Craig Kaufman, President
During the past 25 years, Craig Kaufman has gained broad-based experience in real estate investment, asset and property management, and perhaps most importantly, a keen appreciation for the economic and real estate cycles. In 1994, Craig Kaufman founded Kaufman Realty Group ("KRG"), a private real estate investment and management firm. In 1997, Craig was principal and co-founder of DECK Realty Group, which developed and managed office properties for small to medium size tenants. In January 2000, he took 100% control of DECK and rolled its operations into the KRG banner. From 1986 to 1994, Craig gained valuable experience as development analyst, appraiser and consultant in New York City and St. Louis, for such firms as Olympia & York, Colliers Turley Martin and Dinan Real Estate Advisors. Craig holds both a master's and bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. He resides in Atlanta, Georgia, and is involved with many civic and professional organizations. He is a long-time volunteer and sits on the Board of Directors and executive committee of Camp Sunshine, a non-profit organization providing programs for children with cancer; a Board Member of the Anti-Defamation League's southeast region. Additionally, Craig is a member of the Urban Land Institute and is membership chair for its Small Scale Development Council.
Terry Feldman, Vice President Finance/Chief Financial Officer
Terry Feldman joined Kaufman Realty Group in June 1999 as its Chief Financial Officer, and also serves in the capacity of asset manager. In addition to his financial responsibilities, he manages the overall performance of the properties including developing leasing and marketing strategies, budgeting and tracking operating expenses and capital expenditures, and reporting financial results to management. Terry began his career in public accounting (Big 8) with six years of tax and audit experience and then started in private industry as regional controller for a national home and apartment builder. His experience includes four years as CFO of Suburban Lodges of America, eight years as Assistant VP with Days Inns, and eight years with Anderson Properties as CFO and asset manager. In this position, he was directly responsible for the performance of a portfolio of over 4 million square feet of Class B office, service center, and warehouse properties. Terry completed his master's degree in Public Accounting (MPA) at Georgia State University and earned his CPA certification in the State of Georgia.
Joe Mackey, Multifamily Acquisitions
Joe Mackey has diversified experience in the real estate related fields of mixed use project development, underwriting debt financing, construction monitoring, commercial and residential brokerage, property management and leasing. From 2005 to 2009, Joe was a Development Manager for Atlantic Realty Partners, Inc. (ARP), an Atlanta-based, Class-A multi-family single-family residential and mixed-use developer. While at ARP, Joe was responsible for the successful management of multiple apartment, townhouse and retail developments, which included components such as site development, wood-frame and steel-frame construction, large-scale structured parking and retail. In total, Joe directed projects with combined development budgets of more than $175 million during his time with ARP. Prior to joining ARP, Joe was a Senior Underwriter with Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, LLC where he engaged in loan underwriting for the firm, ts. During his time at Grandbridge, Joe underwrote in excess of $500 million in GSE, multifamily debt and was honored by the firm as its "Outstanding Underwriter" in 2004. Joe began his career in real estate as an analyst for Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Joe is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Georgia and a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP). Joe received a Bachelor of Science degree at Auburn University.
Message from the President
In 1994, I founded Kaufman Realty Group ("KRG"), a private real estate investment firm located in Atlanta. My objective was to find niche opportunities in real estate upon which my investor partners could capitalize.
Unlike many real estate entrepreneurs, my prior background was not in sales or brokerage, but rather in real estate analysis, consulting and appraisal. Before becoming a real estate principal, I learned many important lessons from the successes and failures of many property owners while I was working through the boom of the late 1980s, followed by the bust in the early 1990s. From the start of my career, it seemed apparent to me that the real estate investment business suffered from an inherent conflict of interest between the operator/developer and the investor. Since starting KRG, I have been committed to an alignment of interests, and as such, my family and I are significant investors in each deal. I put tremendous emphasis on discipline – both in managing the details, as well as in proactively staying focused on fundamentals and macro trends. All too often real estate developers and acquisition teams get caught up in the euphoria of the deal and lose sight of the market fundamentals. As history has demonstrated, sometimes it makes sense to just watch from the sidelines.
In addition to acting as managing member/general partner, we have structured joint venture agreements as majority investor with operating partners who have demonstrated expertise in specific property types. We have invested in office buildings, light industrial, multi-family apartments, retail, and residential properties. During a 10 year period starting in the mid - 1990s, we focused our efforts primarily on a niche area within the office market. During that time, we acquired, managed, and developed office projects in Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Memphis, Orlando and Jacksonville, totaling over 1.8 million square feet.
In 2006 and 2007, we were a net seller of assets and monetized profits during the peak of the real estate cycle. Since then, as property fundamentals suffered from a credit crisis and weak economy, we stayed focused on managing our remaining legacy assets, while demonstrating the discipline and forethought not to jump prematurely into new deals. As the market fundamentals, employment and demographics change, so do our investment strategies and the types of properties we pursue. Stay tuned for the next set of opportunities.
Sincerely,
Craig Kaufman
