Team / Strategic Partners
Garett M. Vassel
Founding President
• Gained experience at AvalonBay Communities within the Company’s Development office on Long Island
• Worked at Nova Capital Partners, a New York emerging markets boutique investment bank focused on real estate
• Founded Soundview Investment Partners in 2011, a New York boutique capital raising and private equity firm focused on real estate, plasma gasification, and hydropower
• Served 3 years within Deutsche Bank’s Consumer and Retail Investment Banking coverage Group
• Holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and Communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Holds a Masters of Business Administration from Columbia Business School (also studied at London Business School and Cheung Kong Graduate School)
• Served 6 years as the President of the Rensselaer Alumni Chapter of New York
Jim Bridges
HEAD PRINCIPAL ADVISOR, OPTIMA DURANT GROUP
Fabio Di Prima
Principal Advisor, Optima Durant Group
• Partner and Executive Vice President of Investment and Acquisitions at Forte Real Estate Development, a real estate investment and development firm based in New Jersey
• Leads the identification / evaluation of investment opportunities, including the oversight of due diligence efforts undertaken in the property and site analysis process, handling transaction negotiations, and overseeing the company’s closing activities investor relations
• Entrepreneurial and highly trusted investment leader with an effective mix of private equity, real estate, corporate finance, M&A, management consultancy, as well as senior management experience with global responsibilities
• Over the past decade, Fabio has led various organizations of different sizes operating in different industries, including the $14B merger between Fiat and Chrysler Group, as well as the co-founding of Silver Sky Global Capital, a multi strategy private equity firm
• Originated, negotiated, and closed transactions up to €100M
• Holds a joint MSc in Financial Economics from the University of Turin, Italy, University of Oxford and Universidad San Pablo CEU in Madrid
• Holds an MBA from Manchester Business School, Manchester, UK
• He is active in a number of businesses and non for profit organizations including serving on the board of the Italian Chamber of Commerce for the UK and the Italian Desk Association
Elliot Sperber
Principal Advisor
• Elliot is a former Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Tricadia Capital Management. While at Tricadia, he ran the firm’s Commercial Real Estate Strategy.
• Prior to Tricadia, Elliot was a Vice President at Brookfield Investment Management within their Commercial Real Estate Debt Group.
• Prior to Brookfield, Elliot worked at Morgan Stanley where he originated and underwrote commercial real estate loans, as well as structured CMBS bonds.
• Elliot holds a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and holds a Masters of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.
Bradley Adams
Principal Advisor, Optima Durant Group
• Graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelors degree in Biomechanics and a Minor in Finance
• Worked on Wall Street for over 25 years with Merrill Lynch, UBS and finally his own investment management firm, The Wyndham Financial Group
• Founded The R4 Group, a multi-disciplined consultancy with focused efforts on securities analysis and strategic business development
• Volunteer work for the Middle States USTA and Judge for the United States Olympic Rowing Committee
• Lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with his wife and four children
Company Advisors
Pedro Gomez de Baeza
President & Founder, GBS Finance
• Began professional career as a financial analyst at JP Morgan, specializing in US and Latin American M&A
• Held the position of Managing Director at The First Boston Corporation in New York
• Board member of the S.G. Warburg & Co Bank in London, as well as a Shareholder and Managing Director of S.G. Warburg Spain
• Founded GBS Finance, a leading Spanish Investment Bank
• Current member of the Board of Directors of Biosearch Life and GBS Finance Investcapital AV,SA, Chairman of LA Organic and Founding Partner of Círculo Fortuny
• Doctorate in Industrial Engineering from the University of Madrid and an MBA from the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvannia
Chad Elms
Chief Executive Officer, StormField Innovative Technologies
• Founded StormField Innovative Technologies, LLC, a firm that delivers cutting edge composite plug technology and innovation to the oil and gas industry
• Previously founded Momentum Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in 2002, most recently serving as Chief Strategy Officer – The Company provides comprehensive physical therapy solutions for its patients
• Holds Licensure in Physical Therapy certified by Texas State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners, and is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
• Attended The University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio, where he obtained Master of Physical Therapy and completed a manual therapy program
• Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT), an honor shared by about 400 therapists in the US
David Fontanilla
Founder & Managing Partner, Madison Paige Capital
• Served on the Executive Task Force on Reverse Mortgages at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), in addition to co-chairing the Capital Markets Committee of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA)
• Held the position of Vice President and Head of the Reverse Mortgage Business in the MBS Trading Group at Deutsche Bank, and also previously worked at Morgan Stanley and Goldman, Sachs & Co.
• Held the position of Director and Head of Reverse Mortgage Trading at Knight Capital Americas L.P
• Founded Madison Paige Capital in 2014, a leading financial services firm devoted to providing top tier service to institutional investors in fixed income sales & trading
• Holds a Bachelor of Commerce from University of British Columbia and has held a CFA Certification since June 2003
