T2 has led or participated in well over $2 billion in commercial real estate investments across the entire capital stack since inception.
The management team is comprised of high-integrity, high-capacity individuals with diverse and complementary skill sets.
T2 has readily available capital for deployment as debt or equity for compelling investment opportunities.
Limited bureaucracy, streamlined processes, and ready capital enables timely execution on investments.
As CEO, Mr. Brown works closely with the principals of the firm in providing broad corporate initiatives, specific investment strategies, and operational oversight. As CIO, he oversees the origination, underwriting, and day-to-day management of T2’s investments. Mr. Brown began his career in real estate in the mid-1990s when working with a national consumer finance company that was later acquired by Wells Fargo. That was followed by his tenure at a Michigan-based family office that doubled as a multi-hundred million dollar hedge fund-of-funds. A native Texan, Mr. Brown received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his Bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). While at Wheaton, Mr. Brown was captain of the football team and a 1st Team GTE Academic All-American quarterback.
Mr. Southard co-founded T2 with Mr. Brown and is a passive investor aiding in the strategic direction of the firm. Mr. Southard is currently the CIO of Innovator Capital Management, LLC, an exchange traded fund (ETF) company that he co-founded in 2017. Mr. Southard also co-founded PowerShares Capital Management, LLC, another ETF company that was established in 2002 and sold to Invesco in 2006. Mr. Southard has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Crain’s, Investment News, TheStreet.com and other publications. He is a CFA charter holder, has a Bachelorʼs degree from Wheaton College and a MBA from DePaul University.
Mr. Felker evaluates prospective investments and manages existing investments. Prior to joining T2, Mr. Felker was a Senior Analyst at a private equity real estate firm based in Colorado with approximately $500 million under management. He joined the firm in 2010 after working as an intern within the research department at Invesco PowerShares. Mr. Felker grew up in Milwaukee, WI, is a CFA charterholder and graduated summa cum laude from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) where he received his Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Mathematics. He is a member of the CFA Society of Chicago and the CFA Institute.
With over 20 years of experience, Ms. Searcy oversees fund administration, compliance, and operations for the firm. Prior to T2, Ms. Searcy was a director at a privately-held commercial real estate company in the Chicago suburbs and oversaw the management of its $300 million portfolio. Prior to this, Ms. Searcy was Vice President of the Specialty Finance division of a $13 billion publicly traded finance company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Ms. Searcy has a Master’s degree in Accounting from DePaul University and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics from Western Illinois University. Ms. Searcy is a CPA candidate.
With over 35 years of banking and real estate experience, Mr. Jacobs works among T2’s investment team in sourcing, underwriting, and managing investments for the firm. Prior to T2, he was part of J.P. Morgan’s Real Estate Banking platform and was responsible for loan originations including construction, bridge, term-loans and loans originated for CMBS execution. He brings experience in buy-side advisory, real estate investment strategies, commercial loan asset management and real estate asset valuations. He holds an MBA and Bachelor of Science in Finance from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.
Mr. Lowe joined T2 in 2021 with the responsibility of sourcing commercial real estate acquisition as well as development opportunities. For more than 25 years, Mr. Lowe has been involved in all aspects of real estate development ranging from civil engineering to principal. Mr. Lowe’s broad experience has led to the development of more than $500M of real estate consisting of numerous net lease transactions, including more than fifty CVS/pharmacy transactions in the Midwest and several mixed-use multi-family developments. Mr. Lowe grew up in Quincy, Illinois and received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Southern Illinois University. Mr. Lowe has served on municipal economic development commissions, municipal ad hoc committees, and an education foundation where he served as chairman for two terms. Mr. Lowe is a Real Estate Managing Broker licensed in the State of Illinois.
Mr. Baxter spearheads the investor relations and fund raising efforts for T2. Prior to T2, Mr. Baxter served his alma mater, Wheaton College, as the Director of Principal Gifts. During his time there, Jeff assisted in securing leadership level planned and outright gifts as part of the $260 million Promise of Wheaton campaign. Prior to working at Wheaton College, Mr. Baxter worked in Private Client Services for UBS Financial Services, Inc. Mr. Baxter grew up in Grand Rapids, MI and graduated from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) with his Bachelor’s degree in Business/Economics. While at Wheaton, Mr. Baxter was a member of the baseball, lacrosse, and debate teams.
