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Graaskamp on the Road – Nashville
Wednesday November 1, 2023 | 11:30am – 1:30pm
Board members and guests are invited to join us at this exclusive, invitation-only event designed to facilitate a fun, lively, and thought-provoking dialogue on important industry issues and trends. Michael Brennan, Irgens Executive Director of the Graaskamp Center, will provide a brief update on the Center and Wisconsin Real Estate Program before the keynote presentation by Ben Weprin is the CEO and founder of Adventurous Journeys (AJ Capital) Capital Partners.
Agenda
11:30 a.m. Registration & Networking
12:00 p.m. Lunch & Presentation
- Welcome & Update on the Graaskamp Center/Wisconsin Real Estate Program: Michael Brennan, Irgens Executive Director, Graaskamp Center
- Keynote Presentation and Q & A: Ben Weprin, CEO, AJ Capital Partners
1:30 p.m. Adjourn
Please note, the program will begin promptly at 11:30, so we encourage guests to arrive on time for networking. Please contact the Graaskamp Center at graaskamp@bus.wisc.edu with any event inquiries.
Ben Weprin, CEO and Founder, AJ Capital Partners
Ben Weprin is the CEO and founder of Adventurous Journeys (AJ Capital) Capital Partners. He founded AJ Capital in 2008 and has since grown the organization into an accomplished real estate and hospitality investment manager of 140 employees with over $5 billion in current investments and another $2.5 billion in equity under development. AJ Capital anchors developments in the core principles of placemaking and residentially inspired design, while applying the firm’s deeply rooted hospitality expertise to every project. AJ Capital’s portfolio includes over 100 assets in more than 50 markets worldwide, which span mixed-use, hotel, multifamily, single-family rental, office, retail and entertainment real estate.
In 2014, Weprin founded Graduate Hotels®, a thoughtfully crafted collection of hotels that reside in dynamic university-anchored cities across the U.S. and U.K., employing over 2,000 individuals. The platform has grown to 33 hotels in just nine years, with four more under development.
In 2021, Weprin launched Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts®, his second hotel brand, a collection of bespoke properties in the world’s most distinguished golfing destinations, including Rusacks St Andrews, which overlooks the legendary Old Course.
In 2023, Weprin partnered with Barry Sternlicht and Starwood Capital Group to launch Field & Stream Lodge, a branded hospitality platform aiming to create modern and affordable lifestyle lodging across the U.S. Field & Stream is an iconic American brand established in 1871, which brings great authenticity and brand recognition to a category of generic hotel offerings.
Further expanding AJ Capital’s capabilities, Weprin launched platforms focused on residential and mixed-use, including Outpost Residential®, a single-family rental platform with communities in the Southeastern region of the U.S. Additionally, AJ Capital launched a second platform in this space with Memoir Residential®, a branded multi-family platform positioned within high-culture urban neighborhoods. Weprin also leads AJ Capital’s vision for creative mixed-use projects, such as expansive neighborhood redevelopments in Nashville’s Wedgewood Houston and Miami’s Little River communities.
Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Weprin is a University of Tennessee graduate and holds his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
