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Hearthfire Capital
Hearthfire is building the self storage industry’s most durable and scalable self-storage investment platform, combining real estate assets, innovative technology, and extraordinary people to deliver outsized, risk-adjusted returns for our investors.
As self storage has proven resilient through major economic shifts and continues to consolidate at a rapid pace, our vision is to capitalize on this trend and become a top 50 owner-operator. We will achieve this by implementing our proven progressive investment model to construct a portfolio of value-add properties that will be rolled up into a premier brand of institutional-grade assets that utilize a cutting-edge tech stack and the top services in the industry.
We have assembled a team of industry experts across self-storage operations, revenue management, marketing, and technology to deliver an unparalleled customer experience and the highest potential returns for investors. We believe this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to capitalize on a market shift that is prime for our business model.
The pace of industry consolidation continues to pick up. Building market portfolios allows for the effective use of technology and economies of scale.
Cap rate compression has reached diminishing returns in the top 25 MSAs despite the low cost of capital. Decreasing cap rates in our target markets mean higher values for the same NOI.
Independent operators continue to cash out on the favorable market conditions. Concerns about tax rates and possible 1031 exchange legislation revisions are driving more operators to sell in the short-term.
REITs and larger private buyers need to place capital, and they are looking for better returns than what’s available in major MSAs. This market consolidation bodes well for huge exits.
Tenant base at these facilities is large, and owners are protected from the long-term vacancies that can occur in other commercial real estate categories. The short-term nature of the rentals also allows owners to quickly react to market conditions.
COVID created a huge demand for home-based office and learning environments, increasing the need for external storage space.
Rental rates have increased substantially year over year in secondary and tertiary markets as COVID has loosened geographic restrictions for well-paying jobs.
The consumer behavior that drives people to self storage (downsizes, renovations, and relocations) becomes more prevalent during economic downturns, lending a countercyclical feature to the sector.
Self storage is seeing a big increase in investor capital, flocking from other asset classes. No toilets, tenants, trash or eviction moratoriums!
The self storage tech revolution continues to advance and mature rapidly, allowing our tech focus to thrive.
Of assets under management for self storage since inception, as of 04/30/2024.
Including sophisticated investors, high net-worth individuals, trusts, SD 401k/ IRA and private entities.
Of total self storage space under management.
Including the US Central Bank, Private Equity, Finance, and Wealth Management.
Combined experience of 30+ years self storage operations experience, management of $1B+ of assets across 113+ locations, and $1B+ in completed transactions.
Including application development and deployment, project management and information security. Total technology experience includes billions of dollars in capital investments and transaction volume.
Total full lifecycle returns have generated 33% net levered IRR.
with a deep pipeline of ongoing acquisitions
Sergio is Co-Founder and CEO of Hearthfire Holdings, a Real Estate Private Equity and Development firm with over $75MM in self storage assets under management. His personal and company track record includes 9 successful property exits with an average return of over 25% IRR. His storied career in central banking enables superior financial and investment competency to identify and profitably enter and exit real estate, equity, business positions, and ventures.
Corinn founded Hearthfire Holdings with the belief in the power of real estate investing to change lives, and the commitment to turn that belief into a reality.
Since its founding in 2012, Hearthfire has grown and evolved significantly, but never strayed from this core pursuit – to create the ultimate durable investment platform that combines real estate, business, technology, and people to deliver amazing returns in wealth in all its forms.
Career Journey
Before Hearthfire, Corinn worked as a project manager for the Federal Reserve System, implementing technology systems on behalf of the US Treasury. Prior to her time within such a large-scale organization, Corinn worked in her family’s businesses – in real estate and law.
Corinn is a keynote speaker and thought leader on the self storage industry and on being a working mom entrepreneur. For over five years, she has led a local Meetup Chapter of The Real Estate InvestHer Community, founded to empower women real estate investors. She is an active member and regional organizer in women’s networking groups such as GoBundance Women, a community for female entrepreneurs.
Education
Corinn received a Bachelor of Music from California State University, Long Beach and a Master of Music from University of Southern California.
Just for Fun
In her free time, you will find Corinn with her daughter, exploring humanity and our world from a young child’s fresh perspective.
Mike brings over two decades of self storage leadership experience, with wide ranging responsibilities that have included operational management as well as third party and asset management.
Career Journey
Most recently, Mike led the rapid growth of the Store Space Storage portfolio as the Senior Vice President of Operations. Prior to that, he served for three years as a key member of the third party & asset management teams at Extra Space Storage in Salt Lake City, Utah. Earlier in his distinguished career, Mike served fifteen years in a variety of field operational roles for both Extra Space Storage and Public Storage.
