About Us
With an average experience of more than 20 years in the real estate industry, Valhalla Financial’s officers and personnel have experience in every facet of the real estate field including:
(i) land acquisition,
(ii) development,
(iii) financing,
(iv) refinancing, and
(v) sales.
Valhalla Financial’s management team is positioned to capitalize on their extensive experience facilitating real estate transactions of all types to maximize your investment.
Key principals include Marc Schuster, who brings years of experience in handling complex real estate sales, acquisitions, development, and construction finance, investment real estate marketing, and retail leasing analysis; Jeff Gugick, who has a wide spectrum of real estate fund management experience, and Gordon Dickson, an entrepreneur and environmental and real estate attorney.
Leadership
Marc Schuster
Mr. Schuster is one of the founding member of Valhalla Financial, Inc. He has been the Company’s President and CEO since its inception in early 1997. In addition, Mr. Schuster is the owner, President and Chief Executive Officer of SCHU Mortgage & Capital, Inc., a California based firm engaged in the purchase and sale of distressed assets, and development of both commercial and residential properties.
The firm is well respected in the industry for its ability to research and market the sale of real estate investments to public and private investors. Its expertise includes the complete oversight of all aspects of the negotiations, contracts, and successful closings of multi-million dollar commercial and residential real estate transactions. Mr. Schuster is also retained as a consultant to a number of large, well respected, and recognized investment-banking firms where he is responsible for structuring and funding multi-million dollar real estate financing.
Prior to his involvement with Valhalla Financial, Inc., Mr. Schuster was vice president and general manager of Confidential Mortgage Corporation, a recognized commercial and residential mortgage broker and real estate development organization. Mr. Schuster has held numerous other real estate related positions including marketing vice president at Inland Valley Properties - Commercial Real Estate. While there, he handled real estate sales, acquisitions, development, construction financing, and investment real estate marketing. Additionally, he interned as a retail leasing analyst for Epsteen & Associates. An impressive asset that Mr. Schuster brings to the organization is his closing of and consulting on more than one-half Billion Dollars in real estate transactions over the last twenty years. Mr. Schuster graduated from San Diego State University in 1986 with a B.S. degree in Business Administration.
Jeff Gugick
Mr. Gugick is a successful investment banker and private equity investor specializing in structured and corporate finance, private equity, and commercial real estate. In addition to his involvement with Valhalla Financial, Inc., Mr. Gugick serves as Managing Director of Reason Capital Group, a middle market LBO sponsor. Mr. Gugick previously was Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer for the Utendahl Group (“Utendahl”), which included Utendahl Capital Partners, L.P., an investment bank, broker/dealer, Utendahl Capital Management, L.P., a $2.4 billion fixed income focused asset management company and private equity funds.
Mr. Gugick created and managed the private equity fund operations at Utendahl. This included, creating innovative business models, initiating acquisition plans and implementing programs including the raising of capital for three first-time private investment partnerships for innovative products that managed over $300 million. One of these two funds is focused on acquiring and managing commercial real estate in major inner city areas, the other is focused on making private equity investments in the franchise restaurant industry, and the third is a middle market corporate mezzanine debt fund. Mr. Gugick has managed multiple commercial and residential mortgage and asset backed asset sales aggregating over $2.5 billion resulting in record recoveries for clients.
Prior to Utendahl, Mr. Gugick held senior positions at Greenthal Harlan Realty Services Company, (an affiliate of Castle Harlan, Inc.), the Dime Savings Bank (now JPMorgan Chase) and Citicorp/Citibank. Mr. Gugick received his B.S. degree from Syracuse University, his MBA degree in Finance from Emory University’s Goizueta Graduate School of Business Administration, and has completed the Citicorp Institute for Global Finance executive credit training program. Mr. Gugick holds the following licenses: General Securities Principal (Series 24), General Securities Representative (Series 7), Uniform Securities Agent State Law (Series 63), and New York State Real Estate Brokers License.
Brandy Gray
Ms. Gray has been with Valhalla Financial Inc since early 2012. She specializes in all phases of the acquisition and dispositions of Real Estate including management of acquisition activities including site selection, review, assessment of market value and suitability for intended use, comprehensive physical and legal due diligence, negotiation of note purchase agreements, and funding and/or financing analysis and disposition alternatives.
In addition, Ms. Gray is the Broker and Vice President of SCHU Mortgage & Capital, Inc., a California based firm engaged in the debt and equity financing of commercial properties and development projects nationwide.
Prior to her involvement with Valhalla, Ms. Gray ran a real estate finance office specializing in lending to developers. Ms. Gray was also the founder and president of Aaxxon Communications, Inc., where she obtained WBE (women owned business) certification and procured SBA financing for the technology company that utilized government funds to upgrade the technology in low income school districts and health care institutions.