Meet the Team

John is the Founder and Managing Partner of Peak 15 Capital. A capital advisory and syndication firm servicing commercial real estate operators and sponsors in identifying, sourcing & securing their capital stack. John is also a Managing Member of MACC Venture Partners, a Southeast focus owner/operator of multifamily assets. In his leadership of Peak 15, he directs strategic development, investor and client growth, and new acquisitions and syndications. He also heads the investment committee, capital management and growth.  John is also the head of the Peak 15 Coaching program for new syndicators and sponsors.

Previously he was a co-Founder and Managing Partner of Boston Venture Partners (BVP), a private equity consulting and finance firm based in Boston specializing in real estate development, and structured finance.  At BVP he worked on a cumulative portfolio of $1.8 Billion spanning from Boston to Miami as well as London. His previous roles as an equity trader and commercial banker in financial institutions and banks such as Bank of America and Morgan Stanley provided an integral understanding of debt and equity markets as well as deal structure, honing his skills and insights into the critical planning issues relevant to growing successful companies.

John is a podcaster and Co-Host of his own podcast called Breaking Resistance as well as being a regular guest speaker in various commercial real estate conferences and Podcasts.  John serves on the boards of directors of several non-profit and for-profit organizations. He holds a BA from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte and an MBA from Boston University Questrom School of Business.

Francisco is Partner and Head of Investments for Peak 15 Capital and its current fund. As part of the Senior Management Team at Peak 15, Herrera oversees all production development, investor relations, and multifamily division. Herrera is responsible for all production activity through sourcing and managing general Co-GP investment opportunities as well as other strategic initiatives for the Peak 15.

Herrera also serves as a member of the firm’s investment committee and co-heads the Peak 15 Coaching Program for new, up-and-coming sponsors-operators.

Herrera’s involvement with Peak 15 Capital began since inception. Prior to his tenure, he worked for a New York based private equity consulting firm who specialized in commercial real estate and real estate development.

Since inception, Herrera participated in and closed transactions exceeding $100 Million in equity across a full range of assets, from ground-up Class A urban core to Class C multifamily in the U.S. markets. He is also a podcaster and Co-Host alongside John Azar in their show called Breaking Resistance.

Herrera is a native of Orange County, CA where he resides in the Anaheim community with his wife and daughter.

Bishoy is a Director at Peak 15 Capital. He is dedicated to building relationships with multifamily investors and operators and works on the business development and expansion of Peak 15 Capital in various markets and sectors.

A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Bishoy initially started his post college career in traditional manufacturing. While balancing out an active career in the armed forces he moved into the real estate sector after joining a commercial brokerage firm based in NJ where he further developed his skills in deal negotiation, market analysis, and client relations. Bishoy is a contributor to Peak 15's mission of driving investor and partner success in commercial real estate.

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Mr. DePaoli is the Director of Acquisitions for Peak 15. In this capacity, he manages the underwriting and due diligence on potential acquisitions both in house and with client sponsors.  Mr. DePaoli is a leader in the field of commercial buildings and operations management.  In 2005 he began working for ACMS Group, an industrial construction company whose operations included project management, construction management, and facility maintenance. Mr. DePaoli helped grow this business from $3 Million to $30 Million.

After leaving ACMS, Mr. DePaoli ventured into the fitness sector where he purchased 2 failing gym chains entering bankruptcy and turned them around in under 1 year from purchase and continues to add to his success. It is now the goal of Mr. DePaoli to diversify, scale, and grow a portfolio of assets across various business sectors over the coming years.

Bobby is Peak 15’s Head of Strategy and Compliance and part of the executive team bringing a bringing over 15 years of business experience launching and scaling service-based and tech companies (to include a successful exit), and has worked in the private, public and non-profit sectors. He has also spent time in local government leading economic development and has worked in various corporate settings supporting supply chain teams, risk and audit compliance, litigation/discovery facilitation, and supplier diversity.

An entrepreneurially-centric attorney, working at the intersection of the law, technology and business, as a former partner at an AML200 law firm with over 9 years of legal experience - specializing in Corporate / M&A / Intellectual Property / Social Media law, guiding executive leadership teams, while serving as a trusted advisor and general counsel to public and private sector companies, to include but not limited to representing startups, private equity & family office investors, tech companies, athletes and influencers. He also developed playbooks, policies and procedures; provided regulatory/compliance guidance; registered and licensed intellectual property assets, namely, trademarks and copyrights; and worked with various lines of businesses to drive revenue growth.

​He earned his law degree from the Charlotte School of Law; a Master of Public Administration from Columbia Southern University and a Master of Business Administration/Finance from Everest University.

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Rick Courtney is a 40-year veteran of the multifamily industry.  He serves as the CEO of Essential Realty Partners (Essential), a Dallas-based national real estate investment firm specializing in multifamily and built-to-rent (BTR) properties.

Over his career, Rick has transacted/managed over 17,000 multifamily units and 3.2 million square feet of commercial space nationwide.  He has led private equity real estate platforms at the C-level for over 15 years and derived a unique insight industry insight from operating through multiple real estate cycles. 

Rick is a licensed real estate broker in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, and has held Series 7, 22, 39 and 63 securities licenses. He also holds multiple professional designations, including Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS), Tax Credit Specialist (TCS), and Management and Occupancy Review Specialist (MORS) from the National Center for Housing Management. Additionally, he has earned the elite Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and Certified Property Manager (CPM) designations from the CCIM Institute and the Institute for Real Estate Management, respectively. He graduated cum laude from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business with a degree in Management.

Rick also sits on the Board of Directors of The Family Office Real Estate Institute (FORE) and is a member of The Forbes Business Counsel.

John Matheson is the President, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Essential Realty Partners, LLC.  He has held several C-level roles within organizations including CEO, COO, Corporate Development and Chief Restructuring roles as well as General Counsel and Secretary. He has worked in over 25 countries with substantial executive management, legal and accounting experience over his 30-year career with both publicly-traded and private companies in the international energy, power/utilities, field services, manufacturing, financial services, medical devices and real estate markets. 

John served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and Board member of Global Power Equipment Group, a New York Stock Exchange traded company and a global engineering, manufacturing and project management provider to the utility power generation industry. During his tenure at Global Power, John held several other roles within the organization including Chief Operating Officer and as the company’s General Counsel and Secretary. John was also responsible for restructuring and reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions and China ventures and operations headquartered in Nanjing, China.

John was formerly with The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE: WMB), a Fortune 500 company with energy and electricity generation assets. Previously, John served as the President and CEO and Board member of Express Integrated Technologies, LLC., a manufacturing company for the worldwide energy and power markets. John oversaw several of the company’s key strategic initiatives in Alberta, Canada.  John was a partner with the law firm of Conner & Winters as well as a Certified Public Accountant with Price Waterhouse.

John has also served on nonprofit boards and has been an advocate of children for over 25 years by either providing direct legal pro bono counsel or serving on boards dedicated to helping at-risk youth. John currently serves as a Board member of the Humane Society of St. Thomas. John is a member of the U.S. Virgin Islands Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association and serves as a Nominating Delegate to the Harvard Club of New York City and is a former long-time member of YPO.

John is a graduate of Harvard Business School, Georgetown University Law Center and holds a degree with Highest Honors (summa cum laude) from the University of Oklahoma Price School of Business.  In 2009, he was awarded the prestigious Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year and inducted into E&Y’s Hall of Fame for his executive leadership.