Highland Equity Group is a team of highly experienced executives and professionals engaged in the business of providing, as principal, real estate capital to owners, users and developers of single-tenant corporate real estate. Highland executives have over $5 billion in direct transaction experience in disciplines ranging from REIT management, real estate development and leasing to corporate finance and accounting.
        The founder of Highland Equity Group is Michael Klump, a co-founder of a highly successful private shopping center REIT, Equity Investment Group. As Equity was winding down its operations, Klump looked to the corporate real estate and private equity arenas for his next venture. In January 2003, he tapped David Piasecki, an experienced net lease veteran, to run Highland. Several key Equity executives including John Sengson as SVP-Acquisitions, Claire Lively, Marketing Specialist and Tara Corry, Administration. joined Highland. In August 2003, Tom Dujanovic, CFO, and William Madson, Acquisition Manager, were recruited to complete Highland’s team.
        Highland Equity has teamed up with a group of institutional investors and service providers to offer a toolkit approach to monetizing corporate real estate. This approach provides a solutions-oriented product line ranging from traditional sale leasebacks to turnkey design-build programs keeping all aspects of construction and long term use off the balance sheet and capital free. Other products include a municipal leasing program and facility leasing involving both real estate and intrinsic personal property such as food processing and packaging lines. Highland Equity Group has programs designed for developers of corporate real estate that can range from a pre-commit to purchase upon completion to a ground up construction finance/lease joint venture.
        While Highland Equity Group disavows a rigid acquisition criteria, it can provide value and solutions in the following areas:
        • Corporate Sale Leaseback or Partial Leaseback Transactions
        • TurnKey Design-Build with or without Construction Financing
        • Facility Leases including certain Personal Property
        • Joint Venture Development Programs
        • Real Estate Monetization in M&A Related Transactions
        • Less than Investment Grade, Non-Rated and Private Companies
        • Municipal and Public/Private Transactions
        • Acquisition of Existing Leased Single-Tenant Property
        • Nationwide/Office/Manufacturing/Distribution/Retail
        Highland Equity Group’s approach to a business opportunity is to determine, in a consultative manner, where the customer’s need lies and then go into the “toolkit” for a tailored response. The result is a real solution, not a product crammed into a transaction.

For more information on Highland Equity Group, please visit its Web site at www.highlandequity.com or contact David R. Piasecki at 404/760-3764 or dpiasecki@highlandequity.com. Member, CoreNet Global, ICSC, MBA.