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Jason’s early inspiration to pursue a career in investments came from his grandparents. Having been through the Great Depression they knew and communicated the value of a dollar. While never achieving “accredited status,” when they eventually passed it was discovered that on a single income of no more than 17k a year that supported a family of six, they were able to pass on a meaningful financial legacy through a disciplined spending and investing approach.

Jason attended Bethel University in St. Paul, MN and majored in Economics and Finance. He now resides in the westside neighborhood of St. Paul with his wife and children.

During college Jason’s passion for investing grew.

Having heard about the Great Depression, and directly experiencing the booms and busts of the late 1980’s, the Dot Com bust of early 2001 and the Great Recession of 2008, Jason recognized how markets and financial events have a profound impact on each and every one of us, for better or worse, and made it his life’s mission to uncover the workings of the economy and markets.

After discovering the tried-and-true performance of alternative investments on this mission, Jason launched Gratūs Capital in the fall of 2008 to share the unique benefits of alternatives with others.

From its first real estate fund Gratūs has grown to now offer investments in private equity and other high yield loan products.

“Our vision is to share the benefits of direct real estate and private equity ownership to everyday families like the ones we grew up with.”

He later received a BA degree from Trinity International University of Deerfield, IL in 1985. Jack spent 36 years in various technical and leadership roles at Eagle Test Systems, an international leader in automated electronic test equipment, where he ultimately served as Chief Technical Officer helping build the company to more than $120 MM in revenue by the time the company went public on the New York exchange in 2006.

Having had the responsibility of managing his own retirement funds, Jack had the unique opportunity to watch and compare the various investment options offered to him and others his age. Despite having access to some of the most sophisticated investment products Wall Street had to offer and the associated volatility, he was less than impressed with the overall performance.

After years of mediocre results and multiple heart-dropping crashes, Jack became a founding investor in GC’s first real estate fund. In his 20 years of investing, of all his various investments, the most consistent performer was his rental real estate.

In 2016, Jack left his 36-year career and became a partner at Gratūs Capital. Jack has a passion for helping others avoid many of the investment mistakes and headaches he’s had along the way, providing tried and true alternatives for folks desiring good quality investment options. At GC Jack supports capital development, compliance and general operations.

Bob began his journey with Gratūs in 2016, to help raise capital and execute the business plan for Gratūs Capital Properties Fund I, a diversified portfolio of investment properties in the Greater Minneapolis market.  In 2020, Bob became a proud full-time partner with Gratūs Funds.  

Before joining Gratūs full-time, Bob devoted 10 years to serving a variety of businesses from startups to Fortune 500 companies in the manufacturing, healthcare, and medical device industries as a lead strategic partner at Aerotek. During that time, he surpassed his sales quota for seven consecutive years, earned the Significant Impact Award, MVP award, and a promotion to a leadership role where he directed a team of salespeople and recruiters. In this role, Bob led his team to be the largest market in his segment throughout all Aerotek.

Skip was an investor in an early Gratūs Fund and joined the Gratūs team to help further the mission to democratize access to high-quality alternative investments and to help investors take their mountain.

As a partner and operational manager of an advisory firm, he brings that knowledge of scale, structure, and strategy to Gratūs in ways to support the ever-changing demands of our clients.

Early in college at the University of Northwestern, his belief that business is the most powerful vehicle of change in this world was established. His mission to help people better their lives, focus on what is important to them and explore their impact on this world aligned with Gratūs’ story to spread our services across the country.

Austin’s love for his wife and two kids drives everything he does. To not only meet their physical needs but to create memories, see them flourish, and spread that love and joy to the people around them.