BentleyForbes » BENTLEYFORBES NAMES BOARD OF DIRECTORS; APPOINTS THREE INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS TO JOIN WITH FIRM’S EXECUTIVE LEADERS

BENTLEYFORBES NAMES BOARD OF DIRECTORS; APPOINTS THREE INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS TO JOIN WITH FIRM’S EXECUTIVE LEADERS

National Real Estate Investment Company Forms Board Made Up of Seasoned Experts in Real Estate, Finance and Organizational Structure to Direct Strategic Growth and Operations

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (July 14, 2011) — BentleyForbes, a privately-held national real estate investment company headquartered in Los Angeles, today announced the creation of a Board of Directors to guide the firm’s investment, organizational and growth strategies moving forward. As part of the formation process, BentleyForbes has appointed three independent directors to join its Executive Committee on the newly formed Board.

“We have assembled a team of seasoned advisors to create a Board of Directors that will consult with our Executive Committee as we move forward with our strategic growth plans,” said C. Frederick Wehba II, president and CEO of BentleyForbes. “The independent directors that were selected have a depth of experience in key areas relevant to our operations, and we look forward to their contributions as our company moves forward into our third decade of operations.”

These independent directors will meet monthly with the BentleyForbes Executive Committee, which consists of the company’s Chairman, President & CEO, and Chief Operating Officer, to advise and consult on strategies relating to growth, organizational structure, portfolio management, capital markets and investment opportunities.

The BentleyForbes Board of Directors will consist of the following independent directors and executive leaders:

Eric Sussman, MBA, CPA – Mr. Sussman has been a lecturer in accounting and real estate at the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management since 1995, where he has been voted Teacher of the Year ten times by Anderson’s MBA students, and has been awarded the Citibank Teaching Award (1998) and the Neidorf Decade Teaching Award (2008), both voted upon by a committee of faculty members. He has also received recognition by Business Week as one of the Anderson School’s ‘Outstanding Faculty’. Outside of campus, Mr. Sussman is president of Amber Capital, Inc., Manager of Fountain Management, LLC, and Managing Partner of Sequoia Real Estate Partners and the Pacific Value Opportunities Fund, which collectively employ 23 individuals, and which have acquired, rehabilitated, developed, and managed over 1,700,000 square feet of residential and commercial real estate in the past 15 years.

Roderick Wood – Mr. Wood has 40 years of professional local government experience with one year as a personnel analyst, 8 years as a city planner, 7 years as an assistant city manager and 24 years as a city manager. He has experience in all aspects of local government. Most recently, Mr. Wood completed 6 years as City Manager of the City of Beverly Hills, California. He has served as city manager in all four of the cities he has served in local government in California which were Beverly Hills, Novato, Indian Wells, and Escondido. He has managed redevelopment, utilities, private airports, and commercial development of public land.

Douglas K. Freeman, JD, LL.M – Mr. Freeman is Senior Managing Director at First Foundation Advisors where he provides strategic planning and organizational management advice for business, nonprofit, foundation, and family clients. From 2005 through 2008, he was recognized by Worth Magazine as among the 100 top attorneys in the United States. He is the founder of National Philanthropy Day, proclaimed by Congress and celebrated throughout the United States since 1986. Mr. Freeman also serves as Adjunct Professor, UC Irvine School of Law. In addition, Mr. Freeman is the author of three books, The Legacy Family… The Definitive Guide to Creating a Successful Multigenerational Family (Palgrave MacMillan, 2009), The Founder’s Guide to the Family Foundation (Council on Foundations 2005), and Estate Tax Freeze: Tools and Techniques (Matthew Bender, 1984), as well as over 30 articles and treatises on philanthropy and wealth planning.

C. Frederick Wehba – Mr. Wehba founded BentleyForbes in 1993 with family members and today serves as Chairman of BentleyForbes and as a standing member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Since its founding, the firm has completed commercial real estate transactions valued in excess of $5 billion in markets across the U.S. Prior to founding BentleyForbes, Mr. Wehba gathered extensive experience in several industry sectors, including retail services as a successful owner and operator of grocery stores in the Midwest, product manufacturing and commercial real estate as a private developer and investor. While Mr. Wehba’s successful professional career includes for-profit businesses, the advancement of various philanthropic initiatives remains his life-long passion. Accordingly, Mr. Wehba, now focuses a significant amount of his time and attention towards political and community projects relating to social issues such as health, education, public affairs, cultural enrichment, church community formation and poverty eradication.

C. Frederick Wehba II – Mr. Wehba serves as president & CEO of BentleyForbes and is a standing member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Along with other Wehba family members, he co-founded BentleyForbes in 1993. Since that time the firm has completed commercial real estate transactions valued in excess of $5 billion in markets across the U.S. Mr. Wehba contributes to all areas of the Company and its operations, ensuring the firm’s business goals and strategic development in key real estate markets. His nearly two decades of real estate investment experience has also solidified his involvement in the nation’s leading real estate broker network, so he is able to source appropriate product and consistently reposition the Company’s portfolio within the most active U.S. markets.

Anthony Manos – Mr. Manos serves as Chief Operating Officer for BentleyForbes and its affiliated companies. In this capacity, Mr. Manos is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company and its portfolio of properties. He brings nearly 35 years of commercial real estate organizational, investment, finance, development, leasing, and asset management experience to BentleyForbes. During his career, he has held senior executive positions with The Irvine Company, Brookfield Properties, Westfield, Catellus, Watson Land Company, Kilroy Realty Corporation, and Deloitte & Touche.

About BentleyForbes:

BentleyForbes is a national real estate investment firm founded in 1993. The Company is focused on the acquisition, ownership and management of commercial real estate in the office, industrial, mixed use, retail and hospitality sectors. Typical investments for the Company range from $10 million to $500 million and beyond, emphasizing Class A commercial properties in top CBD or regional submarket locations. Furthermore, the Company is recognized for its expertise in the acquisition and management of single tenant and/or sale-leaseback property investments, and continues to invest in assets of this type on a wide basis. From its Los Angeles headquarters, BentleyForbes employs a roster of real estate and corporate finance experts well versed in commercial real estate investment, finance, law, accounting and asset management. The Company also has regional offices in Atlanta and Chicago. For more information on the Company, its portfolio of properties and officers, please visit www.bentleyforbes.com.

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