Education
Mike is a graduate of The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Jeff has over 25 years of commercial real estate asset management and
transactional experience, across multiple asset classes, including office,
retail, and self-storage.
Career Journey
Jeff’s self – storage pedigree includes roles as the Senior Director of Real Estate at CubeSmart and the Managing Director of Acquisitions at Go Store It, where he led growth efforts through property acquisitions totaling over $400 million in direct investments and $700 million through joint ventures. He has also managed successful property dispositions valued at over $370 million. Previously, Jeff worked as an Asset Manager for CubeSmart’s Third Party Management team, acting as the primary liaison between clients and the company, and was responsible for the operational and financial performance of properties. He oversaw the annual budgeting process and the onboarding of new managed properties. Earlier in his career, Jeff held various roles in analyst, asset management, and transactional capacities with Grubb & Ellis, GMS Realty, LLC, and The Rubenstein Company. Additionally, he co-owned, built, and operated three Sport Clips men’s hair salon franchises for ten years before successfully selling the business.
Just for Fun
In his personal life, Jeff was actively involved in his children’s activities when they were younger, participating in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and soccer. Now that his children are grown, he enjoys spending quality time with his wife, dining out, and attending country music concerts together.
Michael is a proven real estate CFO and executive with success in both private and public markets over multiple business cycles. He is an executive leader and advisor to the CEO, responsible for overall financial management, capital strategy, and driving operational excellence in accounting, reporting, controls, and planning.
Career Journey
Michael was most recently CFO and member of the executive leadership team for Blue Onyx Companies, a vertically integrated multifamily real estate operator and developer. Prior to that, Michael was Co-Portfolio Manager for the global real estate securities strategy at Barings Alternative Investments, which outperformed the relative benchmarks and achieved Morningstar 5 Star status. Earlier in his career, Michael served in investment and asset management roles at EII Capital, Prudential Securities, Sovereign Investments, and Lehman Brothers. Michael began his career as a CPA and auditor at KPMG.
Education
Michael completed his undergraduate degree at SUNY-Albany in Albany, New York and obtained his MBA at Columbia University in NY. NY. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at Baruch College in NY, NY and Ramapo College of NJ. Michael is a certified public accountant (CPA), a credential he earned early in his career while working as an auditor at KPMG.
Just for Fun
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, playing golf, and volunteering with local youth sports programs.
Michael Cortese is a seasoned technology leader with over 30 years of experience in driving innovation and operational excellence in the Financial Services sector. Known for his ability to bridge the gap between IT and business, Mike is dedicated to enhancing efficiency through high-performance team building and the strategic use of shared platforms.
Career Journey
Michael Cortese’s career journey began at Juniper Financial, where he led technology initiatives at this startup, focusing on innovative solutions that laid the groundwork for future successes. He then transitioned to Chase, where he held key leadership roles, optimizing technology operations within a major financial institution. At Allianz, Mike contributed to technology advancements and operational improvements, further enhancing his expertise. His impactful work continued at The Federal Reserve, where he played a significant role in enhancing technology frameworks and processes. At MUFG, he further developed technology strategies to drive business success, showcasing his ability to align technology with organizational goals. Most recently, at Amazon, he assisted financial services clients in migrating their workloads to the AWS cloud, demonstrating his expertise in cloud technology and transformation.
Education
Mike earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Villanova University and a Master of Science degree from Penn State University.
Just for Fun
Outside of work, Mike enjoys spending time with his family, watching movies, relaxing at the beach, traveling, and playing golf.
Driven and results-oriented, Rob is a distinguished strategic sales and leadership executive with an exceptional 20+ year career, 13 of which have been dedicated to navigating the dynamic real estate landscape. Known for his grit, entrepreneurial spirit, and ability to deliver growth, Rob is a respected industry veteran poised to make an impact.
Career Journey
Rob has over 20 years of experience in strategic sales and leadership, with 13 of those years in the real estate sector. Initially focusing on the hospitality industry, he quickly adapted to working in infrastructure and self-storage investments. As Vice President of Investments, Rob directed capital-raising initiatives that drove growth and expansion, successfully sourcing properties and partners while also expanding the investor base and their returns. Transitioning into the real estate industry, Rob applied his sales and leadership expertise, holding roles at Store Space Self Storage and Spartan Investment Group, where he was responsible for sourcing properties and partners, as well as expanding the investor base and returns.
Education
Rob holds a bachelor’s degree in Business from Grand Valley State University, with specializations in Marketing and Finance.
