OUR TEAM

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Our Team

Jim Shute

Sr. Managing Partner Operations,

Jim Shute manages the day-to-day operations for Pacific Sands Funds. Prior to starting Pacific Sands, Jim founded J.W. Shute Inter-national in 1996, a company that provides quality development and real estate consulting services to a select clientele. J.W. Shute International has updated and repositioned over 100 single-family rental properties throughout Southern California and Nevada and has developed several single-family and multifamily projects over the last 20 years. He is also a licensed CA real estate broker since 1989. Jim graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and has an MBA from the University of Southern California.

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Ryan Mansour

Sr. Managing Partner Business Development,

Ryan Mansour is responsible for developing the overall strategy for the Pacific Sands Funds, including identifying potential investment opportunities and directing the focus of the company. Formerly an executive at Mattel and Warner Bros, Ryan started purchasing multi-family assets in Long Beach and the South Bay in 2002 while obtaining a master's degree in International Economics from the University of Southern California. Over the last 10 years, Ryan has been involved in over $100mm in real estate transactions spanning 4 different markets. Ryan also has an MBA in Finance from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, and he sits on the advisory board for the Loyola Marymount University Real Estate Advisory Council.

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Niklas Bringleson

Managing Partner Marketing & Research,

Nik Bringleson is Managing Partner and Chief Research Officer at Pacific Sands Funds and he oversees the research behind investment opportunities and potential real estate markets. Nik began his career as a certified commercial appraiser over 15 years ago. As a certified commercial real estate appraiser Nik has appraised over $4.0 billion in assets for commercial lenders. Nik is also an independent real estate consultant focused on feasibility studies, real estate developments, and investments. Nik graduated from University of California, San Diego.

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Geoff Kudlacz

Managing Partner Midwest Asset Management,

Geoff Kudlacz is Managing Partner and Senior Asset Manager of Pacific Sands. He oversees acquisitions, due diligence and operations of assets in the entire Midwest region for Pacific Sands. His day-to-day focus is construction management, financial analysis and operational enhancements among others. Prior to joining Pacific Sands, Geoff founded Integrity Cash Homes, a firm which focuses on acquiring and remodeling both commercial and single family homes in Kansas City. Geoff also spent 5 years in the United States Air Force as a commissioned officer and nuclear missile operator. Geoff earned a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Missouri – Columbia and an M.B.A. from Columbia College.

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Adam Hartzell

Managing Partner Texas Asset Management,

Adam founded Hartzell Properties, a privately-held real estate portfolio and alternative investment management firm in 2013. Prior to that he served as a Private Wealth Banker in the Pacific Northwest for the J.P. Morgan Private Bank, overseeing a total asset base of $200M and advising clients on equity, fixed income and hedge fund investment opportunities. He also enjoyed a 14 year career in New York City as an institutional sales executive and trader with Credit Agricole Commercial and Investment Bank, specializing in European and Asian investment products. Adam holds a B.A. in International Relations from Occidental College, with a double minor in Economics and Japanese.

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Ryan Johnstone

Financial Analyst,

Ryan Johnstone graduated from Texas A&M and has over 15 years of of real estate /transaction experience. He is also a sophisticated real estate investor.

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Danny Cooper

Outside General Counsel,

Danny is a Partner at Cooper & Huber in Long Beach. Danny graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in International Studies in 2004 and obtained his law degree from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles in 2007. He has been an active member of the California State Bar.

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Tori Shute

Project Administrator

Originally from Irvine California, Tori graduated in 2022 from University of California Santa Barbara with a BS in mathematics from the College of Creative Studies. At UCSB she conducted research in graph theory on graceful labelings of spider trees. She also has worked to help coordinate events and community service in various campus organizations.

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Board of Advisors

Ghassan Hakim

ADVISOR

Recently retired from full time employment, Ghassan is currently providing senior advisory services to organizations with a focus on global financial services, back office operations and technology. Ghassan most recently served as a Senior Vice President at Franklin Templeton and CEO of Riva Financial Systems, a subsidiary of Franklin Templeton. Ghassan earned his B.S. degree from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, and an M.B.A., Systems Management, from DePaul University, Chicago.

Nick Karamanos

ADVISOR

Nick is Senior Vice President of Entertainment Partnerships and Business Development at Mattel, Inc. He and his team are responsible for analyzing and negotiating deals with intellectual property holders, from established partners including Disney, Universal, and Microsoft to up-and-coming influencers and content creators. Nick earned a Bachelor of Political Science from the University of Michigan and a MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business.

Matt Petersen

ADVISOR

Matt has served in various management roles at blue chip companies including Pepsico, Mattel, Jafra and most recently as CEO of Neato Robotics, a key player in the robotic vacuuming category. In addition, Matt has been a board member with Neato for over five years. Matt is also an active real estate investor and has invested privately and as part of larger investments across the country. Matt attended Boston College.

Kevin Trussell

ADVISOR

Kevin has over 30 years of experience in the lumber, flooring and construction industry. He also is a leader in the Orange County business community. Kevin earned a bachelor’s in Business Management and Human Resources from Washington State University.

Cliff W

ADVISOR

Cliff has been in the entertainment industry for over 15 years working in a finance and operations capacity, and is currently at NBCUniversal. He's also passionate about investing in real estate. He earned both his BA & MBA from Loyola Marymount University, and is the co-chair of the Career & Professional Development committee for the LMU Finance Council.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide the best in class capital preservation and growth opportunities via superior asset management and ownership of strong multifamily properties in emerging U.S. Markets.