people

Fred C. Sands, Chairman

Fred Sands brings a proven track record of repositioning underperforming real estate and operating companies. Mr. Sands’ experience spans over three decades in a variety of asset classes, including retail, office, industrial, multi-family, and hotel. In addition to Vintage Real Estate, Mr. Sands also leads a successful private equity fund that focuses on mid-cap companies. Prior to launching the private equity fund, Mr. Sands was the Chairman and CEO of Fred Sands Realtors, the second largest real estate and financial services company in California, including wholly-owned and operated entities in the areas of title insurance, home warranty, mortgage banking, and escrow. During its operations, the company was staffed with 3,000 agents and 1,500 salaried employees in 67 offices (including franchised operations) and generated $9.4 billion in volume per year. The company, excluding the franchised operations, was ultimately purchased by Coldwell Banker in 2001. Mr. Sands also headed Sands Commercial, which became part of Charles Dunn in 1997.

Mr. Sands was honored as the recipient of the American Academy of Achievement Award. Former recipients of this prestigious award include: U.S. Presidents, Nobel Laureates, and entertainment industry executives. He was also named one of the “Top 25 CEOs of the Decade” by California Business magazine. In addition, Mr. Sands was appointed to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts by President George W. Bush and serves on its finance committee and to the California Arts Council by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mr. Sands is a founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art; he currently serves as a Trustee and is also a member of its investment committee. Mr. Sands is on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Opera of which he serves on its executive and investment committees. He is also on the Board of Chrysalis, a charity dedicated to the rehabilitation of homeless people in Los Angeles. Mr. Sands attended UCLA.

Executive Team

Brenton Watson (President), Keith Laird (Executive Vice President), and Oscar Para (Vice President of Finance), all worked together as executives at Westfield before moving their team to Vintage Real Estate in 2006--Westfield is a recognized pioneer in the regional mall world. Completing our Executive Team is Steve Jeppson, Vice President of Acquisitions.

Brenton J. Watson, President

Brenton Watson has over 15 years of real estate experience, including operations, development, management, and finance. In his role as President, Mr. Watson is responsible for overseeing the acquisition process, day to day operational activities, and implementation of the vision, goals, and strategic plan of the company. Mr. Watson has extensive experience in directing and managing regional malls and retail properties, and has the ability to create additional value through re-tenanting, maximizing operating revenue, strategic acquisitions, redevelopment, and financing.

Prior to joining Vintage Real Estate, Mr. Watson was Vice President of Westfield, a publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust which owns, develops, operates and manages regional malls and offices with assets under management in excess of $15.0 billion in the United States and $62.0 billion worldwide. Mr. Watson was responsible for directing and managing the financial affairs for the United States operations, development, acquisitions, and dispositions. Subsequent to Westfield, Mr. Watson was Vice President for Burnham Pacific in San Diego, California, a publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns, develops, and manages retail and commercial properties with assets under management in excess of $2.0 billion.

Mr. Watson has a degree in Finance and Accounting from the Edith Cowan University and currently holds both a Real Estate Brokers and General Contractor’s license in the state of California. He is also a member of ICSC and NAIOP.

Keith C. Laird, Executive Vice President

Keith Laird is responsible for leasing and asset management functions for the company’s existing core assets. He is also a member of the company’s Acquisitions Committee. Mr. Laird spent 18 years with the Westfield Group overseeing the management and leasing of Westfield owned properties in both field and corporate positions. In his role as Westfield’s Executive Vice President, Operational Leasing, Mr. Laird was responsible for the leasing and lease administration functions for the company’s 60 regional/super regional malls, totaling 65 million square feet.

Mr. Laird has a B.A in Business Administration and Marketing from Upsala College. He is an ICSC member and a previous member of the ICSC Specialty Leasing Planning Committee.

Oscar Parra, Vice President of Finance

Oscar Parra is responsible for all financial and accounting matters for the company, including external reporting, internal reporting, and the financial due diligence of acquisitions and dispositions. Mr. Parra also assumes key roles in asset management and is a member of the Acquisitions Committee.

Prior to joining the company, Mr. Parra held several positions with progressive responsibility at Westfield. In his role as its Director of Management Accounting, Mr. Parra managed a department of 71 professionals and was responsible for the reporting of over $1 billion in net operating income and over $15 billion in assets under management. Subsequent to joining Westfield, Mr. Parra served as Accounting Manager for Trammell Crow Company, one of the nation’s largest real estate developers with over $5 billion in active projects.

Mr. Parra has a B.S in Accounting from DeVry Institute of Technology.

Steven M. Jeppson , Vice President of Acquisitions

Steven Jeppson is responsible for sourcing and underwriting real estate investment opportunities. In addition, his responsibilities include those of Senior Analyst. In this role, he creates models for projecting real estate investments. Mr. Jeppson is also a member of the Acquisitions Committee.

Prior to joining Vintage Real Estate, Mr. Jeppson was the Acquisitions Manager for a private fund. He also served as an Acquisitions Analyst for the Archon Group, a division of Goldman Sachs. Mr. Jeppson started his career as a commercial broker with Cushman & Wakefield.

Mr. Jeppson has a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University.