OUR TEAM
Founded by 4 industry veterans, 35 South Capital invests in unique, high quality Texas based real estate. We then drive value in our projects using creative problem solving. Our team’s broad experience base across the real estate sector serves our investors well. We have over 100 years of combined experience in real estate acquisition, development, redevelopment, leasing, and property management. We want to improve our Texas communities, leaving them better than we found them. Value creation is in our DNA.
Steve LeBlanc
Chairman
Mr. LeBlanc serves as Chairman, is a member of the Investment Committee and brings over 40 years of experience on the institutional real estate business. Prior to founding 35 South Capital, Steve co-founded CapRidge, a real estate investment company focusing on value office acquisitions. Mr. LeBlanc's experience also includes roles as the Senior Managing Director of Teachers Retirement of Texas, Chief Executive Officer of Urban Growth Property Trust of Chicago, Senior Partner at Lincoln Property Company, Executive Vice President at Archstone Communities Trust. Mr. LeBlanc graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Real Estate/Finance and has held numerous board positions including positions with the Private Capital Research Institute, the SEC Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies, the Pension Real Estate Association, the Urban Land Institute, and the Investment Advisory Board of the Employee Retirement System of Texas.
John Anderson
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Anderson serves as Chief Financial Officer, is a member of the Investment Committee and brings over 25 years of experience to the team. Prior to founding 35 South Capital, Mr. Anderson co-founded CJN Investments, a boutique private equity firm that invests in local businesses and real estate in the greater Houston area and throughout the state of Texas. Prior to CJN, he was the Regional Director of Development for Weingarten Realty. Mr. Anderson also previously worked at Pelican Builders, AmReit, Fairfield Residential and the Archon Group (a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs). He graduated from Baylor University with a BBA is Business Management and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Real Estate and Investments
John Amini
Managing Director
Mr. Amini serves as Managing Director and brings nearly a decade of experience in commercial real estate. Born and raised in San Antonio, Amini’s primary role will be growing the firm’s presence in the Central Texas region by fundraising and developing assets. Prior to 35 South Capital, Mr. Amini worked at CBRE and JLL representing many clients including ConocoPhillips, Zachry Group, and TechnipFMC in their domestic and international commercial real estate needs. He possesses keen knowledge in the area of urban infill projects, utilizing this specific expertise to represent a number of tenants that have established interest in creative mixed-use developments. Mr. Amini is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a BBA in Business Management.
Drew Perrin
Project Manager
Mr. Perrin serves as the Project Manager and focuses on site selection, project management, due diligence and fundraising. In addition to this role, he also leads business development for the family office of CJN Investments. Mr. Perrin previously spent eight years in the energy business as an independent petroleum landman followed by four years as a project manager at Water Bridge. His experience as a landman allowed him to build a strong foundation in lease negotiation, title research and various curative matters. Mr. Perrin graduated from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor of Science Degree.
John Morton
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Morton serves as Chief Executive Officer, is a member of the Investment Committee and brings over 20 years of experience to the team. Prior to founding 35 South Capital, he founded Triple Crown Investment Group, a family office and real estate investment company based in Houston. Prior to TCI, Mr. Morton was an Executive Vice President with Pinecroft Realty and served in key positions for Brookfield Properties and Transwestern. He is a graduate of Texas Christian University with a BBA in Real Estate and Finance. Mr. Morton has been recognized by the Houston Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40, Blacks Guide 35 under 35 with project recognition including Houston Business Journal’s Landmark Awards Finalist, ULI Development of Distinction Finalist and City of Aspen Historical Preservation Award. Mr. Morton is actively engaged in many organizations and has served on boards and committees of Urban Land Institute, Herman Park Conservancy, Greater Houston Partnership and serveral roles with his beloved alma mater TCU (Real Estate Center, Alumni Board, Young Alumni President, Co-Founder of Business Network Breakfast).
Ryan Haley
Chief Operations Officer
Mr. Haley serves as Chief Operating Officer, is a member of the Investment Committee and brings over 25 years of experience to the team. Prior to 35 South Capital, Mr. Haley founded Barbour Investments, a real estate development and investment company which focuses on boutique office development in Houston. He previously worked at Encore Bank and also founded several real estate development and management companies including HAH Law Street, Jackson’s Ante, Wilson Road Investments, Acier Companies and Hansen Partners. Mr. Haley is a graduate of Baylor University with a BBA in Finance and subsequently earned an MBA from Rice University with a concentration in Finance and Real Estate.
Valorie Waggoner
Managing Director of
Investor Relations
Ms. Waggoner serves as the Managing Director of Investor Relations. In this role, she manages all investor transactions and communication as well as project analysis, tenant relationships and asset management. In addition to her role at 35 South Capital, Ms. Waggoner also handles Investor Relations for the family office of CJN Investments. She has been a licensed Realtor for over 15 years and has extensive experience in the Houston and Austin markets. She previously spent 7 years at Texaco Natural Gas in a gas scheduling and trading role. Ms. Waggoner graduated with a BBA in Marketing from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.
Ashley Zahn
Project Manager
Ashley Zahn is a business professional with over 13 years of experience in technical project management and team leadership. Ashley’s strengths are maximizing work processes and efficiencies. Her expertise in Sales, Financials, Supply Chain Management and Human Resources has allowed her to be a key contributor to her team. She has a keen eye for details and managing data. Ashley has created, standardized, and led small business operations from beginning to end solutions. Prior to joining 35 South Capital, Ashley worked for a boutique consulting firm focusing on Salesforce and technical implementations. She spent most of her career working with Accenture and KPMG Consulting/ BearingPoint leading global, large-scale, financial software implementations and managing technical resources. Ashley went to Southern Methodist University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1996. She is very involved in the Memorial community leading volunteer organizations and raising her two teenage children.