Just for Fun
Outside of work, Rob is dedicated to his family, including his wife and two daughters. He enjoys reading, golf, skiing, rugby, soccer, tennis, and any other sports his daughters take on. Rob is also committed to his fitness, actively working on both his physical and mental health.
Joshua is a dynamic professional whose career journey reflects his expertise and passion for finance and real estate.
Career Journey
He began his career at Clifton Larson Allen (CLA), a prestigious top 10 global accounting firm, specializing in state and local government audits in Colorado and California. In October 2022, Joshua transitioned to the real estate sector with Spartan Investment Group. In the fall of 2023, he partnered with Rob Moreno, further advancing his career in capital raising and investment strategies.
Education
Joshua holds a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, focusing on Accounting with a specialization in Ethics, Law, and Justice.
Just for Fun
Originally from Southern California, Joshua moved to Denver in 2021. He enjoys an active lifestyle, participating in basketball leagues, snowboarding, golfing, and hot yoga. A dedicated sports fan, he passionately supports the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia Eagles.
Henry is a serial learner, especially when it comes to all things real estate. From becoming a licensed realtor in Utah to earning his Masters Degree in Real Estate Development, Henry has always sought out additional opportunities to learn and grow in the industry. He was exposed to self-storage early in his career with Extra Space Storage and realized its appeal through underwriting thousands of development and acquisition opportunities across the country. He leads acquisition efforts for Hearthfire Holdings and would love to chat about any opportunities you may have.
Career Journey
After starting his career in real estate as a residential realtor in Utah, Henry joined the Third Party and Asset Management team at Extra Space Storage. Henry led the underwriting efforts for outside partners on both the acquisition and development fronts. He also created the State of Third Party report, used by the executive team to track key performance indicators and growth opportunities nationwide.
From there, Henry spent some time in land acquisition and development with Ivory Homes, the largest home builder in Utah, where he led projects from origination through entitlements and gained valuable experience in deal negotiation and government approvals.
Most recently he acted as Investments Director for a real estate investment company focused on the development and acquisition of self-storage and retail mixed-use projects in primary and secondary markets throughout the United States.
Education
Henry received his Bachelor of Finance from University of Utah, and Master of Real Estate Development from University of Utah.
Just for Fun
Family is everything to Henry. He and Abby (his wife) are the lucky parents of two incredible kiddos, Cleo (2) and William (1 month). When not dressing up as Prince Charming or having dance parties with Cleo, Henry enjoys all things sports, from golfing to cheering on the local high school basketball teams. Abby and Henry are also avid travelers and love visiting London, England where they first met as volunteers for their church in 2015.
Pete brings over 22 years of experience leading real estate development and construction, for public and private clients across laboratory, health care, education, stadium, government and civil sectors. Pete loves development and construction and is driven to deliver maximum efficiency and accuracy in his work.
Career Journey
Most recently, Pete led development efforts for Extra Space Storage, across the US Midwest and Northeast regions. He started his career by working for a general contractor where he successfully managed large, multi-story, multi-million-dollar projects for multiple different government and private clients. This experience allowed Pete to gain knowledge from several different owners and developers before making the change to work directly for the owner (developing entity).
Education
Pete has a degree in Construction Science from the Texas A&M University – Commerce.
Just for Fun
In his free time, Pete spends the majority of his time with his partner Marissa and their three children Tucker, Ellen, and Brody. They enjoy going to any type of live event: from sports, to a play, comedy show, music festival, or the local fair. Pete also enjoys spending time outdoors, golfing, skiing, and traveling as long as it includes relaxing by the pool, lake, river, or beach.
Daniel Paetzold, our esteemed Senior Construction Manager, has a rich career spanning over 22 years. He has been at the forefront of real estate development and construction across various sectors including retail banking, disaster recovery, residential new construction, and self-storage entities. His career journey is both diverse and impressive. He recently served as a project manager consultant for Extra Space Storage, overseeing projects across the US Midwest and Northeast regions. His career began with several nationally ranked homebuilders, where he successfully managed large-scale single-family and multi-family housing developments. His portfolio also includes roles as a Senior Program Manager for disaster recovery programs in New Jersey and Texas, and a key role in overseeing retail renovations for TD Bank.
Education
On the academic front, Daniel holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ.
Certification
There is no specific certification mentioned in the provided content.
Just for Fun
When he’s not managing construction projects, Daniel loves spending quality time with his wife, Stephenie, and their three children, Jack, Molly, and Henry. He is a proud parent, often seen cheering on his children at youth sports events and school band performances. A hands-on dad, Daniel also coaches his children’s baseball, basketball, and football teams. An outdoor enthusiast, Daniel cherishes his time at the Jersey Shore or cheering for the Phillies at a baseball game.
