David Kim and Jerome Fink, The Bascom Group

David Kim, The Bascom Group

Jerome Fink, The Bascom Group

FINALIST – Real Estate & Hospitality
David Kim and Jerome Fink
co-founders and managing partners
The Bascom Group
In 1996, three Wisconsin University classmates returned for their alumni celebration at a time when California’s real estate market was the worst in decades.
After poring over past college projects to find an old case study on multifamily real estate investments, one of the classmates proposed the idea to invest in a new real estate venture — the beginnings of what would become The Bascom Group.
As co-founders and managing partners of The Bascom Group, David Kim and Jerome Fink have spent the last 16 years turning that college project in a multibillion-dollar firm specializing in value-added multifamily, commercial and real-estate-related investments.
The company provides housing to more than 50,000 individuals and job opportunities to millions of people nationwide.
Operating in the multifamily industry, Kim and Fink understand that their company’s success goes hand-in-hand with social responsibility, which is why they’ve gone against many industry norms to invest in essential residential programs and social outreach initiatives.
Many Bascom properties sponsor programs such as financial workshops, mentoring and fitness classes in addition to other services.
While their competitors scale back in these areas, Kim and Fink have put even more time and dollars into improving resident lifestyles during the recession.
This commitment also extends to neighboring communities.
They continue to emphasize the importance of giving back at Bascom alongside successful financials, whether it’s holding on-site job fairs to rebuild local employment, hosting guest lecturers at high schools or assisting employees at the corporate level with fun workshops and training classes to unleash employee creativity.
This corporate investment in community improvement, which attracts top customers and motivates top employees, has helped The Bascom Group remain one of the top 50 largest private equity owners in the nation through two economic downturns.
HOW TO REACH: The Bascom Group, bascomgroup.com