Michael has over forty years’ experience in the retail petroleum industry. Michael came to the United States in the late 1970’s to attend university and began working as an employee at a gas station near UC Santa Cruz. He was an owner operator of his own stores in a few years and through the late 1980’s operated a significant number of the gas stations surrounding the Los Angeles International airport with this family.

Michael expanded to consulting and brokerage in the early 1990’s focusing on retail petroleum assets and car washes. He built that business originating loans for financial institutions until his business was purchased by FMAC (Franchise Mortgage Acceptance Corporation) which was an early securitized lender that focused on restaurants, automotive and other specialty assets. Michael was the head of the convenience store and car wash division which originated over $1B in transactions until FMAC was sold to Bay View Bank in approximately 2000.

Michael began acquiring portfolios of retail petroleum asset in 2003 when he purchased a package of 43 Exxon Mobil sites in the Scottsdale/Pheonix market with an investor group comprised of the management team of Arden Realty (Richard Ziman, Victor Coleman and Drew Sobel). The group then purchase an additional portfolio of 199 assets in the five wester states (CA, OR, WA, NV & AZ) in 2005. Michael continued acquisitions of Time Oil in Seattle in 2007 and a 400+ unit portfolio from ConocoPhillips in 2008.

First Financial Capital was formed in 2005 as part of the portfolio acquisitions to create a bridge lending platform to finance the potential sale of assets in the portfolios to smaller owner operators. Michael eventually sold his equity interest in the convenience store portfolios and purchased 100% ownership of First Financial from his partners. First financial grew its originations, financing what became most of the large convenience store operators on the west coast including G&M Oil, Platinum Energy, Hassan & Son’s, Anabi Oil, etc. in addition to many smaller regional owner operators. As originations in the convenience store space grew over $1B, the company expanded its scope to lending other real estate asset classes with an operating business component often not easily understood by traditional lenders including car washes, hotels, and even a winery. He has also built a significant reputation in selectively financing construction of ultra-high end residential properties.

As First Financial’s bridge lending business continued to grow, Michael saw an opportunity to invest in South Florida to invest in convenience store and express car wash assets there. The market combines a vibrant growing economy along with relatively fragmented ownership of retail petroleum assets, similar to the opportunities on the west coast in the early 2000’s prior to consolidation. RJ Petroleum Holdings LLC was formed to target this opportunity and has made five acquisitions to date and is actively evaluating follow on acquisition opportunities.

In addition to First Financial and RJ Petroleum Holdings, Michael has been an active investor in multifamily housing specifically in the West LA area surrounding the UCLA Campus.