Who We Are
Arch Street Capital Advisors is a full-service real estate investment and advisory firm founded in 2003. We specialize in advising investors on their real estate strategies and have advised our capital partners on more than $9.7 billion in transactions. We manage a diverse portfolio of investments spanning multiple real estate sectors and risk-return profiles. As an organization, we possess significant transactional experience and expertise in servicing the needs of a wide variety of capital partners, including the specialized needs of Sharia-compliant capital partners.
We provide our capital partners with a single solution for investing in real estate. The range of services we provide includes acquisition; financing; restructuring; asset management; disposition; accounting; and coordination of legal, tax, audit and ownership entity structuring/maintenance.
Core Purpose
“To advance the interests of our capital partners by providing comprehensive and customized guidance to define and achieve their investment objectives”
We have been successful in establishing long standing relationships with our capital partners through a combination of transparency and alignment of interests. Our primary directive is to help our capital partners customize and execute bespoke real estate investment strategies while maximizing investment returns. We operate at our capital partners’ discretion, while providing expertise and advice to help them achieve their unique investment goals and objectives.
Approach
We work diligently with each of our capital partners to ensure a deep understanding of the commercial requirements associated with investing in various local markets. This includes a detailed discussion of the local real estate market and the associated risk/return profiles of various investment strategies.
As an organization we invest significant time in each capital partner’s decision-making process through constant collaboration with their investment teams and decision makers. As part of that effort and to operate more efficiently in the local commercial real estate market, we often suggest, modifications to a capital partner’s internal decision-making process to allow them to compete more effectively for local real estate investment opportunities.
Once our partner has a thorough understanding of the requirements of investing in real estate, along with a decision-making process that will allow them to effectively compete in the local marketplace, we actively pursue transactions on their behalf. This ensures that each of our capital partners is as successful as possible, while maintaining alignment of interests and expectations.
Experience
Our firm is comprised of team members with many years of relevant experience across various disciplines of the real estate sector including acquisitions, banking, dispositions, asset management, leasing and legal. On behalf of our capital partners, we have acquired long-term leased single-tenant assets and large, multi-asset portfolios of operationally complex assets. We have invested across the risk spectrum, from core to opportunistic transactions, and throughout the capital structure, including not only traditional equity investments, but also structured mezzanine and preferred equity investments.
Community
“Enhancing the Communities We Invest In”
Arch Street’s Community Enhancement Program is a mechanism for our capital partners to support the local communities they invest in. The program targets acute needs specific to each respective community we invest in, such as homelessness, food insecurity, education and tenant health & wellness. The program’s ultimate goal is to focus on the intersection between social and economic benefits, allowing our capital partners to make a positive impact on the communities adjacent to their real estate investment.
DEI
Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and achievements as well. Arch Street is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace in which all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the success of the business and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives.
Meet the Team
Anup Patel
Chief Executive Officer
Anup Patel is the Chief Executive Officer of Arch Street Capital Advisors. In his capacity as CEO, he is responsible for the operational oversight of the firm and its investment activities.
Joining Arch Street shortly after the firm’s founding, Mr. Patel has played an instrumental role in the firm’s investment and operational activities since inception. Prior to Arch Street, he worked at GE Capital in the North America real estate debt group, and prior to that worked as part of GE Capital’s private equity group. He has been a frequent speaker on topics relating to real estate investment and finance, including the intersection of Islamic Finance and commercial real estate investments and the implementation of acceptable investment structures. Mr. Patel has been featured as a guest speaker at New York University’s Shack Institute of Real Estate and Columbia University’s Real Estate Development program.
Mr. Patel holds a B.S. degree from Cornell University’s School of Hospitality Management.
Petra Conte
Executive Vice President
Petra Conte is an Executive Vice President at Arch Street Capital Advisors. Ms. Conte is involved in the ongoing asset management of investments made on behalf of Arch Street’s capital partners to ensure successful execution of the strategic plan established at acquisition.
Prior to joining Arch Street, Ms. Conte spent nine years as a Real Estate Manager/Underwriter with the RVI Group, focusing on Credit Tenant Lease transactions. RVI is a leading provider of insurance products to companies that are invested in asset intensive businesses including real estate. During her tenure at RVI, Ms. Conte actively managed a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate assets on behalf of various types of capital partners, including developers, REITs, municipalities, equity investors and lenders, with the objective of maximizing her capital partners’ cash yields. She was also an integral part of the company’s underwriting and risk management team, which was responsible for diversifying the company’s product offerings to insure new asset classes and expand into new international markets.
Ms. Conte holds a B.S. degree in International Business and Finance from Fairfield University.
Drew Ehrlich
Vice President
Drew Ehrlich is a Vice President at Arch Street Capital Advisors. Mr. Ehrlich is involved in the ongoing asset management of investments made on behalf of Arch Street’s capital partners to ensure successful execution of the strategic plan established at acquisition.
