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The Philanthropic Entrepreneur

The Philanthropic Entrepreneur

Bruce Gago

Screen shot 2013-01-03 at 12.29.01 PMGrowing up, Bruce Gago was determined to be the first in his family to attend college. “To achieve this, I knew I needed to work harder and smarter than my peers,” says Gago, now 30. “I also knew I needed to leave my comfort zone, which is part of the reason I attended college in the frozen woods of New Hampshire [at Dartmouth College].” After college, Gago learned the nuances of real-estate finance through his work at firms Jones Lang LaSalle and The Carlyle Group. Deciding to take his education further, Gago enrolled in Harvard Business School for his MBA. “At HBS, I identified an opportunity to invest in distressed residential properties,” says Gago, of Colombian and Argentine background. “The current housing crisis has led millions of lower- and middle-income families—including many Hispanics—into foreclosure.  This motivated me to create Bay Realty Capital, a for-profit investment firm to purchase distressed homes and convert them into affordable rental housing, which would meet an important market need.”

Dream job

My dream job involves waking up every morning not knowing quite what the day has in store for me. I enjoy real estate, managing people, identifying and executing on entrepreneurial opportunities, seeing results quickly, and providing attractive investment returns.

Education

Master of Business Administration
Harvard Business School, May 2012

Bachelor of Arts, double major in Economics and Government
Dartmouth College, June 2005,
cum laude

Work experience

June 2012-present: Founder and President
Bay Realty Capital

Summer 2011: Summer Associate, Office of the President
The Hersha Group

January 2009-June 2010: Associate, US Real Estate
The Carlyle Group

July 2007-January 2009: Analyst, US Real Estate
The Carlyle Group

March 2006-July 2007: Financial Analyst, Public Institutions
Jones Lang LaSalle

Role models

I had three fantastic real-estate  professors at HBS [Harvard Business School] whom I consider role models: Nori Gerardo Lietz, Nic Retsinas, and Arthur Segel. They all embody attributes in their careers and teaching that I seek to further develop in myself: innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, knowledge, and the willingness to mentor future leaders.

Define success

Sir Winston Churchill’s thoughts on success have always inspired me: “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”   

 

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