Experience

Engine Real Estate

• United States
• Real Estate
• 1 - 100 Employee

• CEO

  • Jan 2013 - Present

  David began his real estate career in over 20 years ago in the structured finance side of the business. In 1994, David joined Nomura Securities in New York and subsequently moved to Los Angeles to co-head the Western Region loan origination effort where he went on to originate in excess of $5 billion in debt and equity investments over a 5-year period. David subsequently went on to establish the Los Angeles office of CDC Mortgage Capital where he helped to position CDC as an innovator in the CMBS market. In 2002, after 3 years at CDC, David moved to Bear Stearns in Los Angeles where he became Managing Director and group head for large loan originations of the Los Angeles office, responsible for originating over $1 billion in debt per year for 2 consecutive years. In 2004, David moved to the principal-side of real estate and founded Pacific Star Capital, a Los Angeles-based shopping center owner/operator, with over $200 million of shopping center located in assets in 5 states. In 2007, David stepped away from the day-to-day operation of Pacific Star to become president of JRK Birchmont Advisors and its $203 million private equity fund, Birchmont Capital Partners I. In his capacity as president of the fund division, David was responsible for leading a team that invested in 13 separate real estate investments ranging from multifamily to office properties, worth an estimated $1 billion. In 2009, David returned to Pacific Star to rejoin with co-founder Aria Mehrabi in the daily operation of Pacific Star Capital and its various investments. In 2014, David established Engine Real Estate with Jeffrey Birkmeyer through which they focus on acquiring and renovating properties throughout Downtown and Northeast Los Angeles. David holds a BSM from Tulane University in New Orleans and is a member of the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors and is an active fund- raiser for the hospital with his wife, Elyse.