About Cardinal Mark
Company Profile
Cardinal Mark Investments was formed to give Japanese institutional and high-net-worth investors a direct, trusted path into Southern California multifamily real estate. The joint venture pairs Capital Brain Co, Ltd. — a Tokyo-based investment management firm with two decades of Japanese client relationships — with VMG Properties, LLC, a Los Angeles operator with on-the-ground acquisition, management, and disposition expertise. The result is a single, managed vehicle purpose-built for Japanese capital seeking U.S. residential exposure.
The Partners
Los Angeles Partner
VMG Properties, LLC
VMG Properties, LLC, is a Los Angeles based real estate investment company focused on local residential strategies. As a company, VMG Properties has executed throughout the residential domain, including single family repositioning, single family ground-up development, and multifamily value-add reposition. The track record gives the firm accretive local knowledge to deliver outstanding risk-adjusted returns in all economic environments, throughout the real estate cycle.
www.vmgproperties.com →Tokyo Partner
Capital Brain Co, Ltd.
Capital Brain Co, Ltd. is a Tokyo, Japan, based investment management firm. Capital Brain seeks to increase investment value through operations in four core business areas: asset management, principal investments, business consulting, and wealth management. Established in 2001, the firm is committed to providing its clients with the best possible advice and services of the highest quality to meet their objectives.
www.capital-brain.co.jp →Leadership
Our Team
The Los Angeles management team is made up of Chris Orlando and Austin Rogers, partners from VMG Properties, and Benjamin Tsai, representing Capital Brain. The Tokyo team is led by Soichi Suzuki, President and CEO of Capital Brain.
Chris Orlando
Managing Partner
Los Angeles
Chris Orlando is a Founder of Cardinal Mark Investments and VMG Properties, LLC, where he oversees all aspects of asset management, project and construction management, and dispositions. Prior to VMG, Chris spent four years as Operations Manager for Pacific Land Management (PLM), acquiring and rehabilitating 23 distressed single-family assets in Southern California and Florida — realizing a 55% increase in portfolio value and yielding an 18% average return on investment. While at PLM, Chris founded COR Management Inc., completing 27 projects that yielded a 22% average return on investment. Prior to COR Management, he worked for Wells Fargo Bank as a CMBS analyst. Chris studied at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
Austin Rogers
Managing Partner
Los Angeles
Austin Rogers is a Founder of Cardinal Mark Investments and VMG Properties, LLC, where he oversees overall operations including acquisitions, financing, entitlements, and investor relations. Prior to co-founding VMG, Austin spent five years at Curt Pringle & Associates directing the strategy, entitlement, and development of market-rate and affordable multifamily housing, retail, and industrial assets throughout Southern California. Austin holds an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA, graduated cum laude with Phi Beta Kappa honors in Political Science from UC Irvine, and is a California licensed real estate broker.
Benjamin Tsai
Managing Partner
Los Angeles
Benjamin Tsai is a Founder of Cardinal Mark Investments and a trilingual financial executive with 15 years of proven success developing and marketing global investment solutions across Asian client segments. Prior to Cardinal Mark, Benjamin served as Head of Alternative Investments in Asia for Alliance Bernstein, and spent 12 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch as Managing Director of Structured Products across Asia. He holds an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA and a degree in Materials Engineering from UC Berkeley. Fluent in English, Japanese, and Chinese.
Soichi Suzuki
Managing Partner
Tokyo
Soichi Suzuki is the Founder of Capital Brain Co., Ltd. and Capital Brain USA, LLC, with over 30 years of experience in real estate investment, development, asset management, and distressed assets. As Head of Investment Banking at Risa Partners, Suzuki closed fund investments of over JPY 200 billion focusing on large properties. He holds a BA from Waseda University and is a Japan licensed real estate broker.