Team
Michael Blake
Michael is a former Senior VP at Donaldson Lufkin Jenrette (DLJ), Inc. and strategist to Bill Donaldson, former SEC Chairman. Mike headed strategy, tax, and private equity units for DLJ, Reliance Insurance and Reliance Private Equity. With specialties in corporate structuring, and early-stage ventures. Mike was active in companies developed and sold to Apple Computer, American Tower Corp, PRIMEDIA, American Express, Entravision, Paxson, Columbia/HCA, and Cendant Corporation.
Mike was an early investor in the formation and IPOs of Days Inn and Telemundo. Mike has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rider University and an MBA from Pace University.
Mark J. Isakson
Mark has built a successful career as a pioneer in the residential and commercial real estate development market in the Southwest U.S., concentrating heavily in Arizona, Wyoming and Texas. While Mark began his career as a CPA with KPMG, he quickly pivoted to real estate where he spent time as the CFO for a firm that developed industrial office parks in Phoenix, AZ.
Mark also spent time as Operating Partner and Director of Acquisitions and Strategic Planning for the Highlands Development Company, where he planned and developed a large golf course community. Mark then became the Co-founder and President of his own joint firm, The Baily/Isakson Group, where he focused on developing master planned residential communities. Notable developments include The Golf Club Scottsdale ($50MM in Scottsdale, AZ) and the Powder Horn Ranch Community ($75MM in Sheridan, WY).
Over the next decade, Mark continued to make impactful investments in these target markets and further proved himself an expert planner, developer, fundraiser and entrepreneur. Having recently sold his organically grown Real Estate Development Consulting and Valuation firm, Mark now drives significant growth and innovation with La Gorce in the building out of an effective development and fundraising team. Mark has a Bachelor’s in both Finance and Accounting from the University of Arizona.
Timothy J. Koziol
Tim is an experienced and driven business leader who has spent over 30 years in the waste management and consulting business for various companies in several parts of the country. Working with multiple private equity and banking sponsors along the way, Tim has structured and executed large environmentally significant projects that specifically focus on wastewater treatment in Southern California and Texas. He also specializes in advisory services to specific economic sectors and a limited number of industries, including wastewater treatment, aerospace technology, niche manufacturing and financial accounting software application in the lower middle market.
Tim has a B.A. in Speech Communication and an M.A. in Mass Communication from Wheaton College.
Dr. Vip Dev, M.D.
Dr. Vip Dev is currently the CEO of Velocity Growth Companies, a La Gorce Capital portfolio company founded to purchase independent medical practices and provide non-clinical services to medical practices in the Western United States.
Dr. Dev is physician with 25 years of clinical experience. He is the founder and chairman of a large clinical integration/ACO program in California with shared savings contracts with commercial and managed care insurance carriers.
He has extensive experience with telehealth platforms and software integration and has spent much of his career working with CMS/Medicare/Medicaid/Self-insured/Workers Compensation health initiative programs. Dr. Dev also has deep understanding of population health and health management, as well as experience in the development and buildout of outpatient surgical centers.
Peggy S. Stefan
Peggy is an experienced founder and business leader in the Minneapolis, MN area, where she owns one of the Twin Cities first coworking spaces, The Commons. She has been supporting and consulting with small businesses and startups for the past 15 years.
Prior to that, Peggy worked in financial services for banking, broker-dealers, and investment companies in a wide range of activities from Marketing Director to VP of Branch Office Development. As an executive assistant at La Gorce, Peggy provides value across the board in supporting the team through many important administrative and operating functions.
Peggy has a business degree from Montana State University and a Masters-level Certificate in Executive and Career Coaching from Adler Business School.