March 10, 2022 – The Connor Group closed its first acquisition of the year with the purchase of Edison Riverside in Austin last Thursday. This marks the fourth transaction the Dayton-based real estate investment firm closed in the Austin market over the last six months. Financial details of the transaction are not being disclosed. “We’ve been fortunate to have done extremely well in the Austin market,” said company founder and managing partner Larry Connor. “When you have the right people, the right plans and the right process, the results will follow. We’ve proven this time and time again over our 30-year history.” The deal comes on the heels of a record-setting year of transactional volume for the company. In 2021 the firm closed $2.95 billion in acquisitions, dispositions, refinance and supplemental loans across its 16 markets. The Connor Group also expanded in Texas, adding the San Antonio market to the company’s portfolio last May. “We continue to be enthusiastic about the Austin market,” partner and VP Brock Wright said. “We believe this property is in a great location that will continue to get better due to the heavy investment being made into this part of the city. We anticipate this […]

JAN. 27, 2022 – Dayton-based real estate investment firm The Connor Group announced Thursday that in 2021 it had shattered its previous single-year record for transactional volume. The company, which owns and operates apartment communities around the country, completed nearly $3 billion in acquisitions, dispositions and refinances – more than doubling its previous record. It was one of just several 2021 highlights for the firm. “Our people continue to do an amazing job; they’re relentless,” said company founder and managing partner Larry Connor. “It doesn’t matter what kind of market you’re in, what kind of outside obstacles you face – whether it’s a pandemic or something else – if you have the right people, anything is possible.” The Connor Group, whose basic business model is to re-engineer underperforming properties, improve their customer service and maximize return to investors, ended 2021 with a flurry of activity. It closed more than $1 billion in transactions in the 30-day period between Nov. 23 and Dec. 22, including the $279 million sale of West Village in Durham, NC – the largest transaction in the firm’s 30-year history. That West Village deal brought the year’s total transactional volume to $2.955 billion. The company’s previous record […]

While considering an investment in technology education, we got to know the leadership at Code Nation over the course of many months and many conversations. But one conversation stuck out. “In 15 years people are going to fall into two buckets,” one of the organization’s senior leaders told us during a visit to our office. “You’re either going to be telling a computer what to do or a computer is going to be telling you what to do.” Unfortunately, the current trajectory for most under-resourced students has them pointed toward the latter bucket. So how do we solve that problem and equip kids from low-income backgrounds to succeed in an increasingly technological world? We believe Code Nation is part of the answer. Code Nation offers up to three years of computer coding courses and work-based learning programs for high school students. Year 1 consists of a project-based course in web development that introduces students to the field of Computer Science and equips them with a foundational technical skill set. Years 2 and 3 consist of a fellowship program that emphasizes both technical and professional skills, during which they create their own portfolios. Code Nation serves roughly 1,500 students. More than […]

“Decision education” is a foreign phrase and concept for most of us. We teach students how to read and write and complete math problems. But, by and large, we don’t teach them how to make decisions, which is unfortunate, because decisions impact every aspect of our lives. Decision education is being applied in various ways in various organizations – Wall Street firms train their associates in it, Ivy League schools offer courses in it, social media companies employ it to make more effective products. The Alliance for Decision Education sees a future in which decision education is a regular part of curriculum for all students – akin to STEM and social-emotional learning. “Life is chance and choice,” said Alliance director of operations Ramin Mohajer. “You can control the choice; you can learn how to make better decisions. What if everyone was 5-10-percent better at making decisions, if they were 5-10 percent better at assessing risk, think of how much better things would be.” Decision education could have more than just an academic impact. It can help solve the root problem behind teen drug use, teen pregnancy, crime, texting and driving. It can impact how we interpret news. The applications are […]

Kids & Community Partners views its work as non-profit investing – meaning we calculate a return on investment based on the value we’re bringing to under-resourced children and youth. That calculation takes into account more than 35 different outcomes that we believe pull kids out of generational poverty. And one thing our research and data consistently shows is that a bachelor’s degree is the closest outcome to a ticket out of generational poverty. Bottom Line is a trailblazer and national leader in the field of college success. Its unique and proven mentoring model helps first-generation and under-represented students get to and through college. More than 76 percent of Bottom Line students earn a bachelor’s degree in four years. Kids & Community Partners, which operates in some markets where similar populations earn bachelors at a rate as low as 10 percent, vetted Bottom Line for four years before making an investment that will help scale the program to more students. Some of our multi-year multi-million-dollar investment will help bring Bottom Line to Ohio, while also expanding the program’s virtual mentoring footprint. “It’s not just about serving 10,000 students and adding a market here and there,” said Bottom Line board chair Kevin […]

