James R. Hopper – President and Chief Executive Officer
James R. Hopper
President and Chief Executive Officer
“Knowledge and experience utilized and focused to create high returns and profit for investments partners and win-win transactions for sellers.” As AMC’s founder, President and CEO, Jim has overseen and directed the Company since its incorporation in 1983. He obtained his California Real Estate Salesman’s license in 1972 and his Real Estate Broker’s license in 1978.
In 1991, Western Federal Savings Bank (Marina del Rey) recruited Jim to organize, staff and manage its Multi-family and Commercial REO Department. During Jim’s tenure at Western Federal, AMC’s acquisition program was dormant, but AMC continued to be involved in real estate related activities. At Western Federal, Jim was directly involved in and/or oversaw the management and sale of its income producing REO properties. As a senior vice president, he also served as a voting member of the Senior Credit Review Committee and the Senior Management Advisory Committee.
In 1993, the Resolution Trust Corporation (“RTC”) took over Western Federal and Jim was one of only a select few senior managers that was retained to provide leadership and expertise to ensure a smooth transition and successful disposition of the balance of the non-performing loans and REO properties. Jim’s staff, which included Russ Hardt, AMC’s Director of Acquisitions, and Kenneth M. Levine, one of AMC’s Directors of Investor Relations, was acknowledged for developing and implementing one of the RTC’s most successful in-house marketing programs in its history.
After finishing with the RTC in 1995, Jim developed and directed AMC’s Loan Workout Program, wherein AMC represented commercial real estate owners who were in default or faced serious economic problems in workout negotiations with their lenders. AMC was the only privately owned workout company recognized and endorsed by all of the major commercial real estate brokerage companies, including Grubb & Ellis, CB Richard Ellis, Marcus & Millichap, Sperry Van Ness, Voit Commercial, Capital Commercial and Lee & Associates.
The contact with the commercial real estate brokers while working at Western Federal and representing borrowers in workouts, provided Jim and AMC with unparalled relationships in the Southern California commercial real estate community and is the basis for AMC’s ability to locate and acquire the property acquisitions in its portfolio.
In 1998, AMC changed its focus and began purchasing select, well-located commercial properties. Under Jim’s leadership, AMC has completed more than $1 Billion in commercial property and loan transactions in conjunction with its private investor partners.
Jim has a high degree of confidence in the Commercial Real Estate market and his and AMC’s ability to continue to locate quality real property that satisfies AMC’s strict investment criteria and it’s required for strong returns on investments.