COMPANY PROFILE
Cardinal Mark Investments, LLC is a joint venture between VMG Properties, LLC and Capital Brain Co, Ltd. The focus of the business is to provide comprehensive investment solutions to simplify investing in multi-family residential properties in Southern California.
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 reposition, 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.
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.
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 lead by Soichi Suzuki, President and CEO of Capital Brain.
Chris Orlando, Managing Partner
Chris Orlando is a Founder of Capital Mark Investments. He is also a Founder of VMG Properties, LLC and oversees all aspects of VMG’s asset management, project and construction management, and dispositions. Prior to VMG, Chris spent four years as Operations Manager for Pacific Land Management (PLM), where he acquired and rehabilitated 23 distressed single-family assets in Southern California and Florida, realizing a 55% increase in portfolio value and yielding 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 University of Southern California.
Austin Rogers, Managing Partner
Austin Rogers is a Founder of Capital Mark Investments. He is also a Founder of VMG Properties, LLC and oversees VMG’s overall operations including acquisitions, financing, entitlements, and investor relations. Prior to co-founding VMG, Austin spent five years at Curt Pringle & Associates, where he directed the strategy, entitlement, and development of both market rate and affordable multifamily housing, retail, and industrial assets throughout Southern California, including collaborating with local elected officials, real estate investment firms, as well as corporate clients such as CVS/Pharmacy, McDonald’s, and Chase Bank. Austin has an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA, and graduated cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in Political Science from UC Irvine. He is a California licensed real estate broker.
Benjamin Tsai, Managing Partner
Benjamin Tsai is a Founder of Capital Mark Investments. He is a trilingual financial executive with 15 years of proven success in developing/marketing global investment solutions across Asian client segments, with a focus in Japanese high net worth and institutional clients. Prior to Capital Market Investments, Benjamin was the Head of Alternative Investments in Asia for Alliance Bernstein, developing and marketing products including real estate, infrastructure, and hedge funds. Before AB, he spent 12 years with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, serving as the Managing Director of Structured Products across Asia, and subsequently Head of the Bank of America commodities desk in Asia. Benjamin has an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA, and graduated in Materials Engineering from UC Berkeley. Benjamin is fluent in English, Japanese, and Chinese.
Soichi Suzuki, Managing Partner
Soichi Suzuki is founder of Capital Brain Co., Ltd. and Capital Brain USA, LLC. His career spans over 30 years in the real estate industry and he is well experienced in real estate investment, development, asset management, property management and distressed assets. Prior to founding Capital Brain, he worked at Risa Partners and other domestic real estate development companies. As a board member and the head of investment banking at Risa Partners, Suzuki closed fund investments of over JPY 200 billion focusing on large properties, while demonstrating outstanding performance in principal investments focusing on small and medium properties. He is also experienced in managing companies in hospitality and in entertainment industry as a board member, successfully turning around the business. He has a BA from Waseda University and is a Japan licensed broker.