Amanda Hawn works in the real estate investment business because she says it rewards creativity as well as discipline, and requires strategic intuition as well as thorough analysis. She enjoys learning curves and working laterals between good people. Prior to joining Falcon Ridge Partners in 2013, she worked for Värde Partners, a multi-billion dollar opportunity fund. She priced over $1.5BN of non-performing commercial real estate loans while at Värde, supporting the acquisition of a $325MM book.
Hawn has a long-dated interest in how people impact places and places impact people. She says, “Admittedly, I am a little compulsive about how places evolve, and it has manifested in a variety of ways.” She has studied the subject, written about it and invested in it. Hawn began her career, teaching math at the University of Cape Town while studying bird populations on the Wild Coast of South Africa. She has also studied chimpanzee and coral reef fish populations in places as far-flung as Tanzania and the Antilles. She worked as a science writer for seven years, with publications appearing in New York Times and The Economist, among others. Since 2007, she has worked in real estate development and investment in California and Minneapolis, two of my favorite places. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two young daughters.