Chicago-based Harrison Street, an investment management firms exclusively focused on alternative real assets, has appointed John Hopkins as a vice president in the firm’s social infrastructure investment team.
Hopkins brings more than 10 years of infrastructure and energy investment experience to Harrison Street.
Launched in the summer 2018, Harrison Street’s Social Infrastructure Fund (SIF) targets highly structured investments in critical infrastructure serving universities, health systems and government entities, including construction and acquisitions in sustainable buildings, renewable energy and district energy. SIF has raised $1.2 billion from domestic and international institutional investors and has deployed more than $400 million in equity across 11 assets, including investments in wind, solar and hydro energy, innovation districts, sustainable buildings and district energy.
The weighted average contract duration for SIF’s current renewable and district energy investments is 21 and 10 years, respectively. Additionally, weighted average contracted revenue for its public-private partnership (P3) investments is approximately 45 years. University partners include the University of Chicago, Michigan State University and the University of Florida.
“We are thrilled to welcome John to our deep and dedicated team overseeing our social infrastructure investment strategy. Now more than ever, it is imperative that global institutions embrace clean energy and sustainable construction,” said Christopher Merrill, Harrison Street’s co-founder, chairman and CEO. We are proud to be a partner of choice for some of the nation’s most important universities, health systems and municipalities as they work to improve the environment and meet their social responsibility goals.”
Harrison Street’s infrastructure team includes Jim Hennessy, portfolio manager and managing director, who joined the firm in 2018 from University of Chicago, where he served as associate vice president for commercial real estate and was responsible for one of the most ambitious university-led, P3 transformations of an urban neighborhood.
Recently promoted directors, Carolyn Arida and Michael Leonczyk, lead the firm’s transactions efforts for its social infrastructure strategy. Arida spearheads SIF’s power, energy and utility investments and brings more than a dozen years of energy project finance experience. Leonczyk has extensive experience in originating and structuring P3 investments and leads these efforts for the infrastructure strategy. The team is further supported by dedicated associates with infrastructure experience.