Prior to joining T2, Mr. Van Prooyen spent 19 years as a commercial real estate lender for both publicly and privately held commercial banks in Chicago. His lending experience spans multiple asset classes and includes land development, acquisition, construction, bridge, and long-term facilities for individual and private equity investors. A native of west suburban Chicago, Mr. Van Prooyen received a BA in Economics from Calvin University (Grand Rapids, MI) and completed post-baccalaureate work at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been with T2 since 2021.
Mr. Tink is part of the Portfolio Management team and works closely with others to evaluate prospective investments, conduct due diligence, manage existing investments, and assist in various fund administration activities. Prior to joining T2, Mr. Tink worked for AMLI Residential and served as a property manager, most recently at a 520-unit multi-family property located in the Chicago suburbs. Prior to AMLI, Mr. Tink spent several years working at the Chicago Board of Trade. Mr. Tink grew up in Waterloo, IA and graduated from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Business/Economics.
With over 25 years of real estate entitlement and construction experience, Mr. Venard oversees the management of T2’s development and rehab projects, while also evaluating prospective real estate opportunities. Prior to T2, he owned a commercial general contracting and consulting firm. Mr Venard’s real estate career has been comprehensive including acquisitions, entitlements, land development, residential and commercial construction as well as greenfield development in the renewable energy sector. Mr. Venard grew up in suburban Chicago, received his Master’s degree from University of Cincinnati and Bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University.
Mr. Serenius evaluates prospective investments, conducts due diligence, manages existing investments and assists with various fund administration activities. Prior to joining T2, Mr. Serenius was a credit analyst at MB Financial where he served as an underwriter focusing on various loan structures including revolving credit lines, commercial mortgage refinances as well as acquisition loans and leveraged buyouts. Mr. Serenius grew up in Dayton, OH and graduated from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Business/Economics and a minor in Mathematics.
Rod Brenneman has spent 25 years in senior leadership positions including 14 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of two different companies. Most recently, Mr. Brenneman served as Director, President and CEO of Butterball, LLC where he was tasked with turning around and leading the world’s largest turkey producer and processor. Prior to his tenure at Butterball, Mr. Brenneman spent more than 22 years with Seaboard Corporation including 11 years as President and CEO. While at Seaboard, Mr. Brenneman helped to build the company from its infancy to generating $1.7 billion in annual revenue. Mr. Brenneman is a Certified Public Accountant and has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wichita State University.
Mr. McWilliams retired from his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of CNL Real Estate Advisors, Inc. in 2010 after serving in that role since 2007. CNL Real Estate Advisors, Inc. provided advisory services relating to commercial real estate acquisitions and asset management on properties across the globe while structuring strategic relationships with U.S. and international real estate owners and operators across a wide variety of property types. From 1997 to 2007, Mr. McWilliams served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Trustreet Properties, Inc. Under Mr. McWilliams’s leadership, Trustreet became the then-largest publicly-traded restaurant REIT with over $3.0 billion in assets. Prior to his tenure at Trustreet, Mr. McWilliams spent 13 years as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch & Co. Mr. McWilliams received his MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.
Mr. Carroll is a Managing Director of HFF, Inc. operating out of their Chicago office. With more than 25 years of experience in commercial real estate finance, Mr. Carroll is responsible for the origination and placement of real estate capital nationwide. With an expertise across the entire capital stack, Mr. Carroll is primarily focused on first mortgage debt, mezzanine debt, and joint venture equity. Prior to joining HFF in 2013, Mr. Carroll spent 17 years at Chicago-based Cohen Financial where he was a partner and ran a team of six professionals as head of Cohen’s Chicago production office. Mr. Carroll received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Matthew Karl has been with Olympus Ventures since June 2012 and brings over 29 years of commercial real estate experience to the firm. Olympus Ventures serves as the Family Office and private investment company of Richard M. Schulze. Olympus’ investment platform consists of commercial real estate, public equities and alternative investments. Matt is responsible for directing all real estate activities of Olympus Ventures which include acquisition, disposition, asset management, development and joint venture real estate relationships. Matt has been directly involved in commercial real estate brokerage services, property, facility and asset management, development and construction management, financial analysis and reporting, lease administration, physical due diligence, strategic planning, staff supervision, and business development. Prior to joining Olympus Ventures, Matt was a principal of Stone Arch Commercial, a full service commercial real estate firm based in Minneapolis. Matt holds the Real Property Administrator designation (RPA) from the Building Owners and Managers Institute and is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas.
