Company Overview

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About

SROA Capital is a vertically integrated private equity real estate and technology platform that has an established track record of providing risk adjusted returns to its partners through its focused strategy of investing in self storage on behalf of its principals and partners. SROA is headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL and has invested equity, acquired, redeveloped, and developed self storage across the risk spectrum in major and secondary markets across the United States under the brand Storage Rentals of America.

New Construction

Acquisition

Operator

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History

Benjamin Macfarland Holding Company began managing and acquiring self-storage facilities in 2006 and 2010, respectively.

2013 - The firm was founded by real estate entrepreneur Benjamin Macfarland in partnership with Sidney Kohl (co-founder of Kohl’s Department Stores) and James Jenkins (co-founder of Alliant)

2014 - SROA acquired its first portfolio of storage facilities in Florida.

2015 – Expanded to 38 properties owned and managed by acquiring Storage Rentals of America, a 24 property portfolio, and 9 additional properties.

2016 - Acquired 18 properties: 8 in South Carolina, 8 in Delaware, 1 in Kentucky, and 1 in Florida.

2017 - Acquired 7 properties: 4 in Florida, 1 in Delaware, 1 in Kentucky, and 1 in New Jersey.

2018 - Acquired 21 properties: An 18 property portfolio in Ohio, and 3 additional Florida properties.

2019 - Acquired 50 properties: 17 in Michigan, 15 in South Carolina, 8 in Tennessee, 4 in Georgia, 3 in Florida, and 3 in North Carolina.

2020 – Acquired 29 new properties: 11 in Connecticut, 8 in Wisconsin, 4 in Massachusetts, 2 in Florida, 2 in Rhode Island, 1 in Ohio, and 1 in South Carolina.

2021 – Opened a newly constructed, 8 story storage facility in downtown Miami, Florida. Acquired 80 new properties: 1 in Florida, 10 in Georgia, 1 in Iowa, 41 in Indiana, 7 in Michigan, 1 in Mississippi, 17 in South Carolina, and 2 in West Virginia.

2022 – Acquired 129 new properties: 25 in Minnesota, 23 in Michigan, 23 in Ohio, 9 in Iowa, 8 in Illinois, 8 in Montana, 6 in Virginia, 5 in Pennsylvania, 4 in Florida, 3 in New York, 3 in North Carolina, 3 in South Carolina, 3 in Tennessee, 2 in New Jersey, and 1 in Massachusetts.

Our Team

We work towards achieving greatness by investing in intellectual capital. Our team has extensive public and private sector experience, a passion for challenges, and entrepreneurial motivation

Benjamin Shibe Macfarland III

Chief Executive Officer, and Co-founder

Ben Macfarland has spent the last 17 years focused on the acquisition, development, financing, repositioning and management of owner operated real estate assets including self-storage (since 2006), parking, student housing, senior living, and single-family home portfolios. Mr. Macfarland’s track record has identified market dynamics, implemented his investment strategy, built out a team and executed on his vision.

To date Mr. Macfarland has invested in ~$2bn of real estate investments as Principal. Storage Rentals of America is his third platform created around an investment strategy in a specific industry (in addition to parking & student housing).

Mr. Macfarland holds a BS in Real Estate from Florida State University and an MBA in Finance from American University. Mr. Macfarland is a member of the Real Estate Roundtable in Washington, DC. Mr. Macfarland and his wife Christina have five children, live in West Palm Beach, Florida, and are actively involved with the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties and the Flagler Museum.

Robert Buffett

Chief Financial Officer

Bob Buffett serves as the Chief Financial Officer of SROA. He is responsible for the financial reporting, banking, insurance, and finance functions of the company.

Mr. Buffett’s extensive experience working with institutional investors ensures SROA’s institutional financial reporting standards for pensions and other investors.

Prior to joining SROA, Mr. Buffett served as the Chief Financial Officer for Stor-All Storage for 11 years. Bob was responsible for all of the financial reporting for a 45 self-storage facility portfolio, prior to being sold to one of the REITs. Mr. Buffett’s passion is a commitment to continuous analysis and control of cost centers to drive efficiency and costs savings.

