SoCal Student Housing & Higher Education Summit

Mark is the President and Founder of MJW Investments. After beginning his career as an attorney, Los Angeles native Mark J. Weinstein founded MJW Investments in 1983 when he discovered the potential of real estate investment and development through several successful ventures. Under his leadership MJW has acquired approximately 1 billion dollars of real estate holdings in all asset types. He also spearheaded the adaptive reuse of Santee Village, one of Los Angeles’ largest adaptive reuse projects of over 800,000 sqft. of mixed-use in the Fashion District of Downtown Los Angeles. Mr. Weinstein’s passion for, and expertise in property repositioning has been a guiding factor in the company’s growth and success. Mark is the majority owner of the firm’s $800MM diversified real estate holdings. More recently, Mark has led the firm’s strategic growth into student housing and has amassed a portfolio of student housing properties at Michigan State, Washington State, Brigham Young University, UC Santa Barbara, Texas Tech, University of Illinois and University of Oregon. The firm continues to expand its Southern California multifamily portfolio. Throughout his career, Mr. Weinstein has maintained active associations and leadership with numerous civic and philanthropic groups. These include a three year term as Chair of the Jewish Federation’s Real Estate Construction Division; and active associations with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Guardians, an agency dedicated to serving the elderly, and the Jewish Venture Philanthropy fund. Mr. Weinstein holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara (summa cum laude), and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School (dean’s list).

Fred Pierce (“Pierce”) is CEO of Pierce Education Properties (“PEP”), a leading national student housing investment, development and operating company that was listed amongst the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America (2018 & 2019). Mr. Pierce was selected a “Student Housing Pioneer” by Real Estate Forum Magazine (2013), received Ernst & Young’s San Diego Region “Entrepreneur of the Year®” Award for the Real Estate & Construction Industry (2012), named one of “50 Influential Leaders in San Diego” by the San Diego Daily Transcript (2017–2019), included in “San Diego 500 Influential Business Leaders” by the San Diego Business Journal (“SDBJ”) (2018–2023), named finalist for the “Most Admired CEO” by SDBJ (2018- 2019) and received the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce’s “Moving San Diego Forward Award” (2019) on behalf of “Friends of SDSU”, for his work on the successful SDSU West Ballot Initiative (Nov. 2018) that has become San Diego State’s (“SDSU”) Mission Valley Campus and Snapdragon Stadium (opened Fall 2022). Fred was twice awarded SDSU’s “Distinguished Alumni Award” by the Alumni Association (2022) and Fowler College of Business (1999), he being one of six alumni to have won that award twice in the last 25+ years. Since 2007, PEP has completed $1.3 billion in student housing acquisitions and operated more than 34,000 beds serving 34 universities in 19 states, ranking it among the leading buyers and managers of student apartments in the country during that period. PEP was ranked by Student Housing Business Magazine (“SHB”) in 2023 amongst the “Top 25 Owners” of student housing in the U.S. and has been listed by SHB as an “Industry Titan” every year since 2016. PEP has ranked #6 nationally amongst student housing companies in J. Turner’s “Online Reputation Assessment (ORA) Power Rankings”. For 10+ years, the firm served as master developer of the award-winning, 131-acre, multi-billion-dollar College Community Redevelopment Project at SDSU together with SDSU Foundation (now known as SDSU Research Foundation). PEP has earned numerous national and international awards for its development projects including three “Gold Nugget Awards of Merit” from the Pacific Coast Builders Conference and the “Award of Excellence” as The Outstanding University Real Estate Project in the country from the Association of University Real Estate Officials. Previously, Fred was a principal and CFO of Los Angeles-based Platt Companies where he directed the acquisition and financing of $400 million in real estate assets. Prior to that, Fred was West Region Director of Real Estate Consulting for Price Waterhouse (now known as PwC), and Director of Real Estate Investment Consulting for KPMG Peat Marwick/Goodkin Group (now known as KPMG). Fred is Chairman of the NMHC Student Housing Research Fund Board, Chairman-Elect of The Campanile Foundation Board (SDSU’s Endowment), Vice Chairman of Beta Theta Pi Foundation Board, and Executive Committee Member of SDSU’s Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate Board. He is a Member of the Franklin Pierce University Board of Trustees (immediate past Chairman), SDSU Fowler College of Business Board (immediate past Chairman), SDSU Mission Valley Campus’ Residential Advisory Board and Public Art Advisory Board, Sonoma State University Wine Business Institute Board and University of Georgia Residential Property Management Board. Mr. Pierce is a Trustee Emeritus of the 460,000-student, 23-campus California State University (CSU) System Board and Past Board President of the City of San Diego’s Pension Fund (SDCERS, $10.6 Billion AUM), where he also chaired its Real Estate Investment Committee. Fred is a former Board Member of INVESCO’s $350 million Real Estate Fund I, and Past President of the CSU Alumni Council, SDSU Alumni Association and Poway Unified School District Foundation Board. Fred completed real estate finance studies in the MBA program at SDSU, and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, cum laude, from SDSU. Prior to founding PEP, Fred was a principal and chief financial officer of Los Angeles-based Platt Companies where he directed the acquisition and financing of $400 million in real estate assets. Prior to that, Fred was Western Regional Director of Real Estate Consulting for Price Waterhouse, as well as Director of Real Estate Investment Consulting for KPMG Peat Marwick/Goodkin Group. For six years (1999-2004), Fred served as a Trustee of the 23-campus, 460,000-student California State University (CSU) System, where he chaired the Institutional Advancement, Audit, and University and Faculty Personnel committees. Fred is also Past President of the Board of Trustees of the City of San Diego’s Pension Fund ($4+ Billion), where he also chaired its Real Estate Investment Committee. He is currently Chairman of SDSU’s Fowler College of Business Board and Executive Committee Member of SDSU’s Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate. Mr. Pierce is also a board member of Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute and The Aztec Club at SDSU. Fred is a former board member of INVESCO’s $350 million Real Estate Fund I, and Past President of the CSU Alumni Council, SDSU Alumni Association and Poway Unified School District Foundation. Fred completed real estate finance studies in the MBA program at SDSU, and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, cum laude, from SDSU.

