It was 2009, at the trustee sale auctions where we learned some important lessons:

1.  Income from real estate creates value, not paper appraisals.
2. Investors' interests must be aligned with management—investors profit first.
3. The old way of investing was not working. A new alternative was needed.
4. Hard work and complexity in real estate translates to great deals when we execute well.
5. Buy below market, always.

Through an incredibly fast-paced first year, Chris Loeffler, Jennifer Schrader, and Donnie Schrader, Caliber's founders, worked tirelessly with our early team members to incubate the opportunistic business model we began with and transform it into a platform designed to last for generations.

We saw the future—investors had lost faith in traditional stocks, bonds, and insurance products, and they had found an exciting alternative in private real estate investments.  The problem was access—only a select few accredited investors who were insiders in the private investment world knew about this form of investing and very few companies existed to service them.

We saw a market opportunity to take advantage of new laws allowing for wider dissemination of knowledge surrounding private investment to build a community of educated, empowered, and grateful Caliber investors.

Caliber wanted to be there for investors to help them take whatever portion of their portfolio they wanted to hold in real estate and have opportunities that fit their needs at that moment in their life, and throughout their lives.

And we wanted our investors to know that we were ready for change. We watched from 2009 – 2011, as the market dramatically changed each month and we learned how to change our business model to take advantage of each new market opportunity.  That adaptability is a strength and a competitive edge in today's world and is a permanent component of Caliber's culture.

Jennifer and Donnie's stories are inexorably tied together. As a couple in Detroit, Michigan, they worked together to develop their real estate skillset. With Donnie seeking out investment opportunities in residential real estate and managing renovations and Jennifer completing the acquisitions, sales, and design.  As a pair, the first eight years of their careers were spent learning real estate the hard way—and their experience turned into huge value, helping Caliber take advantage of the market opportunity in front of it.

Chris' story starts in a military family, living across the U.S. and across the world and learning how to adapt to many different environments. He was formally trained in business and accounting and started his professional career with PwC, learning how many great companies achieved their goals and operated their businesses. Driven by a personal interest in real estate investing, Chris left PwC to join Donnie and Jennifer and help structure the business that exists today.

Now 12 years in, Caliber's story continues. We often tell the marketplace that we don't have a five-year plan—we have a 100-year plan. Caliber's platform is rapidly growing toward $1 billion in assets under management and development. We have helped thousands of investors achieve their goals to grow their wealth and gain access to private real estate investments. We are now the largest opportunity zone investor in the Southwest region and, most importantly, we employ one of the best teams in the business.

Our founding story helps us stay grounded at Caliber. As we look forward to the future and achieving our vision of becoming the #1 place to invest in real estate in the Southwest, we will not forget the core principles that got us here or the early team members and investors who helped build the foundation.

By doing so, we ensure Caliber is here to help many generations of investors develop wealth, do good in their communities, and transform our country for the better.