WHO WE ARE
The Ohio River played a crucial role in the development of Ohio. In the 1600s, it served as a transport for entrepreneurs and explorers seeking new opportunities westward on the River. Later, the river served as a primary commercial shipping route connecting Ohio to the rest of the country.
Like the westward flow of the Ohio River, Brenen and Tom sought to leverage their experiences to drive catalytic growth in Central Ohio. Both grew up in small towns, and, prior to founding RiverWest Partners, developed skills and built relationships that connected them to some of the smartest and most successful investors and builders in the country. Through RiverWest, Brenen and Tom left their careers to connect buildings, neighborhoods, and businesses in Ohio to innovative ideas and capital.
OUR VALUES
These are core company values we live and breathe every day, whether at work, at a portfolio asset, or elsewhere. We are constantly seeking to work with people who share these values, and stress that each member of our team carries these with them at work and beyond.
Unyielding Integrity
Do the right thing.
Disciplined Tenacity
Hustle and stay focused.
Respectful Teamwork
Play nice with others.
Continuous Improvement
Be a work in progress.
Unapologetic Authenticity
You be you.
WHAT WE DO
WHAT WE DO
Development
Our projects move the needle. Catalytic investments transform neighborhoods and we develop sites that do just that.
Typically, our investments are multi-faceted mixed-use projects spanning multiple sites in a neighborhood.
We aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty and dig in to the many components of every project and manage the entire process from land assemblage to final building delivery and lease-up.
Residential and Commercial Services
The more we can align the incentives of real estate service providers with the properties they serve, the better their product will be.
In our case, our residential and commercial services companies are laser-focused on helping property owners and management teams to efficiently run their properties and overcome roadblocks and challenges. We operate a full range of businesses from plumbing to HVAC to pest control.
Our teams are intimately familiar with the importance of providing a high-quality service offering because they see the other side of the business every day as they provide services to our portfolio properties. We think this makes our service offerings uniquely compelling when selling to third-party clients.
Multifamily Investment
We are disciplined investors who seek undervalued assets and locations which can benefit from new capital investment and proactive management. The investments we make are frequently characterized by complexity that allows us to capitalize on outsized return potential for our investors.
We are vertically integrated owner-operators. We source, underwrite, raise equity and debt capital, redevelop, and manage all of our investments in-house through our property management company. By managing all investments in-house, we take complete ownership of and directly influence the profitability of each investment.
We provide our residents with great value at an affordable price. We treat them with respect, diligently address issues, and do what we say we will do. Our disciplined and values-driven approach reduces resident turnover and minimizes conflict while also providing outsized investor returns and outcomes.
Property Management
Our property management company sweats the small stuff. We work tirelessly to ensure that our residents get fantastic value and our investments perform at their highest levels. Many of our projects involve large-scale repositioning projects which we dive into with the grit and experience required to knock them out of the park.
RiverWest does not offer third-party property management services and instead is focused solely on managing our investments, keeping our property management company fully aligned with the investment goals of each property.
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Professionals
Tom Vetter
Co-Founder, Principal, and General counsel
Tom has been investing in real estate transactions throughout Central Ohio for 10+ years.
Prior to founding RiverWest, Tom was an attorney at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease law firm in Columbus. At Vorys, he represented real estate developers and investors throughout the full spectrum of the investment lifecycle. This experience included working on development projects and agreements, purchase and sale transactions, debt and equity financing transactions, zoning matters, leasing, and association management, among other areas.
His project sizes ranged from small commercial transactions and developments to multiple $1bn+ real estate transactions. Tom graduated magna cum laude from Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University. He graduated summa cum laude with Honors from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Brenen Palma
Co-Founder and Principal
Prior to founding RiverWest, Brenen worked as an Investment Associate at TowerBrook Capital Partners, a Private Equity firm co-headquartered in New York City and London with over $9bn of assets under management. At TowerBrook, Brenen focused his efforts on deal sourcing, transaction valuation and structuring, due diligence, financing of new investments, and portfolio company management. Brenen’s experience included the structuring and execution of for-control buyouts, structured equity and structured debt investments, and the refinancing of portfolio company bonds and bank debt.
Prior to his experience at TowerBrook, Brenen worked for Goldman Sachs in their Investment Banking division in New York City, where he worked on an array of transactions including debt and equity capital raising and mergers and acquisitions. Brenen graduated summa cum laude with Honors from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
INVESTORS
Our firm owes a great deal of thanks to our capital partners that make what we do possible. We have been fortunate to work with people who share our values, believe in us, and want to see the same catalytic growth in Ohio's core.
Our equity investors include a broad mix of both real estate professionals and those who don’t work directly in real estate. Our lender base includes a broad range of commercial banks, agency lenders, and private individuals. Our greatest commodity is the trust of our capital providers and every deal we do is structured to align interests and facilitate transparency.
We are always interested in meeting those who share our values and are interested in exploring a long-term relationship. If you have an interest in discussing further, reach out to us below and we can start a conversation.
Job Opportunities
Our core focus is to invest in and work with people who share our values. We are always looking for talented and reliable individuals interested in joining our growing team in Central Ohio. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more!
