People

Get to know the people who drive Growth Market Investors forward.

Francis Abrao

Founder & CEO, GMI

Blaine Whitney

Senior Vice President
Investments and Advisory

Jerry Peterson

Senior Vice President
Investments and Capital Markets

Charles Fite

Director of Investments and Advisory

Joshua Ruegsegger

Director of Finance

Francis Abrao is the Founder and CEO of Growth Market Investors (GMI), launched in 2026 following the successful sale of CORE Advisory Partners and Sahara Investment Group — two firms he founded in 2018 and 2019, respectively, that grew to a team of 15 to 20 professionals and generated over $30 million in combined company and investor revenue before being sold in 2025.

Over the course of his career, Francis has advised on and executed more than $3 billion in capital raises, M&A advisory assignments, and capital restructuring transactions. Prior to founding GMI, he served as Managing Director at Valtus Capital Group, a boutique investment bank where he led a range of high-profile transactions, including the acquisition of U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles and a significant capital raise for The Parq casino in Vancouver.

Earlier in his career, Francis served as Director of Corporate Finance at Caesars Entertainment, where he played a key role in the company's initial public offering and worked across acquisitions, dispositions, and debt amendments. He also held multiple positions at MacFarlane Partners, a $20 billion real estate fund manager and developer, gaining broad experience in portfolio management, asset management, and acquisitions. Francis began his career in investment banking as a financial analyst with a focus on the real estate and gaming sectors.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Outside of the office, Francis enjoys spending time with his wife and their four children.

JERRY PETERSON is Senior Vice President Investments and Capital Markets, where he focuses on sourcing, structuring, and executing debt and equity transactions across commercial real estate opportunities. With more than 35 years of experience in real estate finance and development, Jerry has played a leading role in transactions exceeding $3 billion. He brings deep market knowledge, extensive capital markets relationships, and a disciplined approach shaped by decades of work with family offices, pension fund advisors, international banks, and alternative capital providers.

Before joining Growth Market Investors, Jerry oversaw the development and construction of Boca Raton Luxury Condominiums, a 378-unit residential project on Las Vegas Boulevard South. Earlier in his career, he co-developed three retail projects in Las Vegas totaling more than 600,000 square feet and also worked with a development team in Western Canada that developed and managed more than 3 million square feet of industrial warehouse space. He began his career in real estate finance at Bancorp Financial Group, where from 1979 to 1986 he was responsible for arranging more than $1.5 billion in debt and equity capital.

Jerry attended Brigham Young University, where he studied Business Management and Finance. He remains active in a range of professional and charitable organizations, including church and youth-focused initiatives.

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CHARLES FITE is Director of Investments and Advisory and brings a distinctive combination of operational, capital markets, and real estate credit experience to GMI. Prior to his transition into finance, Mr. Fite founded and operated a structural truss manufacturing business in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he served as head of operations with full oversight of finance, business development, and day-to-day operations — successfully exiting the business in 2014.

Mr. Fite has underwritten in excess of $1.0B in transactions across capital markets advisory and real estate debt. Working directly alongside Francis Abrao at his prior firm, Mr. Fite played an integral role across the full credit lifecycle — evaluating and underwriting prospective lending opportunities, preparing investment committee memoranda, and conducting due diligence through closing. He was actively involved in loan originations, working directly with developers and sponsors in an advisory capacity on both debt and equity capital formation. His asset management responsibilities included monitoring construction progress, tracking borrower performance, and managing loan compliance across an active portfolio.

Following his time in real estate debt, Mr. Fite transitioned to the principal side, working directly alongside developers on ground-up townhome construction projects and the acquisition and disposition of retail properties. His responsibilities spanned contractor, architect, and engineer coordination, contract negotiation, and pre-development feasibility analysis. This firsthand experience executing development business plans gives Mr. Fite a ground-level understanding of construction risk and project execution that directly strengthens GMI's underwriting and borrower evaluation capabilities.

Mr. Fite holds a B.S.B.A. in Finance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, attending sporting events, going to the gym, and is an avid disc golf player.

MR. WHITNEY is Senior Vice President Investments and Advisory and has over 20 years of experience in commercial real estate, corporate finance, and legal strategy. Prior to his role with GMI, Mr. Whitney served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Bristlecone Inc., an international family office, where he managed a commercial real estate portfolio focused on multifamily infill development and oversaw domestic and international acquisitions, dispositions, and complex multi-asset 1031 exchanges. Prior to Bristlecone Inc., Mr. Whitney served as Chief Operating Officer of Columbia Capital Group, where he developed the firm’s operational infrastructure and closed more than 10 transactions with an aggregate value exceeding $150M. Prior to Columbia Capital Group, Mr. Whitney served as Executive Vice President and Partner at Urban Asset Advisors, where he led the syndication, financial modeling, and development of 10 mixed-use multifamily projects representing an aggregate pipeline of approximately $250M. Earlier in his career, Mr. Whitney served as Vice President and Head of Real Estate for Layers LLC, where he raised $25,000,000 in venture capital and helped scale company revenues from $2M to $30M. Over the course of his career, Mr. Whitney has executed the acquisition and development of more than 1,400 multifamily units and has arranged and underwritten in excess of $425M in real estate capital transactions, venture capital financings, and syndications. Mr. Whitney is also a licensed attorney admitted to the California State Bar. Mr. Whitney holds a B.A. from Loyola Marymount University and earned both his J.D. and M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

Joshua Ruegsegger is a finance and compliance leader with a strong track record of building and managing scalable financial operations. He brings a disciplined, detail-oriented approach grounded in hands-on experience across established accounting functions, including financial reporting, accounts receivable and payable, and regulatory compliance.

Over the past six years, Mr. Ruegsegger has advanced into leadership and management roles, most recently serving as Manager of Accounting and Compliance at CORE Advisory Partners and Sahara Investment Group. In these positions, he oversaw accounting operations, strengthened internal controls, and ensured compliance across complex regulatory environments. He also served as a key liaison to external partners, including tax and accounting firms, insurance providers, and fund administrators, supporting accurate reporting and operational transparency for investors and stakeholders.

Mr. Ruegsegger holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Oregon State University.

As Director of Finance, Mr. Ruegsegger is focused on enhancing financial infrastructure, managing fund third parties, maintaining compliance standards, and delivering the transparency and service to GMI's investors

Advisory Board

Kevin Powell

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KEVIN POWELL is a corporate director and former CEO with 25+ years of experience driving growth, transformation, and governance across industrial distribution, manufacturing, and supply-chain businesses. He has served as President & CEO of both Van Meter, Inc. and United Aqua Group, where he doubled enterprise value in four years and turned around a bankrupt $40M distributor into a $250M market leader. Kevin brings deep expertise in strategy and growth, M&A integration, ESOP governance, and leadership development, with active board service across companies ranging from $140M to $1B+ in enterprise value. He holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin and a BS in Industrial Engineering from Marquette University.