management, marketing, and company culture. Dennis founded Casiola in 2014 with a vision to provide an unparalleled vacation rental experience to guests and homeowners. Under his leadership, Casiola has grown to manage over 350 properties in the Orlando area, serving hundreds of thousands of guests annually. The company has also earned numerous awards, including being named the 2022 Destinationare and the 2022 VRMA Excellence Award for Best Marketing Campaign by a Property Management Company. Prior to founding Casiola, Dennis co-founded and led several successful companies in various industries in Europe. He also holds a degree in Marketing and Advertising. Dennis is known for his passion for entrepreneurship and his commitment to providing exceptional service to his customers. He continues to innovate and lead Casiola to new heights, ensuring that the company remains at the forefront of the vacation rental management industry.

Cedric Degruyter – Growth

Cedric Degruyter is the CMO for Casiola vacation homes, one of the most recognized and strongest brands in the vacation rental industry. Casiola vacation homes manages more than 400 vacation rentals in Central Florida and Aruba. Prior to joining Casiola, Cedric was CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) and later COO (Chief Operating Officer) for PrintConcept.com/Flyer.be, one of Europe’s leading online printing companies, with offices all over Europe and North Africa. Cedric is an accomplished trilingual (ENG-FR-NL) senior executive based in Belgium, right in the heart of Europe. He has over 20 years’ experience in marketing, software development, e-commerce, business development and operations and is a Six Sigma certified Green Belt.

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Michael-Scott Lester – CFO

Michael Lester is the Chief Financial Officer of Casiola and affiliated entities. Michael is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and has a background working over a decade in public accounting in one of the largest global accounting firms, both in the United States and Europe, as well as other executive level roles. Michael is responsible for the finance, accounting and compliance functions at Casiola and affiliates. Michael helps new franchisees with the implementation of financial systems and integration of financial operations with Casiola best practices. Michael is practically a native of central Florida, having lived in Florida for almost 30 years, as well as living just over two years abroad in Europe. On the weekends, you can find Michael enjoying family time out on his boat in Tampa Bay or hiking with the family dog. Michael loves working at Casiola due to the great company culture, the dedication to growth and innovation, and its commitment to extraordinary hospitality as a core priority of the company.

Russ Kraft – Director of Franchise Operations

Russ Kraft is our Director of Franchise Operations. He began his journey in the vacation rental space over 30 years ago and has served as the GM for several top vacation rental management companies. Russ will introduce you to Casiola and will show you the benefits of joining the Casiola team. He is also the point person for onboarding and will be with you every step of the way. Russ is originally from Minnesota and moved to Florida 22 years ago. In his spare time, he enjoys biking, in-line skating, reading, traveling with his wife and exercising. He feels that Casiola is the perfect fit for him as it is a family environment, where everyone really cares for one another, is inclusive and has a true focus on improving all aspects of vacation rental management.

Ewald De Wreede – Chief Technology Officer

Ewald De Wreede is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Casiola, a vacation rental management company based in Orlando, Florida. With over 20 years of experience in the technology industry, Ewald has proven to be a dynamic leader with a wealth of technical knowledge and expertise. Before joining Casiola, Ewald held several leadership positions at technology companies. In these roles, he was responsible for overseeing the development of innovative technology solutions that improved operational efficiency and enhanced customer experience. As the CTO at Casiola, Ewald is responsible for driving the company’s technology strategy and leading a team of talented developers and engineers. He is passionate about leveraging technology to solve complex business problems and is constantly exploring new technologies to improve the company’s operations and offerings. Under Ewald’s leadership, Casiola has implemented several cutting-edge technologies, including machine learning algorithms to optimize pricing, advanced data analytics to track and analyze customer behavior, and cloud-based infrastructure to improve scalability and performance.

Casiola Orlando

Knud Gacoms – Customer Experience Manager

Knud Gacoms is a Customer Experience Manager with extensive experience in managing and improving customer interactions. Knud is passionate about providing exceptional customer service and ensuring that every customer feels heard and valued. With a background in customer service and operations management, Knud has a deep understanding of the importance of creating a positive customer experience at every touchpoint. Knud is known for his ability to build and maintain positive relationships with customers and team members. He is dedicated to creating a culture of customer service excellence, and is committed to empowering his team to deliver exceptional service with every interaction. In his free time, Knud enjoys exploring restaurants and spending time with his family.

Liliana Rojas – Chief Happiness Officer

Liliana Rojas, our Chief Happiness Officer, hails from Peru and has lived in Barcelona. Liliana has been a part of the Casiola team since 2014, starting as the Property Care Manager responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the company. This included overseeing maintenance and cleaning staff and ensuring that all properties were maintained to the highest standards. In her current role, she is responsible for recruiting and hiring new team members while ensuring everyone is happy and treated fairly. She feels fortunate to be part of a company that values diversity and inclusion, creating a welcoming environment for people from all backgrounds. Casiola is focused on making remote work more accessible and making sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, whether they are working in the office, from home or in another country. Liliana finds helping employees grow and develop their skills to be one of the most rewarding parts of her job. Whether through training programs, mentorship opportunities, or career coaching, she ensures that team members have the necessary tools to reach their full potential. By investing in the personal and professional growth of our team members, Casiola not only helps them succeed but also strengthens the company as a whole. Liliana is grateful to be a part of the Casiola family!

Knud Gacoms – Customer Experience Manager

Nester Olazar – Director of Operations

Nestor Olazar, our Director of Operations is an accomplished professional with over 20 years of experience as a General Manager in the hospitality industry. Nester was born in California and moved to Florida over 14 years ago. In this role, he oversees all aspects of the company’s operations, ensuring that each guest receives the highest level of service and satisfaction. Nestor’s extensive experience in the hospitality industry has given him a solid business and financial acumen in all aspects of strategic planning, problem-solving, process improvements, and decision-making. He is committed to finding innovative solutions to complex problems and is always looking for ways to improve the guest experience. Nestor is passionate about working for Casiola because the company values its employees and has a solid strategic vision and goals. When he is not working, Nestor enjoys fishing, exercising, reading and spending time with his family. He is committed to maintaining a healthy work-life balance and believes that it is important to pursue one’s passions and interests outside of work.