Stonecrest Founder & President Jon Freeman would be forgiven for wondering if it has really been three decades since he founded the business. But time marches on, and 2017 will mark the 30th anniversary for Stonecrest. From humble beginnings all those years ago, the Stonecrest family of companies has grown into a diverse set of businesses in real estate investment and finance. Today, Stonecrest manages over 200 million in assets across a diverse set of mortgage lending and real estate acquisition funds, and is one of the leading private money mortgage lenders in California.
One of the hallmarks of lasting success is consistency, of course. And the Stonecrest brand is the embodiment of that idea. As an alternative investment company, Stonecrest has been able to focus on an important niche in the real estate ecosystem. That focus has resulted in an unmatched level of domain experience and knowledge, allowing Stonecrest to deliver the high returns that characterize alternative investing, while minimizing and mitigating risk through smart, tough deal making. And legions of satisfied Stonecrest customers are the result of all that groundwork.
And while it has taken decades for that knowledge to develop, if you look closely, you can see that Stonecrest probably had their success written into their DNA from the beginning. In fact, Freeman is following the same formula today that he did when the company was started in 1986. “It’s not too complicated”, says Freeman. “It’s about the customer. Make them successful and your success will follow.”
And so, it’s a good bet that Stonecrest will see a 60th anniversary as well. As he looks down the road, Freeman is bullish on the future. “I think the sky is the limit”, says Freeman. “As we grow, we will continue to search for new ways to bring value to our customers.”
And that future is already starting to appear. One of Stonecrest’s latest initiatives is CapCon Foundation, a non-profit entity that makes grants and investments for economically sustainable businesses that combat poverty in disadvantaged communities around the world. One possible outcome of this initiative is that Stonecrest could, at some point in the future, offer Impact investment vehicles to Stonecrest investors. And while Stonecrest investors may not currently know the opportunity that exists in, say, artisan gold mining, they may soon find out!
So as Stonecrest marches successfully into its fourth decade, the future looks bright. But Freeman is quick to point out that real challenges lie ahead. “The world is changing” says Freeman, “and the pace of that change is breathtaking. In the world of instant connection and social validation, we need to constantly adapt to new methods of finding, connecting and engaging with our customers.” The company’s investment in digital media assets and channels has grown to meet this demand, and will continue to do so. Meanwhile, social media platforms have enabled the rise of new financial product models like “peer to peer” lending and “fractional” real estate investing, which also present a challenge to the status quo for Stonecrest. Accordingly, new lending and investment products are in the development pipeline as well.
But while Stonecrest is prepared to adapt to new markets and new demands in the digital media age, Freeman has no intention of losing sight of what brought Stonecrest to this point. So as ever, Stonecrest will focus on creating customer success…and if that’s a good basis for 30 years of success, who could argue with it?