Bob has been a licensed CPA in the state of Florida for 25 years. He started his career at Arthur Anderson in West Palm Beach, Florida, specializing in real estate and construction accounting.

Miriam Martinez-Sorto

Chief Marketing and Technology Officer

Miriam Martinez-Sorto is responsible for overseeing SROA’s digital marketing, web development, and ecommerce strategy. Miriam drives SROA’s online presence by leveraging an omni-channel, digital marketing strategy that creates revenue-generating conversions. This responsibility includes managing technology operations for the Company’s corporate office and real estate portfolio. She heads digital strategy and transformation initiatives, designs New Customer Acquisition strategy for improved revenue growth, and oversees customized software strategy and implementation to streamline operations across SROA.

Prior to joining SROA, Miriam was the VP of Global Ecommerce & Marketing for VMR, a global technology venture, where she was responsible for producing 60% of the company’s revenue. Miriam has also worked at Unilever and Wells Fargo—experiences in managing multinational markets including the Americas, Caribbean, and Europe. Miriam holds a BBA in International Business from the University of North Carolina and an MBA from University of Miami – UOP. She holds Google certificates in Data Analytics and Ecommerce Marketing. Miriam is a member of Refresh Miami—Florida’s largest tech and entrepreneurial community. Miriam was born and raised in El Salvador and is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.

Kenny Speegle

Chief Operating Officer

Kenneth Speegle oversees SROA’s daily business operations, focusing on enhancing the integration of the Firm’s technology platform and implementing operational improvements with a goal of increasing NOI.

Prior to joining SROA, Mr. Speegle spent 18 years at Extra Space Storage in various roles, most recently as Senior Vice President of Operations, managing five divisions and over 825 property locations across the Southeast U.S. and Texas. Prior to his time at Extra Space Storage, Mr. Speegle served as the Senior District Manager of Storage USA, managing over 25 properties across the Ohio Valley including Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Grand Rapids.

Mr. Speegle holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Corrections from Kent State University.

Vance Carlton

Vice President of Operations

Vance Carlton serves as the Vice President of Operations of SROA. He is responsible for the operational profitability and day-to-day management of operational staff.

Prior to joining SROA, Mr. Carlton spent seven years at Public Storage in various roles, most recently as a Regional Vice President, overseeing over 300 properties, three Regional Managers, and 35 District Managers. At Public Storage, Mr. Carlton was responsible for onboarding new properties into the operational portfolio and hiring and training regional staff. Throughout his tenure at Public Storage, he won several awards for his performance achievements and his region was consistently ranked among the top five performing regions.

Prior to his time at Public Storage, he served as Director of Sales at Einstein Bagels / Noah Bagels and started his career as a Regional Vice President with Boston Market.

Mr. Carlton attended the University of Florida.

Beau Raich

VP of Real Estate Development

Beau Raich oversees the development and construction initiatives, focusing on new projects and expansions of existing storage facilities including site selection, underwriting, and entitlements.

Prior to joining SROA, Mr. Raich was Vice President and Corporate Counsel at Two Roads Development, a large residential condominium developer. Prior Two Roads, Mr. Raich served as General Counsel at SROA, overseeing the legal affairs of the company, and as a Development Associate and In-House Counsel at The Lynd Company, a nationally recognized multifamily apartment investment and development company based in San Antonio, TX. Mr. Raich began his career as a complex commercial litigation attorney at the law firm Nason Yeager in West Palm Beach, FL.

Mr. Raich holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Studies from Duke University and a Juris Doctorate from Florida International University.

Owen Holm

Managing Director of Investor Relations

Owen Holm serves as the Managing Director of Investor Relations at SROA. He leads the investor relations and capital raising initiatives and has 10 years of investment management experience across both private and public markets.

Prior to joining SROA, Mr. Holm was Director of Marketing & Investor Relations at Crescendo Real Estate Advisors LLP (“CREAL”), a diversified real estate private equity firm. At CREAL he was responsible for overseeing global investor relations and capital raising initiatives including the launch of two closed-end funds and several direct private equity transactions. Prior to CREAL, he spent five years at Kildonan Castle Asset Management, a long-short credit fund, where he focused on investor relations and marketing, launching a series of credit funds. Mr. Holm began his investment career as a Research Associate at Coleman Research Group.

