Behind the Business
Ian Griffis
Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer
Ian Griffis is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Griffis Residential, a Denver-based apartment investment fund manager and property operator with approximately 8,000 units under management. Mr. Griffis is Co-CEO of the company and is a member of the Investment Committee.
Ian Griffis is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Griffis Residential, a Denver-based apartment investment fund manager and property operator with approximately 8,000 units under management. Mr. Griffis is Co-CEO of the company and is a member of the Investment Committee.
Mr. Griffis has structured real estate investments for over 35 years. Investing in his first project during his senior year at Colorado College in 1985, Mr. Griffis initially invested in and developed student housing. With the onset of the RTC crisis in 1989, Mr. Griffis expanded the management operation to assist owners in surviving the largest collapse of financial institutions since the Great Depression. An operations-focused investment culture remains and is a key factor in above benchmark returns – no investor in a Griffis project has ever lost a dollar.
In the 1990s, Mr. Griffis led the expansion into projects in Phoenix, Denver, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Following the sale of the predecessor company, Griffis/Blessing, to co-founder Buck Blessing, Mr. Griffis formed its fund business in 2004 through Griffis Group of Companies with partner David Birnbaum, and shortly thereafter Tom Barta. Griffis Residential currently manages a series of six closed-end value-add funds and an open-ended core fund for a client base of institutions and high-net-worth individuals. Griffis Residential communities are currently located in Seattle, Portland, Long Beach, San Diego, Denver, and Austin.
Mr. Griffis has a strong interest in conservation and has implemented: four conservation easements; the assemblage and creation of a public 800-acre public park; the preservation of an archeological site and section of the historic Cherokee Trail for which he was awarded the Friends of The Oregon Trail Award.
Together with David Birnbaum and Tom Barta, he is a founding board member of Griffis Residential Gives, a not-for-profit formed to address personal distress and the contributing causes to homelessness.
Mr. Griffis is a former Trustee of Colorado College and the Fountain Valley School. He is a member of the Casa Serena Society as well as the William Jackson Palmer Society at Colorado College.
Mr. Griffis holds a B.A. from Colorado College.
David Birnbaum
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Birnbaum has been Co-Chief Executive Officer since the founding of Griffis Residential and the Prior Funds, sharing responsibility for strategic management of Griffis Residential and its investment activities. In addition to being a member of the Griffis Residential Investment Committee, he manages the execution of major investment activities and investor reporting.
Mr. Birnbaum has been Co-Chief Executive Officer since the founding of Griffis Residential and the Prior Funds, sharing responsibility for strategic management of Griffis Residential and its investment activities. In addition to being a member of the Griffis Residential Investment Committee, he manages the execution of major investment activities and investor reporting.
Prior to Griffis Residential, Mr. Birnbaum was CEO of Tablogix, a European-based contract logistics and warehousing company. Founded in 1994, Mr. Birnbaum oversaw its expansion into multiple international markets and managed the company’s sale and relocation to London in 1998, where he continued as CEO until 2003.
Mr. Birnbaum holds a B.A. from Colorado College and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School. He currently chairs the Museum Committee for the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, and is a trustee of the Denver Art Museum.
Tom Barta
President and Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Barta, President and Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for Griffis Residential’s asset management initiatives and overseeing property operations and finance functions. Mr. Barta is a member of the Fund V Investment Committee. Prior to joining Griffis Residential in 2005, Mr. Barta served as Corporate Controller for Westmoreland Coal Company, a publicly-traded company, for four years, where he oversaw all financial and accounting functions.
Mr. Barta, President and Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for Griffis Residential’s asset management initiatives and overseeing property operations and finance functions. Mr. Barta is a member of the Fund V Investment Committee. Prior to joining Griffis Residential in 2005, Mr. Barta served as Corporate Controller for Westmoreland Coal Company, a publicly-traded company, for four years, where he oversaw all financial and accounting functions. From 1994 to 2001, Mr. Barta was in the audit practice in the Denver, Colorado office of KPMG.
Mr. Barta holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Chris Souther
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Souther is the Chief Financial Officer for Griffis Residential and is responsible for finance, reporting, accounting, and tax administration. Prior to Griffis Residential, Mr. Souther was with Denver-based D4 Urban, LLC, where he served as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to his move to Denver, Mr. Souther was Chief Financial Officer of the US subsidiary of a publicly-traded multinational property development and management company.
Mr. Souther is the Chief Financial Officer for Griffis Residential and is responsible for finance, reporting, accounting, and tax administration. Prior to Griffis Residential, Mr. Souther was with Denver-based D4 Urban, LLC, where he served as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to his move to Denver, Mr. Souther was Chief Financial Officer of the US subsidiary of a publicly-traded multinational property development and management company. Mr. Souther brings 20 years of accounting experience to Griffis Residential and an extensive background in leadership of key areas of finance for the real estate, construction, and professional services sectors. Mr. Souther serves as the Chief Compliance Officer in connection with Griffis Residential’s status as a Registered Investment Advisor.
Mr. Souther is a Certified Public Accountant and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Accounting from Wake Forest University.
