Brass Real Estate Funds is the vehicle through which private and institutional clients invest in real estate. All Brass funds are supported by the Magi Group of Real Estate Service Companies.
The Brass Real Estate Funds Management Group provides value-added opportunities to our investor partners. The group sources investment opportunities, creates value through our return enhancement operations and harvests the value through an established exit strategy put in place at the time of property acquisition. The Brass Real Estate Fund Management Group offers co-investor partnership opportunities to its clients.
J. Rick Rodriguez is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Brass Real Estate Funds and the Magi Real Estate Services. Rick has been successful in the real estate construction, development, brokerage and property management industries for over 25 years. He began acquiring properties in 1991 and formed Brass Real Estate Funds in 1996 in order to create a vehicle for private and institutional investors to acquire and own income-producing real estate. Since then, Brass Funds have invested in projects with total capitalization of more than $230 million.
Prior to forming his own companies, Rick was an officer in three other real estate companies, where he was responsible for real estate acquisitions, management, development, and finance. He formed and managed Magi Realty, Inc. in 1991, which was recognized by INC Magazine in 2001 as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. His organization has since grown into the Magi Real Estate Services Group – a diversified set of service companies that develop, build, manage and lease real estate assets. Rick has been the general partner and limited partner in various real estate investment partnerships. He has been personally responsible for the acquisition, financing, management, and development of over $500 million in real estate. He has experience building in Texas, Colorado, Illinois and many areas of Spain. Rick Rodriguez has been named among the “Who’s Who in Commercial Real Estate” by the San Antonio Business Journal.
Rick Rodriguez is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, the Entrepreneurs Organization, San Antonio Home Builders Association, Presidents Board of the San Antonio Real Estate Council, and the San Antonio Apartment Association. He is the Moderator of the YPO International Forum on Private Real Estate Equity. He has served as Chairman of the Advisory Board to Texas A&M University’s Masters Degree Program in Real Estate Development. Rick previously served as a city councilman for the City of Hill Country Village, Texas. He has also been an adjunct professorship at Texas A&M, in the Masters Program for Real Estate Development. Rick holds a Masters Degree in Real Estate Development and a Bachelor’s Degree in Building Construction from Texas A&M University.
Jeffery S. Galt is President and Chief Operating Officer of Brass Funds, Magi Real Estate Services and its affiliated companies. He is also serving as the acting chief financial officer of the group. Mr. Galt has extensive experience in executive leadership having been president and chief executive officer of three different companies prior to joining Brass/Magi in 2007. From 1993 to 1998 Jeff was President and CEO of The Dialog Corporation, a $300 million information service business which he successfully spun out from Knight-Ridder into an independent, publicly traded company. From 1998 to 2002 Mr. Galt was President and CEO of Nonstop Solutions, a $20 million enterprise software start-up and member of the portfolio of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, one of the nation’s premier venture capital firms. In 2002 the company merged with Manhattan Associates and is now part of JDA Software, Inc.
From 2003 to 2006 Mr. Galt was President and CEO of Harcourt Assessment, Inc., the world’s leading publisher of K-12 educational testing products and clinical assessments. During his tenure the company grew revenues from $290 million to nearly $350 million and employed more than 1500 persons in the US and Europe.
From 1982 to 1992 Mr. Galt was co-founder and vice president and general manager of TRW’s Real Estate Information Division, the first nationwide real estate appraisal, credit report and title insurance company in the country. When he left to join The Dialog Corporation the business had grown to more than $250 million in sales with offices in 30 states.
Jeff received a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California at Irvine, and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley. He has served on the boards of directors of two public companies and numerous private companies and currently serves on the board of three non-profits: City Year San Antonio, Texas Business and Education Coalition and the Masters Leadership Program Alumni Association. He is also an officer in the San Antonio chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Mario Gonzalez, Vice President for Acquisitions and Development joined Brass Fund in the Fall of 2008. Mario was previously Vice President of Development for Koontz McCombs Development, where he was active in generation and facilitating the company’s multi-family development activities, including financial and market feasibility, construction financing, dispositions and site selection. He was responsible for the highest grossing ($ per sf) multi-family project in San Antonio.
Mario is a graduate of Texas A&M University, with a Masters Degree in Land Economics and Real Estate. In addition, he was awarded a Bachelor of Business Administration from Sam Houston State University. He is a member of the Society of Texas A&M Real Estate Professionals and is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) candidate. He holds a Texas real estate license and has completed more than 1500 hours of commercial and residential real estate appraisal.