Determined to find and execute on opportunistic real estate opportunities, Scott Gale formed Ventus Group (“Ventus”) in 2006. From 2007-2013, Scott acquired nine distressed properties from various banks and builders. The acquired assets, located through California and Oregon, included semi-improved single-family lots, subdivisions and master-planned communities, as well as retail, office and industrial buildings. All but one of those properties were sold between 2012-2015. Through 2012, Ventus also entitled, managed and/or consulted on several residential, retail and hotel projects/assets owned by third-parties (national homebuilders, market analysts, and private developers). The company’s consulting activities included entitlements processing, cash flow analysis, market research, and project management. Since 2014, Ventus has dedicated its efforts solely to The Fig. During this period, Scott and his team assembled more than eight contiguous acres in a prime Los Angeles location, all along advancing the design, analysis, and entitlements for The Fig- a 4.42-acre mixed-use development (hotel, residential, retail). Prior to forming Ventus Group, Scott served as Vice President of Land Acquisition at Shea Homes where he acquired 3,146 residential lots (attached and detached) throughout Southern California. Before Shea Homes, Scott was a Project Manager at Woodside Homes, where he was responsible for design team coordination, entitlements processing, horizontal development purchasing, as well as sales/construction support. Scott also served as a Senior Consultant in the Real Estate Capital Markets at Ernst & Young Kenneth Leventhal. There, Scott analyzed and supported large real estate transactions, including asset and company sales, as well as capital procurement and due diligence. Scott earned a Master of Business Administration and Master of Real Estate Development (“MRED”) from the University of Southern California. He also holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. Scott serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Science Center. He also taught several Real Estate Development and Finance courses at University of California-Irvine in the Light Construction & Development Management program.

Ned brings over 20 years of real estate experience in finance, acquisitions, and development for both the public sector, notably for the fourth largest university system in the country, and for companies in the private sector.

Blake Wettengel is Chief Executive Officer of NB Private Capital, LLC and its related entities. After beginning his career as an attorney, Orange County native Blake Wettengel turned to real estate investment as Chief Operating Officer of Nelson Brothers Professional Real Estate. Under his leadership, the investment company acquired nearly $1 billion of real estate holdings, and the company was ranked in the Inc. 500 as one of the fastest growing companies in the country. In his tenure, Mr. Wettengel has overseen the acquisition and management of over 8,000 beds of multi-family properties, securing nearly $1 billion in debt and equity. Today, he manages the acquisition and investment process of the Sponsor, including asset acquisition and due diligence, debt and equity financing, construction and development. Mr. Wettengel has a B.A. from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctorate (JD) from the UCLA School.

Real Estate and Financial Advisory: PS&A is a full service real estate brokerage and economic consulting firm that specializes in matching private sector real estate opportunities with public sector land use policies, joint development opportunities, economic development policies and financing/incentive programs. Affordable Housing: Provides Consulting Services to improve existing affordable housing supply and to expand the supply of housing for low to moderate individuals with grant administration and affordable housing development.

Kim Patten is a passionate academic planner, process and sustainable strategy education leader in the Los Angeles office. Working with academic institutions across the country, Kim is a skilled designer helping clients navigate complex problems with strategic research and planning solutions to achieve direction and clarity. Her partnership approach creates an environment to collaborate, plan and discover paths unique to that client. Kim is also a member of SCUP’s Facilities Planning Academy.

Fred has over 40 years of experience in the construction industry. This background has provided him with a portfolio that includes a variety of product types, including Automotive, Corporate Facilities, Hospitality, Entertainment, Faith-Based Projects, Retail Centers, and Tenant Improvements and approximately two dozen secondary and higher education facilities. Some of his iconic projects include Loyola Marymount’s Hannon Library, Irvine’s Boardwalk Office Towers, LA Air Force Base SAMS project, NBCUniversal Area 71 Sound Stages and Manhattan Beach Studio Complex. As Project Executive at Snyder Langston, Fred uses his extensive experience to lead projects with special attention to project team collaboration and communication. This is due to Fred’s value in teamwork and the results that it delivers. Additionally, he constantly looks to improve everything connected to the projects he manages – safety, budget, quality, and schedule. The outcome of his eye for continuous improvement is outstanding project delivery and strong client relationships. Fred has a Bachelor’s of Civil Engineering from the University of Dayton and an MBA from Illinois Benedictine University.

Brian is a Project Executive with BNBuilders and helps lead the company’s operations in Los Angeles and Orange County. He has 20 years of experience in construction and leadership and has managed projects up and down the West Coast. Brian’s higher education clients include UCLA, UC Irvine, CSU Long Beach, Fullerton College, Bellevue College and the University of Washington. With expertise in alternative delivery methods, Brian’s experience adds value from the conceptual design stage to project turn-over. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering Management from California State University, Long Beach. He is a LEED AP and a DBIA Professional.

Jim has over 30 years of experience as an architect, planner, designer, project manager, project director, and director of architecture for a variety of project types, and is knowledgeable about all aspects of project development from conceptual design through construction administration. He has made multi-family residential the focus of his career, and has completed more than 10,000 housing units encompassing new and renovated affordable housing, market-rate residential housing, hotels, mixed-use centers, assisted living facilities, and community centers. Previous to joining TSM, Jim worked for such notable architectural firms, as well he led the architectural group at Abode Communities