Financial Prowess, Industry Expertise and a Tight-Knit Team
With decades of experience and a highly skilled team, RockStep is transforming real estate investment for its partners. Andy Weiner, president of RockStep Capital, founded RockStep in 1996 and has built and developed over 9 million square feet of shopping centers since. Alongside Chief Investment Officer Tim Koltermann, he sat down to discuss RockStep’s advantage in the industry and share his perspective on the changing real estate market.
Investments That Stand Out
When discussing real estate investment, it’s imperative to examine the success of retail investment properties. In the past few years, these properties, especially those acquired by RockStep, have demonstrated tremendous cash flow that’s been hard to beat in other real estate sectors and shows no signs of slowing down.
“There is no other asset in real estate right now that has any of those types of characteristics,” Andy said, commenting on the ability of these properties to produce profits.
One additional benefit of retail real estate investments? The ability to develop these properties into even bigger investments, something RockStep specializes in.
“These assets come with property rights that allow for additional development or repositioning of existing vacancy, that way we can bring our experience in developing alternative uses that fit very well within a given city or community,” Andy said.
The average return on RockStep’s investments is significant and a number that is hard to replicate in today's market. And unlike many investment firms, RockStep has never lost a property.
“Our returns kind of speak for themselves, but rather for not focusing on the track record, but focusing on the fact that that track record was created during some major, major dislocations in retail and the fact that there are no assets that have been given back,” Tim said.
Industry Knowledge
In addition to the financial success RockStep’s properties are experiencing, Andy and Tim pointed out the industry knowledge to which the company has access. There are few investors who have the expertise to deal with the complexity of retail real estate, especially when it comes to developing these assets into something greater. The RockStep team has, on average, about 30 years of experience in the retail asset class.
They don’t just acquire properties and move on. RockStep experts use their knowledge to invest time and energy into every asset, repositioning them to meet the needs of a community, while at the same time creating revenue for investors. RockStep’s focus is on more than simply investing in property, but on turning these assets into community centers that bring vibrancy to the families who live there. Between its experience and track record, RockStep is second to none.
Success Beyond Profits
In addition to impressive portfolios and high cash flow, RockStep boasts a talented, tight-knit team that few companies can maintain. The quality of the RockStep team is unmatched, with dedicated and passionate employees who know the industry inside and out. On top of the decades of experience each employee brings to the table, RockStep’s company culture has created an environment that is focused on ethical business and selfless attitudes, with an emphasis on its 25 established ethical guidelines—The RockStep Way. As a result, RockStep has experienced major success.
“As we practice these behaviors, we lead to a very high-performance team, and that team, the Rock Steps and the history of our executives is very appealing to institutional investors because they're not just investing in an asset or an asset class–they're investing in a team,” Andy said of their ethical guidelines called the “Rock Steps.”
