Ian Griffis

Ian Griffis is Co-Founder and CO-CEO of Griffis Residential, a Denver-based vertically integrated apartment investment fund manager and property operator with approximately 8,000 units under management. Mr. Griffis has been structuring multifamily real estate investments since 1986. With the onset of the RTC crisis in 1989, Mr. Griffis expanded the management operation, focusing on assisting owners in maintaining occupancy during this distressed period, while simultaneously building the investment portfolio. After the sale of the predecessor company Griffis/Blessing, Mr. Griffis, along with partners David Birnbaum and shortly thereafter Tom Barta, established the fund business in 2004. An operations-focused investment culture, with a priority on enhancing the resident experience, continues to be a key value driver in achieving returns above industry benchmarks. In 2023, Griffis Residential’s closed-end multifamily fund series achieved global recognition from the private equity data firm PitchBook, securing the fourth position in real-estate value-add, and was the only multifamily specialist on the PitchBook list. Currently, Griffis Residential 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. The current portfolio includes communities in Denver, Austin, Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles. Target markets extend to other centers of innovation, including Washington DC metro, Atlanta, Dallas, and Raleigh-Durham. Mr. Griffis has a strong interest in conservation and has implemented four conservation easements: the assemblage and creation of an 800-acre public park; the preservation of an archeological site, and a 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 of homelessness. Mr. Griffis is a former Trustee of Colorado College and the Fountain Valley School. He is a member of the William Jackson Palmer Society at Colorado College. Mr. Griffis holds a B.A. from Colorado College.