King Crow

214-445-6001

King Crow is President of Crow Finance and Realty.
King Crow has spent 36 years in real estate finance, development, and banking. He began his career with JMI, a newly-formed REIT in Dallas. He managed the commercial real estate finance divisions for two financial institutions, First Federal Savings and Loan and First Commercial Bank, before starting Crow Mortgage Company, a mortgage brokerage and real estate development company operating in the southwest with offices in Little Rock and Dallas. King also served as chairman of the board and principal stockholder of a Little Rock financial institution, Arkansas Federal Bank.

From 1993 to 2000, King took a seven-year sabbatical to apply his business experience in the non-profit sector. He served as President of FaithWorks, an organization dedicated to connecting the resources and practices of the business community to nonprofit organizations to increase their capacity to reach more people and change more lives. From 1993 to 1998, he served as Executive Director of the International Headquarters of The CoMission, a partnership of more than 80 nonprofit organizations united to partner with the Government of the former Soviet Union to train educators in a Christian ethics and morality curriculum. The CoMission raised $70 million, to teach and support 2,000 Americans to train 50,000 teachers in 3,000 schools in 70 cities throughout the former Soviet Union, which in turn reached over 25 million students.

In 2000, King returned to the real estate finance business, starting Crow Finance and Realty, providing real estate investment banking services.

King was born in 1948 in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. He attended college at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, American College in Paris, France, London School of Economics, and graduated from the University of Texas, with a B. A. in Economics. He has been married to Anne Stinson Crow for 30 years. They have two sons and a daughter: Andrew, Peter, and Mary.

Peter Crow

214-445-6003

Peter Crow has 7 years of experience in the real estate industry. Following his graduation from The University of Texas in Austin in 2001, Peter worked for Spaulding and Slye Colliers International in Washington D.C. In 2003, Peter moved to Dallas to work with KeyBank Real Estate Capital as a portfolio manager. In 2005, he joined Crow Finance and Realty.

Peter received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and earned his Masters in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.

Brenda Blake

214-445-6032

Brenda Blake serves as Chief Financial Officer with Crow Finance and Realty, bringing over 27 years experience in financial management, operational leadership and profitability enhancement. Prior to joining Crow, Brenda served as CFO for McCaslin Development, an institutional quality developer of both residential and commercial properties in the southwest United States where she was responsible for financial analysis, investor/lender relations, and asset management. Brenda’s involvement began in the pursuit analysis phase of the project and carried through the development, leasing, stabilization and sale phases; overseeing completion of due diligence, entity formation and the closing for both the acquisition and disposition of each property. Additionally she was responsible for the asset management of these projects for the owners as well as the liaison between the owners, the general contractor and the on-site property management. In this capacity, she was involved in approving construction draws, approving operating budgets, setting rents, approving concessions, procuring insurance, contesting property tax valuations, coordinating annual audits (as required), tax filings and the overall project and partnership cash management.

Brenda graduated with highest honors from the University of Texas at Arlington with a BBA in Accounting and subsequently passed all parts of the CPA exam in the first sitting. In addition to 12 years of experience in real estate development, Brenda’s experience also includes 5 years in the audit department of KPMG (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell and Co.) and 10 years of financial management positions for several large companies in the various professional services industries.

Brenda is a nationally known author and has received several professional awards and honors, including the Accounting Excellence Award (TSCPA Educational Foundation) and was selected as one of the recipients of the CPA of the Year Award (TSCPA Fort Worth Chapter). Brenda is a member of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) and REFEA (Real Estate Financial Executives Association). In addition to professional interests, Brenda is active in her church, has served as Treasurer for Metro-Link, and is a SafeKeeper for The Family Place, both Dallas non-profit organizations.

Adam LeBlanc

214-445-6004

Adam LeBlanc has 4 years of experience in the real estate industry. Adam graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2004 with a degree in Real Estate Finance and began working as a tenant representation broker for the Industrial Properties division of Grubb and Ellis, building a large client portfolio of tenants and industrial property buyers. In 2005, Adam took a position with Centex Home Equity where he excelled as a loan officer for the Centex Fannie Mae department, originating and managing hundreds of first home mortgages. Adam has been with Crow Finance and Realty since 2006, where he has served as a Director for Business Development, adding to Crow’s client base and lender and equity relationships. He is currently working towards his CCIM real estate designation.

Henry Fink

In addition to GRDI ’s hospitality and real estate activities, Mr. Fink’s background includes corporate experience in Development and Asset Management with the Wynncor Group (Hong Kong Hilton, Malta Hilton, and Bali Hyatt), City Developments Limited (Singapore), Kerzner International (Bahamas), Hollywood Casino Corporation (USA), and a lodging partnership with the Rosewood Corporation (Texas). He also supervised the development of 22 hotel projects in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America as V.P. and Director of Projects of Posadas de México, SA de CV. As a licensed real estate agent, he has brokered transactions in commercial real estate, hotels and resorts.

Mr. Fink’s career spans projects throughout the world in the United States, México, Central America, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and Asia/Pacific.

• Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) designated by the AHLA
• Maître Hôtelíer, Confriérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs
• Texas Real Estate License
• Languages: English, Spanish, German, and Indonesian
• Received a degree in economics from the University of Texas in Austin and also studied International economic development, regional studies and languages at the University of Vienna, Austria (Institute of European Studies) and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D. F.

Sands Harris

Sands Harris and Associates, LLC
sh@sandsharris.com

Sands Harris is an award-winning Harvard educated architect and real estate executive with strong background in development and design including 16 years in the luxury multi-housing market. His recent experience has been devoted to the design and implementation of large mixed use and residential projects, including the $1 Billion phase two of Victory, a 72 acre master planned urban community in Dallas’ urban core that includes the famed W Hotel.

Professional experience includes mixed-use, retail, single family, multifamily, condominium and hotel. Some current highlights: Master plan, concept and program 91 acres in Frisco, TX; working in partnership with Margaux Development and Today Realty. Development of Marina Park in Rockport, TX, a retail / condominium mixed site overlooking the marina; working with the citizens, city government and Margaux Development establish new entitlements for downtown. Development of Zilker Park in Austin, TX, a luxury mid-rise condominium project on Town Lake; in partnership with John and Jeff Wooley. Development partner with Margaux Development for City Lights in Dallas, TX, an urban neighborhood containing retail, multifamily and a hotel.

Professional and educational credentials:

• NAHB MultiFamily Awards to for Quarters at Memorial, a development that Sands directed – “Best Luxury Multifamily Development – Primary Market)” and “Best Overall Sales or Leasing Campaign”
• Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts – Masters in Architecture with a self designed Real Estate Development track
• Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas – BA