Jeremy Friedman
CEO & Co-Founder
Jeremy Friedman is CEO and Co-Founder of Stoic Equity Partners. His primary roles include overseeing the company’s asset and project management teams and collaborating with its strategic legal and accounting partners. Jeremy co-founded Stoic in 2020 with his business partner, Grant Reaves.
Jeremy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table in commercial real estate, finance and investment. An experienced entrepreneur and business leader, Jeremy has co-founded and built three successful companies including Kaloosa Builders, Katapult Properties and Stoic Equity Partners.
His career began in investment banking in Memphis, TN where he served as an institutional bond broker for clients including banks, pension funds, insurance companies and mutual funds. In his roles as VP at NBC Capital Markets Group and SVP at Duncan-Williams, Jeremy helped clients maximize returns in their fixed-income portfolios and transacted over $1 billion in MBS and CMO securities.
Following his time in Memphis, Jeremy co-founded Kaloosa Builders in 2006 in Fairhope, AL. Under his leadership, Kaloosa built the first green certified home in the state of Alabama and one of the first LEED certified commercial projects.
Jeremy went on to work in the commercial real estate industry beginning in 2011, when he began working with retail developer Pate Holdings in Tuscaloosa, AL. His primary function there included disposition of the firm’s assets. His commercial career continued at Bellator Commercial Real Estate, where he met Grant Reaves, and they began laying the groundwork for the partnership that would become Stoic Equity Partners.
Jeremy lives in Fairhope, AL with his wife, Stephanie, and his three sons, Baxter, Huff, and Samuel. When not at work, you are likely to find Jeremy on a trail, in a campsite, or on the sidelines of one of his kids’ sporting events.
Grant Reaves
Managing Director & Co-Founder
Grant Reaves is a Co-Founder and Managing Director for the firm. Grant oversees the acquisition department, investor relations, portfolio management, and the firms debt relationships. Grant has been involved in over $200MM of real estate transactions throughout his career.
After studying business at Auburn University, Grant began his career in commercial real estate brokerage at the age of 21. Grant worked for regional brokerage firm, Bellator Commercial, selling properties in all major asset classes. After 2 years in brokerage, Grant developed a niche of selling limited service hospitality assets. In 2017 he moved to Marcus & Millichap to work in their National Hospitality Group to be able to expand geographic territory. This experience equipped him with essential skills in underwriting, deal structure, and portfolio management, which he now applies to Stoic's success.
Grant resides in Fairhope, AL with his wife, Lawren, and son, William. They are members of Church of the Apostles Eastern Shore.
Matt Porter
Director of Asset & Project Management
Matt Porter, a Virginia native and current resident of Spanish Fort, Alabama, serves as Head of Asset and Project Management at Stoic Equity Partners. His priority is creating value for Stoic's clients by maximizing investment performance. Matt joined the Stoic team in 2022 after a decade-long career in sales & operations management at global transportation giant, Penske Truck Leasing. During his ten years with Penske, Matt led high performing teams and business units at the local, regional and national levels across six different states. He excelled in the areas of sales, sales management, asset management, operations and leadership.
Matt participated in best-in-class corporate leadership training and led a special task force for analyzing and improving a key job function across the organization. Matt's management career has led him to positions in Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas and Alabama, where he met his wife Casey—a Fairhope native. Seeking to make the Alabama Gulf Coast his long-term home and explore a career in commercial real estate investment, he took a leap of faith and joined the Stoic team (and hasn't looked back since). Matt was born and raised in central Virginia.
He attended Bridgewater College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Kinesiology. In their spare time, he and Casey enjoy traveling, kayaking, hiking and exploring the outdoors.
Sam Jaquess
Acquisition Analyst
Sam joined Stoic Equity Partners in 2022 as an Acquisitions Analyst. He is responsible for sourcing and analyzing investments, managing due diligence items from contract to close, and building relationships with brokers and property owners. He has previous experience in sales for Vector Marketing and in real estate as a transaction coordinator. Sam has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Real Estate and a minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of Mississippi. At Ole Miss, he completed extensive training in commercial real estate processes, such as understanding optimal return for cash-flowing assets, valuation and appraisal methodology, and financial modeling using Excel and Argus. In Sam's free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with friends and family.
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Haley West
Staff Accountant
Haley is an experienced Staff Accountant with over two decades of expertise in commercial real estate accounting. She has a diverse background that includes commercial real estate development. This experience equips her to diligently manage the financial intricacies of Stoic Equity Partners. She works closely alongside our property managers to guarantee financial accuracy and efficiency in our financial operations.
With a robust background in both commercial real estate accounting and commercial development, and an accounting degree from the University of South Alabama, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Her hands-on experience and in-depth understanding of financial complexities in the real estate sector enable her to navigate challenges and provide strategic financial insight.
Haley resides in Fairhope, AL with her husband, Joey, and her 4 children, Kinsley, Kate, Tradis and Jonah Will. They are parishioners of St. Margaret Catholic Church.
Brent Barkin
Director of Business Development
G. Brent Barkin is Director of Business Development for the firm. Brent oversees investor communication and outreach, as well as spearheading the marketing and sponsorship opportunities for the firm.
After graduating cum laude from Princeton University, Brent returned to work for Shoe Station, his family’s retail business. Over the next 20 years he rose through the ranks to eventually become CEO (in late 2017), during that time expanding the company’s retail footprint to 21 locations in five states. In late 2021 Barkin successfully sold the family business to Shoe Carnival, Inc for $67M. Post transaction Brent acted as SVP of Expansion and Integration for Shoe Carnival, guiding his team’s efforts to identify additional locations for the Shoe Station banner. The fruits of those labors are now paying off, and the banner is projected to double in size within the next five years. In 2022 Barkin was named Retailer of the Year by the Alabama Retail Association.
Since his transition from Shoe Carnival Barkin has remained active in the area, with numerous roles on local boards, including the United Way of Southwest Alabama, Eastern Shore Arts Center and his current role as the Chair of the Mobile Chamber, the economic development arm of the region.
Brent resides in Fairhope, AL with his wife, Lauren, sons Joseph and Jackson, and daughter Jenny.