OZ MAGAZINE 2022 Top 25 Influencers issue 2.2 | Page 56

56 OPPORTUNITY ZONE MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2 • VOLUME 2

BRANDON LACOFF

BELPOINTE REIT

Brandon Lacoff is the founder , chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Belpointe PREP , LLC , the first and only publicly traded Qualified Opportunity Zone structure on a national securities exchange . Lacoff is also the chief executive officer of Belpointe , a $ 4 billion multi-asset investment firm based in Greenwich , Connecticut . Lacoff began his finance / accounting / tax career at Arthur Andersen , LLP , then with Ernst & Young , LLP , in their mergers and acquisitions departments . Lacoff holds a Juris Doctor degree and an MBA from Hofstra University and a bachelor ’ s degree in finance from Syracuse University . He currently serves on the board of two non-profit organizations , The Belpointe Foundation and the Eagle Hill School .

WHAT KIND OF TRENDS AND NEW INVESTMENT AREAS DO YOU THINK QOFS WILL FOCUS ON IN 2022 ?
We believe that 2022 will be the year that Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds will take advantage of Belpointe PREP , LLC ’ s unique public real estate partnership structure that provides other QOFs with the ability to exit without creating an inclusion event for their investors . This will simultaneously provide an opportunity for QOF sponsors to receive their profits 8 to 10 years earlier than expected , without destroying their investors ’ OZ tax benefits , and while providing them with recognized gains from the acquisition of their underlying QOF investments and all the advantages of Belpointe PREP , LLC ’ s unique public Opportunity Zone structure ( greater diversification , NYSE liquidity , lower fees , investor controlled exits , public company reporting and up to a 20 % tax deduction benefit .)

CHRIS LOEFFLER

CALIBER

Chris Loeffler is the CEO and co-founder of Caliber and serves as chairman of the company ’ s board of directors . As CEO , Loeffler directs and executes global strategy , oversees investments and fund management , and contributes to private and public capital formation . Prior to forming Caliber , he served as a senior associate in the audit and assurance practice for PwC in Phoenix , Arizona . Some of his clients included Honeywell International , Inc ., CSK Auto Inc ., Verizon Communications , Inc ., Republic Services , Inc ., Car Wash Partners , Inc ., and the Arizona Diamondbacks . Loeffler earned a bachelor ’ s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo .

WHAT KIND OF TRENDS AND NEW INVESTMENT AREAS DO YOU THINK QOFS WILL FOCUS ON IN 2022 ?
QOZ Funds and investors will focus on executing a strategy that maximizes the most valuable tax benefit of the program – an elimination of taxes on the value growth of a QOZ investment after a 10-year hold . Notwithstanding any action from Congress to extend program deadlines , this benefit will be the most important driver for an investor to decide to lock funds up for 10 + years in a limited geographic area . To meet this goal , QOZ fund managers will focus on the most impactful projects we can execute on in an effort to both maximize the financial return for our investors and to make the case to Congress and the American people that this program deserves an extension .
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