Co-Founder, Principal and Investment Committee Member

Mr. Berns is a co-founder of ORG with over 41 years of impactful experience in the real estate and consulting industry. Alongside co-founder Edward Schwartz, Mr. Berns has dedicated his vision and leadership to growing ORG into a premier full-service investment firm.

Mr. Berns exemplifies ORG's core belief in "investing in people" as this philosophy underpins ORG’s unwavering commitment to transparency and integrity in all of its endeavors. He champions the firm's confidence in its ability to rigorously evaluate any investment opportunity through meticulous due diligence and targeted inquiry. Furthermore, Mr. Berns embodies ORG's strategic humility: knowing when to bring in external experts and partners to ensure a comprehensive understanding of complex opportunities. As a senior consultant, he is directly involved in and administers client service, rigorous investment fund and real asset due diligence, strategic portfolio development and robust manager oversight. Mr. Berns is a voting member of the ORG Investment Committee.

Beyond his strategic investment roles, Mr. Berns leads ORG’s Qualified Professional Asset Management (“QPAM”) division. This specialized division excels at managing assets across the United States on behalf of clients who are otherwise prohibited from directly overseeing their own investments. This unique capability underscores ORG's adaptability and Mr. Berns's expertise in navigating intricate regulatory landscapes while delivering exceptional client service.

Mr. Berns is a pioneering advocate for Integrated Project Delivery (“IPD”), a methodology he has championed during ORG's oversight of the development of over $500 million of healthcare assets in Las Vegas, Nevada. Through his leadership in implementing IPD, ORG has achieved multi-million dollar cost savings for clients, demonstrating his innovative approach to maximizing efficiency and value in complex projects.

A passionate mentor, Mr. Berns finds tremendous joy and fulfillment in aiding the development of his employees and mentees. His dedication to nurturing talent is a cornerstone of ORG's collaborative culture, ensuring the firm's continued growth and the professional advancement of its team members.

Prior to co-founding ORG in 1999, Mr. Berns was president of Berns Properties, Inc., a real estate development, investment and consulting company he founded in 1984. As a consultant under Berns Properties, he was responsible for negotiating a significant investment by Nuon International, a $2 billion Dutch utility, in North Coast Energy, and consulting on the acquisition of two large research facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Mr. Berns is a past chairman of the First Suburbs Consortium, a nationally recognized government-led advocacy organization focused on urban property redevelopment. He has been a national speaker on real estate investment strategies, urban redevelopment and energy utilization optimization and procurement. Mr. Berns serves on the Board of the Effective Leadership Academy as President Emeritus. Mr. Berns studied at the University of Michigan.