Advisory Board

Christopher N. Merrill

Board Member – Aqua Marine Partners, LLC.

Mr. Merrill is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC a real estate private equity firm focused on launching a series of closed-end real estate funds. Mr. Merrill is also a Member of the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Investment Committee & Management Committee of the Company. Since it's founding in 2005 the firm has acquired or has under development 45 properties worth over $400 million throughout 16 states in U.S. The portfolio includes over 3,000 assisted living units, over 8,000 storage units, over 3,000 student housing beds and 750 marina berths. Mr. Merrill is a member of the Board of Managers of the firms inaugural Fund, Harrison Street Real Estate Partners I, LP a $210 million real estate fund that has buying power of over $800 million. Investors in this fund include some of the largest family offices in the U.S. as well as endowments, foundations, pension funds, insurance companies and foreign investors. In addition, Mr. Merrill serves on the Operating Committee of all the firm's joint-ventures.

Prior to co-founding Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, LLC, Mr. Merrill was a partner, owner and Managing Director of Heitman LLC, a real estate investment management firm that manages over $18 billion. Over the course of his fifteen year career with Heitman, Mr. Merrill executed real estate transactions consisting of over $4 billion for the firm's clients and principals. Mr. Merrill established the firm's presence in Europe and over a seven year period grew the assets under management in Europe to well over $2.5 billion. He was responsible for oversight of the 40 person international investment department, development of new business initiatives, including specialized joint-ventures in the U.S. and Europe and marketing of the firm's investment products.

Over his career Mr. Merrill has acquired and or developed over $5 billion of real estate in both the U.S. and Europe on behalf of some of the worlds largest investors in all segments of the property markets (office, warehouse, retail, residential, land, hotel, self-storage, medical office, student housing, senior housing, parking and marinas). During this time period he has established and implemented over 25 joint-ventures with real estate operating partners across the US and Europe.

Mr. Merrill has appeared in numerous real estate journals and on panels regarding investing in the U.S. and Europe. Recently Private Equity Magazine recognized Mr. Merrill as one of the twenty global rising stars in the real estate industry. Mr. Merrill is a member of the Urban Land Institute, PREA and the Presidents Circle of the Chicago Council for Foreign relations. In addition, the firm is a member of the Self-Storage Association (SSA), National Multi-Housing Association, International Marina Association, and Building Office & Managers Association (BOMA). Mr. Merrill earned his MBA in the evening from the CASS school of business in London, England and he has a BA in Economics from Roanoke College.