Prior to Arch Street, Mr. Ehrlich was a Vice President at Rethink Healthcare Real Estate, a real estate private equity firm. While at Rethink, Mr. Ehrlich was responsible for the strategic oversight of a portfolio of medical office properties and outpatient facilities. Prior to this, Mr. Ehrlich also held positions at Blackstone, EquityMultiple, and Vornado Realty Trust.
Mr. Ehrlich holds a B.A. in Business and Economics from Lafayette College and an M.S. in Real Estate Finance and Investment from New York University.
Richard Ellis
Managing Director Europe
Richard Ellis is the Managing Director of Arch Street Capital Advisors’ European business, based in the London office. In this capacity he leads the origination, asset management and execution of European investment deals, and is actively engaged with the firm’s capital partners.
Prior to joining Arch Street, Mr. Ellis co-founded and managed Amiri Capital for 14 years, a European commercial real estate investment firm with offices in the UK and UAE, focused on investing capital on behalf of foreign institutional investors. During his time at Amiri Capital, Mr. Ellis invested and managed over Eur 2 billion of assets across a wide range of sectors including office, logistics, and the living sector. Prior to Amiri Capital, Mr. Ellis was the Head of Venture Strategy at Lloyds Bank and a management consultant at L.E.K Consulting, a leading global strategy consulting firm.
Mr. Ellis holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics & Economics from the University of Oxford and an M.B.A. from INSEAD.
Craig Friedman
Founder
Craig Friedman is the Founder of Arch Street Capital Advisors, LLC, a real estate investment advisory firm based in New York, NY, USA and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Mr. Friedman founded Arch Street in 2003 and served as the Chairman of its Executive Committee until 2022.
Prior to founding Arch Street, Mr. Friedman was an investment banking professional at Deutsche Bank, BT-Alex. Brown & Co., and Bankers Trust Company. As a banker, Mr. Friedman raised capital for public and private real estate clients, with a focus on joint venture partnerships between U.S. real estate operating companies and non-U.S. institutional investors. Earlier in his career, Mr. Friedman worked as a lawyer for Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLC, serving real estate private equity and corporate clients.
Mr. Friedman is a summa cum laude graduate of Fordham Law School and received a B.S. in Management/Finance from Binghamton University’s School of Management. Mr. Friedman is a Benefactor of Columbia University and serves as the Co-Chairman of the Celiac Disease Center Council for Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Kailash Gupta
Chief Financial Officer
Kailash Gupta is the Chief Financial Officer at Arch Street Capital Advisors. Mr. Gupta oversees the financial control and operations functions of the firm and helps execute company strategy.
Prior to joining Arch Street, Mr. Gupta was the Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Fir Tree Capital Management, a multi-sector investment management firm. At Fir Tree, Mr. Gupta assisted in managing the financial control team responsible for the accounting, reporting, operations and administration of various real estate, private equity, and hedge funds. Previously, he was a senior auditor at PwC, advising several high-profile real estate funds. Mr. Gupta began his career at GulfBay Group of Companies, a real estate developer in Southwest Florida.
Mr. Gupta holds a B.S. and M.S. in Accounting and Taxation from Florida Gulf Coast University and an M.S. in Real Estate Development from MIT. He is a licensed CPA in New York and a CFA charterholder.
Oliver Ison
Vice President
Oliver Ison is a Vice President at Arch Street Capital Advisors, based in the London office. Mr. Ison focuses on originating, underwriting and executing investments and ongoing asset management of those investments.
Prior to Arch Street, Mr. Ison was a Vice President at Victoria Asset Management, the integrated real estate asset management business for Oaktree Capital Management. While at Victoria Asset Management, Mr. Ison was involved in the underwriting, analysis and execution of various development projects and acquisitions across Europe on behalf of Oaktree’s Opportunities Fund. Prior to Victoria Asset Management, Mr. Ison was an Associate in the Private Equity group at Shearman & Sterling LLP, a leading global law firm.
Mr. Ison holds a B.A. in History from the University of Reading and a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. Mr. Ison is also a qualified solicitor under the laws of England and Wales.
Bradley Kissell
Vice President
Bradley Kissell is a Vice President at Arch Street Capital Advisors. Mr. Kissell focuses on originating, underwriting and executing investments from an acquisitions and asset management perspective.
Prior to Arch Street, Mr. Kissell was an Analyst at Arbor Realty Trust, a national commercial real estate lender. While at Arbor, Mr. Kissell worked on the agency lending platform analyzing potential Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and bridge loans. During his tenure, Mr. Kissell reviewed over $2 billion worth of financing opportunities, performing due diligence and asset feasibility analysis.
Mr. Kissell holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Lafayette College.
Janele Kuzekeyeva
Senior Accountant
Janele Kuzekeyeva is a Senior Accountant at Arch Street Capital Advisors. Ms. Kuzekeyeva focuses on accounting and taxation compliance for investments made on behalf of Arch Street’s capital partners, which includes ongoing maintenance of ownership entities and adherence to controls involving funding and disbursements.
