Tenant relationships... Investor results!
PMAT is a real estate development firm focused on value-add shopping center investments across the Southeast, Sunbelt, and Mid-Atlantic regions. Our firm was founded and is headed by Robert A. Whelan, a former Chief Financial Officer of Sizeler Property Investors, Inc., a NYSE-traded shopping center and multifamily REIT that owned several million square feet of retail properties and several thousand multifamily units.
In January 2003, Mr. Whelan left the REIT to form the PMAT Companies. Since that time the PMAT Companies have transacted on over 80 primarily grocery anchored shopping centers with an aggregate value of over 1.2 Billion dollars consisting of 10 million square feet. PMAT investment strategy is to acquire value-add shopping centers and create long term value through redevelopment and re-tenanting of the assets.
Robert A. Whelan
Founder, ICSC Trustee
Robert Whelan formed the PMAT Companies in January 2003. Since that time PMAT has transacted on over 80 primarily grocery anchored shopping centers with an aggregate market value of over $1.200,000,000 dollars consisting of 10,000,000 square feet.
Prior to founding the PMAT Companies, Mr. Whelan was the CFO of the Sizeler Property Investors, Inc., a NYSE REIT; at 31 years old, he was the youngest CFO in Public REIT history. Always focused on real estate, Mr. Whelan began his career in public accounting in Los Angeles, CA where he worked for both Price Waterhouse and Ernst & Young Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group concentrating on consulting some of the largest publicly traded real estate companies in the world.
In 2020, Mr. Whelan became a Trustee on the board of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the retail industry's most prominent trade organization. Chosen as a top 40 executive in the New Orleans metropolitan area, Mr. Whelan has been a guest speaker at numerous public forums and a lecturer at Tulane University MBA program. Actively involved in community service, Mr. Whelan has served as a Commissioner for Recreation District #1 for the State of Louisiana, a Board Member of the City of Miami Public Business Improvement District, and a Board Member of Next Generation which ministers to inner city High School students.
Mr. Whelan graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University, Los Angeles and ranked in the top 1% in the national CPA examination. He is also currently enrolled in Seminary for a Masters in Practical Theology.
Kevin L. Kush
President
Kevin Kush joined PMAT shortly after its inception in order to scale the platform and has been a Partner since 2010 and President of PMAT since 2015. In that time, he has been involved in over $800,000,000 of acquisitions and dispositions on over 7,000,000 square feet of SOAR (Select Open Air Retail) anchored by grocery, off-price, necessity, discount, and fitness operators that continue to thrive in the current retail landscape.
Mr. Kush developed our primary investment theme that "macro market inefficiency creates micro market opportunity for nimble private capital that can make asset level decisions rather than portfolio or geography level decisions" as well as our individual theses that guide out investments. As the President of the PMAT Companies, his responsibilities include developing investment themes and corproate direction, acquisitions, leasing, dispositions, asset management, construction management, capital markets, and investor relations.
A life-long entrepreneur, Mr. Kush previously completed numerous real estate projects in his home town of Nashville, TN and also consulted a New Orleans based non-profit in the creation of business development centers in underserved communities. His previous experience outside of real estate includes management of a portfolio of S&P 500 stocks and equity research analysis.
Mr. Kush is a member of the Next Generation Leadership Network Board Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the retail industry's most prominent trade organization. In 2022, he was chosen at GlobeSt 50 under 40 in Commercial Real Estate. Mr. Kush also serves as a mentor to aspiring commercial real estate professionals both through ICSC and through A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane Univeristy where he also guest lectures. He has served in various capacities on the Board of AO Chapter of Sigma Chi Fraternity including as president and as treasurer.
Mr. Kush attended Vanderbilt University and Tulane University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude as the Valedictorian of the A.B Freeman School of Business and also recipient of the Wall Street Journal Award for excellence in finance.
Ben joined the PMAT Companies in 2014 after consulting for PMAT for several years prior. A native of Germany, Ben previously worked for GLL Real Estate Partners, a German real estate fund management company, in their Orlando office for several years. At GLL Ben worked in Asset Management for retail and office portfolios. In the past Ben has worked in the consulting field in such diverse places as Paris, France and Jakarta, Indonesia.
Ben, along with Kevin, is responsible for all day to day activities at the PMAT companies. His responsibilities include acquisitions, leasing, dispositions, asset management, construction management, and investor relations. Ben teaches the Argus Software workshop as part of Tulane's Summer Program Minor in Real Estate.
Ben attended the prestigious WHU University in Vallendar, Germany where he received both undergraduate and masters degrees and additionally holds an MBA degree from Tulane Univeristy in New Orleans. He is fluent in German, English, and French.
Ben Bolz
VP Acquisitions & Asset Management
Jack joined PMAT in 2020. Previously, he served in the Army for 4 years as an infantry gun team leader, completing a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014. After completing his service, he worked for Marigny Management, a New Orleans based commercial real estate company, focusing on asset and property management. His responsibilities at PMAT include acquisitions, leasing, dispositions, asset management, construction management and investor relations.
Jack attended Tulane University where he was a recipient of the TABA community service award.
Jack Piermarini
Associate
TESTIMONIALS