A. Walker & Co. Launches New Joint Venture Equity Investment Vehicle

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Oct 05, 2023, 10:00 ET

The vehicle will target equity investments into primarily small- and middle-market multifamily and affordable housing transactions via joint ventures with emerging operators nationally.

NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A. Walker & Co., a minority-owned and operated, institutionally-backed investment manager, is proud to announce the launch of its inaugural vehicle, A. Walker & Co. Real Estate Opportunity Partners I, LP ("REOP I"). The vehicle launched with a $24 million capital commitment from an institutional investor. As of today, REOP I has deployed $2.282 million into two transactions located in Los Angeles, CA and New Port Richey, FL. REOP I has a pipeline of approximately $64 million in transactions under active review for potential investment; they consist of 14 properties totaling 2,381 units and a total capitalization of $937 million.

REOP I seeks to invest through the private real estate market by harnessing the expertise and resources of its management team and institutional capital partners. The vehicle aims to provide current income and long-term capital appreciation and invest through tax-advantaged structures.

REOP I primarily focuses on small- and middle-market multifamily and affordable housing transactions and deploys capital alongside emerging operators as a co-general partner, a limited partner, a preferred equity investor, and/or a mezzanine lender. REOP I's ultimate mission is to support talented emerging operators and developers, as well as the communities they serve. It intends to do so while serving as a leading provider of small balance joint venture equity, simultaneously providing certainty and institutional-quality execution.

REOP I is managed by an A. Walker & Co. investment committee led by Austin Walker, Chief Executive Officer, an experienced loan originator and longtime advisor to Ultra High Net Worth (UNHW) investors. He is joined by Victoria Gousse, SVP of Investment Management, who augments the team with her experience in public-private partnerships and complex affordable housing development and financing structures, and by Niels Theodule, VP of Investment Management, who brings recent experience in institutional ground-up development, asset management, and capital markets.

Why now? "The Fed's unprecedented speed of interest rate hikes has caused re-pricing of assets across the financial markets, thereby creating some of the most attractive investment opportunities in more than a decade," said Mr. Walker. "Inflationary pressure on rents nationwide, housing inventory challenges, as well as tailwinds provided by the widening gap between cost of home ownership versus renting have created an optimal investment environment for affordable and workforce ("attainable") housing. This segment of the market, which continues to see shrinking supply, has proven historically to be highly resistant to recessionary cycles and it is our opinion that there will be ample opportunities in the weeks, months, and years ahead for patient long-term investors in this space," said Mr. Walker.

About A. Walker & Co.
Founded in 2022, A. Walker & Co. is a minority-led investment manager with a passion for strong partnerships with emerging and diverse multifamily operators, as well as for the preservation of affordable housing in historically significant communities and neighborhoods nationwide. They are headquartered in New York, NY.

NOTICES

Not an Offer or Solicitation
This press release has been prepared and is being furnished solely for informational purposes, and the views and statements expressed herein are those solely of A. Walker & Co. In particular, this press release is not, and is not intended to be, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, any securities or any other interest in A. Walker & Co., REOP I, or in any fund, account, or other investment product or assets managed by A. Walker & Co., or to offer any services. Any such offering and sale would be made only on the basis of certain transaction documents and, as the case may be, a final private placement memorandum and related governing and subscription documents (together, "transaction documents") pertaining to such offering and sale and is qualified in all respects and in its entirety by any such final transaction documents.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward‐looking statements," which can be identified by use of forward‐looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "attempt," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "intend," "seek," "target," "continue," or "believe," or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Due to the various risks and uncertainties, actual events or results in the actual performance of investments may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward‐looking statements.

SOURCE A. Walker & Co.