In December 2004, Mario was a recipient of the San Antonio Business Journal’s 10th annual 40 Under 40 Rising Stars of San Antonio’s business community.
Jennifer Ray, Director of Acquisitions and Development joined Brass in the fall of 2007. Her responsibilities include project management and underwriting, serving as the point person on all asset-based transactions. Each year, she evaluates more than 1,400 investment opportunities with a total capitalization of more than $20 billion. Ms. Ray’s background in architecture and development, combined with her analytical skills, enable her to evaluate prospective investments from a variety of perspectives. Her market expertise is focused on commercial properties, particularly office and multi-family, throughout Texas and the south-central portion of the US. Ms. Ray received her Bachelors degree in Architecture and Masters in Real Estate and Land Development from Texas A&M University at College Station.
James Stewart, Director of Operations is responsible James is responsible for the day-to-day operations for all of Magi’s real estate services. He has over 12 years experience in the Houston, Austin, and San Antonio commercial real estate markets in both leasing and management, and over 15 years of experience in construction, construction management, and space planning. During his career, James has managed over 2.5 million square feet and leased/renewed more than 500,000 square feet. Additionally, his responsibilities have included tenant finish out, property renovations, ad valorem tax protests, space planning, market analysis, marketing, and new property acquisitions/due diligence.
Throughout his career, James has been responsible for the acquisition and disposition of commercial real estate totaling more than $180 million.
Steve Holcomb, Director of Colorado Operations is responsible for leasing, property management, and operations for Brass properties in Colorado. Mr. Holcomb is also responsible for sourcing new deals in the Colorado and Utah markets. This involves analyzing market trends, networking with owners and brokers and underwriting potential opportunities. Steve holds a BS in Maritime Business Administration, a Masters in Marketing and a Master’s of Science in Land Development all from Texas A&M University.
Ryan Harrison, Director of Leasing joined the Magi Real Estate Services Group in 2005 and has been responsible for negotiating leases for more than 500,000 square feet of office and industrial space in the San Antonio region. Mr. Harrison is a member of the San Antonio Real Estate Council and is a licensed Texas Real Estate Agent. Ryan earned a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Texas A&M University and holds the C.C.I.M. designation.
Louis Pisano, Vice President for Tenant Relations joined Magi in 2007 to lead the company’s efforts to create added value for tenants in Magi managed properties through a variety of innovative programs. Prior to joining Magi Mr. Pisano served as the Senior Service Manager of Mercedes Benz of San Antonio. Mr. Pisano’s responsibilities include enhancing the customer experience, providing oversight to Magi Property Management, and manages all service initiatives for the firm. Louis lives in San Antonio and is a graduate of Texas A&M University where he received a B.S. in Construction Management.
Michael Dancey, Director of Investor Services joined Brass in November 2008. Mike has more than 20 years experience in investment management and business development. Mike came to San Antonio in October 2004 to join a real estate development startup company. As General Manager, he was responsible for finance and operations management, legal and marketing.
The majority of his experience is in investment brokerage. Prior to his move into real estate, he managed a division of a large investment brokerage house, Refco, Inc. By strategically targeting new markets in Latin America, he repositioned the division for a decade of increased profitability. He has extensive experience in financial analysis, risk management, money management and economic forecasting. He authored hundreds research reports containing fundamental and technical analysis on the markets and economy, which were often quoted in financial publications and newswires.
Mike currently holds a Texas Real Estate Agent License. He formerly held a Series 7 General Securities License, a Series 63 Uniform Securities Agent License, a Series 3 Commodity Futures License, and a was a Certified Trading Advisor. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, Investments and Banking from the University of Illinois at Urbana.
Kelly Bishop, Controller joined the Magi Real Estate Services Group in 1994. As Controller, Ms. Bishop is responsible for all accounting and investor reporting. She works closely with the outside auditing firm of BKD, LLP. Kelly lives in San Antonio and is a graduate of Texas A&M University where she was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.
BKD, LLP one of the largest CPA firms in the U.S., applies technical expertise, industry specialization and unmatched client service to meet the business needs of our clients, which include public and large privately-held companies and high-net worth individuals. With net revenues of $350 million, BKD is one of the 10 largest CPA and advisory firms in the country. The firm’s approximately 2,000 personnel, including approximately 250 partners, are located in 30 offices in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas.
BKD is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and it’s three quality centers: Center for Audit Quality, Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center and Governmental Audit Quality Center.