BentallGreenOak Expands U.S. Presence with New Office in Austin to Be Led by New Head of Texas Coverage, Mike Leifeste

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, BentallGreenOak (BGO) announced the opening of a new office in Austin, Texas, to be led by Mike Leifeste, the firm’s newly hired Managing Director and Head of Texas Coverage. BGO’s continued expansion in the U.S. includes a significant growth in the firm’s client base and investment management activity in the U.S. sunbelt states.

Leifeste’s responsibilities in this newly created role will include a focus on deepening BGO’s investor relations activities in the region and serving as a critical touch point on current and future acquisitions in Texas while developing new operating and developer partner relationships.

BGO, on behalf of its clients and strategies, manages over $2.3 billion in commercial real estate and land for development in Texas — over 90% of which is in modern industrial/logistics and multi-family residential. BGO expects to more than double that value over the coming years.

“Mike brings tremendous knowledge and capability to our team in a region of significant importance to our firm, and we are eager to establish our presence in the region under his strong leadership,” said John Carrafiell, co-CEO and founding member of BentallGreenOak. “We share with Mike a common culture of client-centricity and a belief in the importance of investing in local capability to bring our investor clients closer to the action.”

Leifeste joins BGO from Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company (TTSTC), where he served in various capacities for the past 24 years, including most recently as Head of Real Estate and Real Assets for the past seven years. In his previous role, Leifeste was responsible for TTSTC’s 15% allocation to real assets and private equity energy investments, including a portfolio of real estate, private equity, and private credit funds that consisted of over 85 funds and more than $2 billion in commitments.

“I am pleased to be joining BentallGreenOak at an exciting and high growth period for the firm, with a clear and ambitious mandate for developing our investor and partner relationships, and a real estate portfolio that is built to respond to the economic and social aspirations of the state of Texas, now and into the future,” said Mike Leifeste, Managing Director and Head of Texas Coverage, BentallGreenOak. “BGO’s timely presence in Austin will enable us to draw on the strength of our local relationships and knowledge base to deliver outcomes that bode well for our investor-clients, our future tenants and residents, and the broader communities in which they will reside.”

Leifeste graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration and received an MBA from Texas State University. He is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

About BentallGreenOak

BentallGreenOak is a leading, global real estate investment management advisor and a globally-recognized provider of real estate services. BentallGreenOak serves the interests of more than 750 institutional clients with approximately $74 billion USD of assets under management (as of December 31, 2021) and expertise in the asset management of office, industrial, multi-residential, retail and hospitality property across the globe. BentallGreenOak has offices in 28 cities across thirteen countries with deep, local knowledge, experience, and extensive networks in the regions where we invest in and manage real estate assets on behalf of our clients in primary, secondary and co-investment markets.

BentallGreenOak is a part of SLC Management, which is the alternatives asset management business of Sun Life.

The assets under management shown above includes real estate equity and mortgage investments managed by the BentallGreenOak group of companies and their affiliates, and as of 1Q21, includes certain uncalled capital commitments for discretionary capital until they are legally expired and excludes certain uncalled capital commitments where the investor has complete discretion over investment.

For more information, please visit www.bentallgreenoak.com