Mr. Holm holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Williams College received in 2010.

Wallace Cascio

Managing Director of Acquisitions

Wallace Cascio is responsible for sourcing investment opportunities for SROA Capital.

Prior to SROA Capital, Mr. Cascio worked in a variety of different capacities within the real estate industry, including acquisitions, asset management, and leasing of various types of properties. Mr. Cascio has a track record of building businesses, including a residential real estate agency that he played a key role in growing from three agents to over 400 in seven years.

Mr. Cascio holds a BA from the University of Florida and is a licensed Real Estate Agent in the State of Florida.

Colt Jenkins

Director of Investments

Colt Jenkins is a Director of Investments for SROA and is responsible for analyzing and underwriting new acquisitions. Prior to joining SROA capital in 2016, Jenkins worked for Rybovich Boat Company. At Rybovich, he performed project analyses for multimillion-dollar yacht refits.

Mr. Jenkins earned a BS in Accounting from Miami University and is a licensed CPA in the state of Florida.

Zach Appleman

Vice President of Investor Relations

Zach Appleman serves as the Vice President of Investor Relations of SROA.  Zach focuses on the Firm’s investor relations and capital raising activities, and has 9 years of experience in successfully establishing and nurturing global relationships across a broad array of client verticals resulting in successful capital raises for alternative investment funds.

Prior to joining SROA, Mr. Appleman was Vice President of Business Development at International Standard Asset Management (“ISAM”), a $4.0b quantitative hedge fund specializing in systematic trend following, where he co-led the investor relations, consultant relations, and capital raising initiatives across North America.  Prior to ISAM, he was a member of the Investor Relations & Capital Raising team at Pomona Capital, a $9.0b private equity firm specializing in secondary investments.

Mr. Appleman holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida.  He is also a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (“CAIA”) Charterholder and an active member of the CAIA South Florida Chapter.

Sean Dewhurst

Project and Construction Manager

Sean Dewhurst serves as the Project and Construction Manager for SROA. He and his team are responsible for overseeing the larger capital improvement projects including all new construction for the company. Mr. Dewhurst is directly responsible for preparation, negotiation, and coordination of all phases of commercial real estate development construction process. Working closely with SROA’s network of architects, engineers, designers, and contractors to provide a final high-quality rentable product to the marketplace on time and on budget.

Prior to joining SROA, over the past 15 years Mr. Dewhurst worked inhouse at NAI Merin as the Construction Manager and served in multiple roles at South Florida’s leading General Contractors; working from assistant superintendent, superintendent, estimator to project manager.

Jackie Penny

Investor Relations

Jackie Penny is responsible for managing SROA’s Investor Relations, which includes evaluating, improving and maintaining positive relationships and communication between the organization and its investors, to enhance the company image and increase value.

Prior to joining SROA, Mrs. Penny was the Marketing and Special Events Coordinator at Ultramax Sports working directly with  multiple sports affiliated companies in the state of Missouri and Florida. She organized and advertised for events and tournaments for Title Boxing Club, Susan G. Komen of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City Sports Commission, Big 12 Championships, and many others. Prior to Ulramax Sports, she was the Marketing and Events intern at the Kansas City Sports Commission, where she organized events for local charities and organizations, Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City, MLB Royals Charities, and the NAIA.

Mrs. Penny holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus in Marketing and Communications from the University of Central Missouri.

Claudia Morais

Administration & Investor Relations

Claudia Morais joined SROA in 2014 and, as a Paralegal, Ms. Morais is responsible for managing all matters pertaining to SROA’s real estate transactions, due diligence and corporate records. Ms. Morais works closely with the CEO, CFO, outside attorneys and financial institutions to assure that all transactions are completed successfully. Ms. Morais is also involved with the management and communication of existing investors.

Prior to joining SROA, Ms. Morais worked at a title company performing residential real estate closings, title searches, survey reviews and other due diligence matters. Ms. Morais also worked as a licensed real estate agent focusing on the residential market.

Ms. Morais is a registered Paralegal and holds an Associates in Arts Degree from Palm Beach State College.