LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Langdon Park Capital, a Black-owned real estate investment management company, has announced two new hires as part of its effort to meet the demand for high-quality housing and well-operated business facilities in historically underserved Black and Latino neighborhoods. Deepa Janha will serve as the company’s first Head of Asset Management, and she will also join the firm’s Investment Committee. Ms. Janha holds an MBA from Northeastern University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Jose Alvarez comes aboard as a Senior Associate and will report to Raymond Junior (Director of Acquisitions, Residential). Ms. Janha and Mr. Alvarez will join Mr. Junior and Richmond McMurray (Head of Legal & Compliance) at Langdon Park Capital, which was founded earlier this year by Malcolm Johnson, former JPMorgan senior banker and longtime real estate dealmaker.
Prior to working at Langdon Park Capital, Ms. Janha was vice president of asset management at CenterCal Properties. She also previously held senior roles at Hidden Park Advisors and AEW Capital Management. Ms. Janha’s expertise across several asset classes on both coasts and her deep real estate acumen honed through multiple economic cycles will provide a tremendous boost to the value of Langdon Park Capital’s growing investment portfolio. Further, Ms. Janha’s demonstrated track record of uplifting women and people of color within her professional network and as an involved community member will help Langdon Park Capital address the unique needs of families and employees at its properties.
Mr. Alvarez will be responsible for market research analysis, underwriting and due diligence on new transactions. Mr. Alvarez joins Langdon Park Capital from CIT Group’s real estate finance team. His additional work experience includes auditing real estate private equity firms at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Alvarez is a native of Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley, and he completed his undergraduate studies at Boston College.
Raymond Junior will continue to lead Langdon Park Capital’s residential platform. Mr. Junior has over three decades of experience in the commercial real estate industry, including nineteen years at JPMorgan, where he served as a director in the firm’s Community Development Banking group and regional head of underwriting. Mr. Junior is responsible for Langdon Park Capital’s residential investment opportunities, including sourcing deals and negotiating partnership agreements and acquisition terms. Mr. Junior holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BS with an emphasis in Real Estate Finance from the University of Southern California.
“For me, this is a great opportunity to do something that I've done forever and that I enjoy doing and have been involved with which is community development,” said Junior. “We can actually do our part by uncovering diamond in the rough organizations that may not have had an opportunity to work with institutional funds and will now be able to work with our company. It's a win-win. We're obviously going to benefit from it, but people that work with us will also benefit from it, too.”
Richmond McMurray manages the firm’s enterprise risk and ensures that it remains compliant with federal and state laws and regulations. Mr. McMurray is also responsible for implementing legal strategies in the firm’s interests, all while promoting its core values of integrity, transparency and inclusion. Prior to Langdon Park Capital, Mr. McMurray was a vice president in the legal department at Athene, a publicly traded insurance firm. He was also formerly an attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP and a manager in the audit practice of KPMG LLP. He holds an MBA from Harvard University and a JD from Harvard Law School.
“What attracted me is the connection that I had with Malcolm and the sense of alignment and purpose that I had never experienced before and that I had been searching for in addition to the underlying mission of the organization,” said McMurray. “I saw the opportunity in Langdon Park Capital to do something very meaningful, to use capitalism for good.”
Mr. McMurray and Mr. Junior share a deep knowledge of the types of communities Langdon Park Capital serves, as they originally hail from two of Los Angeles’ most ethnically diverse communities, South LA and the Inland Empire, respectively. Ms. Janha notes that Langdon Park Capital’s management team’s firsthand knowledge of Black and Latino communities is what sets the firm apart from competitors: “Our senior leadership team grew up in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods that were underserved and had significant social and economic challenges. It’s personal when you have that as your childhood experience. Your motives for social impact go beyond a social media hashtag or popular industry trend.”
“Our differentiating factor is our team members’ ability to execute and their conviction to build bridges and uplift entire communities,” said Mr. Johnson, Langdon Park Capital’s CEO. “I am incredibly grateful to have assembled a leadership team that is excellent in every way and diverse, dynamic and entrenched in the communities where we own and operate properties. We are committed to deploying capital and leveraging our relationships to strengthen the deserving people who live and work in our buildings.”
Langdon Park Capital has received a positive initial reception from institutional investors, including Kennedy Wilson (NYSE: KW), which committed significant capital for the firm’s investment activities as well as seed capital for the Langdon Park Capital operating platform. Additionally, Langdon Park Capital has already identified transactions in Los Angeles, Washington, DC and Chicago where the firm can acquire existing properties and begin implementing the physical renovations and social services that will enhance their value and improve the lives of community residents.
At certain portfolio properties, Langdon Park Capital’s immediate plans include implementing physical renovations, training residents for construction and maintenance jobs, supporting local public schools and neighboring recreation centers and setting aside dedicated spaces at the properties for programming for residents, including healthy cooking classes, after school enrichment programs and health screenings.
About Langdon Park Capital
Langdon Park Capital is a market-maker for profitable, sustainable and scalable real estate investments. Our competitive advantage is driven by a diverse management team focused on unique opportunities provided by Black and Latino communities, vendors and mission-aligned tenants. We responsibly source, develop and lease commercial buildings for large corporate tenants, and we acquire, renovate and operate affordable, workforce and value-oriented residential communities. Additionally, Langdon Park Capital opportunistically develops mixed-use projects where population density and underdevelopment create compelling opportunities. Further information is available at www.LangdonParkCapital.com.
