Team
Richard Ackerman
Chairman, Senior Managing Principal
Mr. Ackerman is the Founding Chairman and Senior Managing Principal of Big Rock Partners (BRP), which he formed in 2004. Prior to BRP, Mr. Ackerman was the Head of the Los Angeles office of Apollo Real Estate Advisors, a global private equity firm that has invested over $7 billion of equity. Mr. Ackerman oversaw all investments in the West Coast of the United States and in Japan.

From August 1999 to April 2001, Mr. Ackerman was appointed by Apollo as Chief Executive Officer in order to restructure Atlantic Gulf Communities Corporation (an Apollo portfolio company), a publicly traded development and asset management company whose primary operations included the development and sale of home sites and land tracts and the construction and sale of oceanfront condominiums.

From September 1996 to August 1999, he was President and co-founder of Crocker Realty Trust, a private REIT (an Apollo portfolio company) specializing in the ownership and development of office space in the southeastern United States. Crocker Realty Trust raised additional capital from affiliates of Fidelity Management and Morgan Stanley.

Prior to 1996, he was president and co-founder of Crocker Realty Investor, a publicly traded REIT (a portfolio company of the first Apollo Real Estate Investment Fund) specializing in the ownership and development of office space, until its sale to Highwoods Properties, Inc.

Mr. Ackerman is currently on the Board of Directors for Tulane Law School and instructs as an Adjunct Professor. Mr. Ackerman is also a former Director of Summerville Senior Living, Inc., which is one of the largest assisted living companies in the nation. Mr. Ackerman graduated with a B.A. from Tulane University and a J.D. from the Tulane School of Law.
Michael C. Fong
Mr. Fong is Founder, Chairman, and CEO of JF International, a private equity and investment firm established in 2001. From 1992 to 2000, Mr. Fong was the Managing Director of the ALJ Group which is one of the largest private enterprises in the Middle East based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Mr. Fong was also the President of Jaymont, Inc. which is a major real estate developer in the United States with prime prestigious CBD properties in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, Orlando and other cities throughout the country. From 1979 to 1992, Mr. Fong served as President of Intercap Investments, Inc. which is a large private real estate developer in commercial and mixed-use projects in South Florida. Mr. Fong started his business career with Ross Perot's Electronic Data Systems in 1969 and also a Vice President with DuPont Glore Forgan, Inc. and DuPont Walston, Inc. in New York.

Mr. Fong has actively participated and served in many community organizations such as President of the Greater Miami Youth Symphony, President of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, and was a member of the Beacon Council and on the Visiting Committee with the University of Miami.
Robert Gold
Development Partner
Mr. Gold is a Development Partner at Big Rock Partners and is currently overseeing the development of its Malibu assets. Prior to his involvement with Big Rock Partners, Mr. Gold spent over 20 years managing his own firm as a real estate attorney in New York City with extensive experience in real estate development in the luxury residential market, as well as representing owners in a wide range of real estate transactions involving land use and public incentives issues. Mr. Gold represented clients in the rezoning of a 175,000 square foot building in New York City and in the assemblage and development of a seven acre, 250,000 square foot retail center in the Bronx.

Previously, Mr. Gold was both a partner in Washington Square Partners, Inc., a real estate development and advisory firm, and its affiliate Arch Brokerage, Ltd., a boutique real estate brokerage firm that in 2006 represented a purchaser of a portfolio of apartment buildings in New York City.

Mr. Gold received his A.B. from Washington University in St. Louis and his J.D. from American University's Washington College of Law. Mr. Gold is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the Real Estate Board of New York and is a licensed real estate broker in New York State.
Bennett Kim
Mr. Kim was most recently Head of Acquisitions for Carefree Communities, the fifth largest national owners and operators of manufactured housing communities and RV parks with 103 communities and 28,000 sites. Mr. Kim executed over $370 million of acquisitions, which included 20 MH and RV communities. Mr. Kim re-joined Mr. Ackerman with whom he had worked for 14 years prior to Carefree.

Prior to Carefree Mr. Kim was the Chief Investment Officer at Big Rock Partners and was responsible for acquisitions, development, asset management, and dispositions. BRP is an opportunistic real estate investment firm that has invested in and managed over $800 million in assets. Prior to BRP, Mr. Kim was a Vice President at Apollo Real Estate Advisors, a global private equity firm that has invested over $7 billion of equity. Mr. Kim was responsible for new investments and investment management from 2000 to 2006 including the development of a $400 million mixed-use project that consists of two hotels, two condominium towers, retail, office and structured parking. Mr. Kim also formulated work-out strategies for one of the largest assisted living companies in the nation.

Between 1999 to 2000, Mr. Kim was an Assistant Vice President at Oaktree Capital Management, where he evaluated and executed investments in the U.S. and Japan for funds then totaling $1.7 billion of equity.

Previously, Mr. Kim worked as an Associate at Merrill Lynch Real Estate Investment Banking, where he evaluated financing alternatives for public and private real estate companies. Mr. Kim also worked as a Senior Analyst at Walt Disney Imagineering and as an Analyst at Disney Development Company. In addition to evaluating investments and development opportunities of conventional real estate assets, Mr. Kim led feasibility studies for the development team of Disney's California Adventure, a $2 billion theme park, and helped structure a $500 million municipal bond deal through tax increment financing.

In 2006, Institutional Investor News selected Mr. Kim as one of "The 20 Rising Stars of Real Estate" in the nation. Mr. Kim graduated with an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics from UCLA.