August 31, 2021 –  The Connor Group expanded its Minneapolis portfolio with the acquisition of The Quinn at Plymouth for $85.25 million Tuesday. The Dayton-based real estate investment firm purchased the 300-unit property, its second-largest acquisition of 2021. “The Quinn was an excellent opportunity to continue expanding in the Minneapolis market,” managing partner Larry Connor said. “This property checked all of the boxes for us, and with the right people, plans and our proven process, I’m confident this acquisition will be nothing short of a huge success.” Currently, The Quinn at Plymouth is one of the $1.58 billion transactions The Connor Group has closed or placed under agreement this year. The company is on pace for more than $2.5 billion in transactions, a record for the nearly 30-year company. “We continue to see unprecedented market conditions,” Connor said. “And we’ve remained disciplined to our transactional model throughout as both a buyer and a seller. As a result, we’re on pace for the best year in company history. And while we realize market conditions will eventually shift, our processes and systems are built for long-term success.” The property was acquired from Mesirow Institutional Real Estate Direct Investments, which offers a series […]

August 17, 2021  –  The Connor Group sold Anchor Riverwalk in Tampa Friday, the largest disposition in the company’s nearly 30-year history. The Dayton-based real estate investment first entered the Tampa market with the acquisition of the 394 unit downtown Riverwalk property in 2019 for $123 million. Financial details of Friday’s transaction are not being disclosed. “We were extremely disciplined while searching for the right property in Tampa to enter the market,” managing partner Larry Connor said. “And Anchor Riverwalk checked all of the boxes. Our people did an outstanding job operating the property, and with the right plans and processes, we were in excellent position to sell amid unprecedented market conditions.” The Connor Group is on track for a record-setting year and is on pace to surpass $2.5 billion in transactions for the first time in company history. The Connor Group currently owns and operates 47 apartment communities in 16 markets nationwide. With Friday’s sale, Connor Group has closed or placed under agreement more than $1.52 billion in transactions. “No doubt this year will be one for the record books,” partner and VP of acquisitions, dispositions, debt and analytics Brock Wright said. “With outstanding property operations and market conditions, […]

July 30, 2021  –  The Connor Group acquired Elizabeth Station Thursday, formerly Venue, closing on a $99.25 million deal. This is the third time in less than a year the Dayton-based real estate investment firm has expanded in the Charlotte market. With this latest acquisition, the company has closed or placed under agreement more than $1.46 billion in transactions – breaking their 2020 record just seven months into the year. “Our people have done nothing short of a phenomenal job over the last 18 months,” managing partner and CEO Larry Connor said. “People make the difference. Thanks to their efforts, we’re in an excellent position in Charlotte, and quite frankly, all of our 16 markets, to execute our transactional model and deliver exceptional returns for our partners and investors.” The Connor Group is on track for a record-setting year and is on pace to surpass $2.5 billion in transactions for the first time in company history. The Connor Group currently owns and operates 47 apartment communities in 16 markets nationwide. “In our nearly 30 years of business, we’ve learned that with the right people, plans and processes, you can achieve anything,” Connor said. “And amid the current market conditions, we’ve […]

June 28, 2021 –  The Connor Group successfully sold Glenmuir of Naperville in Chicago this month, the second-largest property sale in the company’s nearly 30-year history. The Dayton-based real estate investment firm purchased the 321 unit property for in 2014. Financial details of the transaction are not being disclosed. “While incredible market conditions created the perfect opportunity for us to sell, it’s truly our people at the property who made the difference,” Connor said. “We’ve found our associates in Chicago have done nothing short of a phenomenal job over the last 12-months positioning us to sell, and the result is a record-setting transaction. It’s a perfect example of why people count.” Partner and VP of acquisitions, dispositions, debt and analytics Brock Wright explained the transaction was closed with a firm he’s completed previous deals with. Thursday’s sale was an excellent example of how the company utilizes its’ deep market knowledge and resources to best serve investors. “Our business at its’ core is built on people and relationships,” Wright said. “Maintaining relationships like this has proven to pay dividends now and potentially in the future for all parties involved.” Wright said the Naperville submarket is one the company plans to continue […]

DAYTON, OH – The non-profit arm of a local real estate investment firm is partnering with one of the country’s top psychiatric hospitals on a Dayton-based groundbreaking research project aimed at understanding the biologic link between childhood hardships and mental disorders. The study, dubbed the Connor-McLean Healthy Kids Development Program, is a combined effort of The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners and the Boston area’s McLean Hospital. Kerry J. Ressler, MD, PhD, McLean Hospital’s chief scientific officer and a professor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, is heading the study. It will enroll up to 1,000 families in Dayton as part of a visionary, long-term program to understand the role of stress on biological mechanisms, in particular epigenetics, that contribute to risk in developing children. “Epigenetics is the study of reversible biological mechanisms that regulate the function of our genome. Studies have shown that factors like toxic stress, poverty, and likely also social isolation during COVID can change these epigenetic markers and lead to the development of mental and physical disorders over time,” Ressler said. “The results of this study will help us understand why some children are more vulnerable to developing mental and physical health problems, while others […]