Prior to joining Arch Street, Ms. Kuzekeyeva worked at Free Country LTD as a Senior Accountant. Free Country is a wholesale retail company where Ms. Kuzekeyeva was responsible for managing the accounts payable and assisting the Controller in implementing efficient accounting procedures and ensuring overall effective internal controls in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Prior to Free Country, Ms. Kuzekeyeva was an Accounting Assistant at Premium Distribution Corp.
Ms. Kuzekeyeva holds a B.B.A degree in Accounting from Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York.
Michele Luxenberg
Executive Assistant
Michele Luxenberg is the Executive Assistant at Arch Street Capital Advisors. Ms. Luxenberg provides administrative support to the team and manages the daily operations of the office.
Prior to Arch Street, Ms. Luxenberg held positions at Lendlease, Goode Partners LLC, and Investcorp International Inc.
Ms. Luxenberg attended CUNY-Hunter College.
Gautam Mashettiwar
Executive Vice President
Gautam Mashettiwar is an Executive Vice President at Arch Street Capital Advisors. Mr. Mashettiwar leads the acquisitions team and focuses on originating, underwriting and executing new investments.
Prior to Arch Street, Mr. Mashettiwar was an associate at a $1.6-billion international-focused real estate private equity firm, where he was involved in the underwriting, analysis and coordination of various development projects throughout the country. Prior to that, Mr. Mashettiwar was with Jones Lang LaSalle, where he was responsible for assisting corporations such as Deutsche Bank, Hewitt Associates, McDonald’s Corp. and others with managing their corporate office space requirements and services globally.
Mr. Mashettiwar graduated from the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a dual degree: a B.S.E. in Economics from the Wharton School, and a B.A.S. in Computer Science from the School of Engineering.
Mark Schneider
Associate
Mark Schneider is an Associate at Arch Street Capital Advisors. Mr. Schneider is involved in the ongoing asset management of investments made on behalf of Arch Street’s capital partners.
Prior to joining Arch Street, Mr. Schneider interned with Principal Global Investors as a Senior Financial Analyst on the Financial Planning and Analysis team. Prior to that, Mr. Schneider served for five years as a U.S. Army Logistics Officer, stationed in Germany, Poland, Virginia, and Kentucky.
Mr. Schneider holds a B.B.A. in Finance, Investment and Banking and an M.B.A. in Real Estate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Suresh Shanmugam
Senior Vice President
Suresh Shanmugam is a Senior Vice President at Arch Street Capital Advisors. As a member of the firm’s Acquisitions team, Mr. Shanmugam focuses on originating, underwriting, and executing new investments.
Prior to Arch Street, Mr. Shanmugam held positions with the Cottonwood Group, C-III Capital, Brookfield Asset Management, and Babcock & Brown, where he successfully completed over $5 billion in transactions. Over the years, he was involved in the sourcing, underwriting, diligence, and the execution of various commercial real estate investments within the U.S. and abroad across all asset classes. Mr. Shanmugam started his real estate career in investment banking focusing on M&A and capital markets advisory at Credit Suisse.
Mr. Shanmugam holds a B.S. in Finance and Information Systems from Boston University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.
Zachary Smith
Senior Analyst
Zachary Smith is a Senior Analyst at Arch Street Capital Advisors. Mr. Smith focuses on originating, underwriting and executing new investments as a member of the acquisitions team.
Prior to Arch Street, Mr. Smith was an Associate at Bowery Valuation, a technology-enabled commercial appraisal firm, where he appraised mixed-use, medical office, and multifamily properties throughout the Northeast. Prior to that, Mr. Smith was a Project Manager responsible for creating scope, budget, and subcontractor schedules for residential reconstruction projects in New Jersey and New York.
Mr. Smith graduated from the University of Miami, receiving dual degrees in Economics and Business Management and a minor in Psychology. Mr. Smith is currently pursuing a M.S. in Real Estate Development with a concentration in Sustainable Development from New York University, Schack Institute of Real Estate.
Tim Trautmann
Associate
Tim Trautmann is an Associate at Arch Street Capital Advisors, based in the London office. Mr. Trautmann focuses on underwriting and executing investments, and ongoing asset management of those investments.
Prior to Arch Street, Mr. Trautmann was an Analyst at Capreon, a pan-European real estate private equity firm based in London. While at Capreon, Mr. Trautmann was responsible for the underwriting, analysis and execution of office and life sciences investments across the UK and Europe. Prior to Capreon, Mr. Trautmann was an Associate at Mellum Capital (formerly Brookfield Financial) in London. Mr. Trautmann started his career as an Investment Analyst at a Munich-based real estate development firm.
Mr. Trautmann holds a B.S. in Business Management from Cass Business School and a M.S. in Management & Strategy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.