About Us
WELCOME TO DISTRICT BAY
Our mission is to provide the highest level of value to clients through personnel and technology solutions that keep us nimble, proactive and responsive. Our principals have managed and advised on more than 10 million square feet of commercial real estate across the country. Our creative approach to projects has yielded outstanding returns for investors and clients alike.
What we do
We develop timely solutions to unique problems to maximize the value of real estate assets for our investors and our advisory clients. Our collaborative process, disciplined execution, and unparalleled experience allows us to bring diverse stakeholders together to efficiently accomplish common goals.
OUR TEAM
MICHAEL WHEELER
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Michael Wheeler is a co-founder and Managing Partner of District Bay, based in Washington, DC. Mr. Wheeler is responsible for capital formation, acquisitions, development, and project management. In this role, Mr. Wheeler has led the sourcing and acquisition of $83mm in investments over an approximate 2.5 year period. Mr. Wheeler is also responsible for design, redevelopment and repositioning of the company’s portfolio.
Before District Bay, Mr. Wheeler was a portfolio asset manager at CW Capital Asset Management, responsible for the business strategy of over 9.5 million square feet of large balance assets across the United States.
While at CW Capital, he executed on the transaction of over $120 million in assets and successfully developed the regional mall platform at CW Capital. In addition to portfolio asset management, Mr.Wheeler also advised private equity fund and hedge fund clients on distressed debt and real estate portfolio acquisitions.
Prior to joining CW Capital, Mr. Wheeler worked in the United States Senate in the office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. He received a B.A. in Political Science from James Madison University and a M.P.S. in Real Estate Finance from Georgetown University. He is an active member of the Redevelopment and Reuse Council at the Urban Land Institute.
KELLY COOPER
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Kelly Cooper is a co-founder and Managing Partner of District Bay, based in San Francisco, CA. Ms. Cooper is responsible for asset management, acquisitions, third party advisory, and dispositions. In this role, Ms. Cooper has successfully overseen the due diligence, acquisition, and asset management of the company’s $83mm in real estate holdings over the last 2.5 years. Ms. Cooper also has overseen significant advisory efforts on behalf of clients, including the acquisition of a $190 mm REO portfolio on behalf of Starwood Capital Group.
Before District Bay, Ms. Cooper was a Vice President and senior portfolio asset manager at CW Capital Asset Management, responsible for the business strategy of over 5 million square feet and 100 assets across the United States.
In her role as Vice President, Ms. Cooper ran the successful transaction of over 40 properties, negotiated and executed more than 150 leases/renewals with national, regional, and local tenants. Ms. Cooper also advised private equity fund and hedge fund clients on distressed debt and real estate portfolio acquisitions.
Prior to joining CW Capital, she worked in the Washington, DC investment sales team of CBRE, completing $3 billion of dispositions of retail, office, and industrial properties throughout the United States with a focus on the Mid-Atlantic region. Ms. Cooper also completed approximately $900 million in transactions in the capital markets group of Jones Lang Lasalle based in Chicago, London, and Melbourne.
Ms. Cooper received her B.S. magna cum laude in Real Estate Finance and Urban Land Economics from The University of Illinois-Urbana. She is an avid marathon runner and an active member of the Blue Ridge Greyhound Adoption Agency.