Leadership

John B. Mason
Managing Partner/CEO

John B. Mason has been a principal and managing member of numerous commercial and residential real estate transactions over the past thirty years.

Mr. Mason is the Founder and Managing Partner of Garfield Investments, LLC, Intrepid Capital, LLC and Intrepid Real Estate, LLC which he founded in 1997 for the purpose of identifying and capitalizing on distressed, undervalued and poorly positioned commercial and residential properties in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area.

Mr. Mason has been involved in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate including ground-up development, leasing and asset management, zoning, historic preservation and distressed asset workouts. Mr. Mason has been responsible for acquisitions, project leadership, asset management, and day-to-day operations.

Accomplishments and responsibilities include:

  • Facilitated and transacted over $500M in investment, financing, and development of office and residential projects.
  • Managed the acquisition, renovation, and repositioning of multiple downtown Washington, DC office buildings, yielding a 30% internal rate of return for investors.
  • Developed and executed investment strategies while sourcing on and off market opportunities through an extensive network of owners, brokers, institutions, and bankers.
  • Served as project executive for all developments and investments, leading strategic plan design and execution across capital investment, leasing, marketing, and branding.
  • Oversaw partnership matters, operating plan development and implementation, tax and audit preparation, risk management, and lender relationships.
  • Acquired and redeveloped a student housing project by negotiating the removal of a federal land-use restriction with the FDIC and local authorities, resulting in a 100% value increase and a 10x return on equity.
  • Entitled a historic building for a Class-A residential development within 10 months, succeeding where three previous developers had failed. Engaged directly with the community to build support and manage concerns, leading a team of experts to secure city approvals which had previously been denied.

Notable projects include:

  • 1350 Connecticut Ave, NW: 178,000 sf office building in Washington, DC
  • 1211 Connecticut Ave, NW: 130,000 sf office building in Washington, DC
  • 122 C Street, NW: 118,000 sf office building in Washington, DC
  • 1522 K Street, NW: 80,000 sf office building in Washington, DC
  • 1720 Eye Street, NW: 75,000 sf office building in Washington, DC
  • 2807 Connecticut Ave, NW: 50,000 sf student housing asset in Washington, DC
  • 2501 Pennsylvania Ave, NW: 70,000 sf condominium development in Washington, DC
  • Honey Tree Apartment Community: 368-unit multi-family asset in Richmond, VA (in partnership with Lowe Enterprises)
  • Broadmoor Apartment Community: 388-unit multi-family asset in Richmond, VA (in partnership with Northwestern Mutual Life)
  • Old Town Gateway: a mixed used office and residential development in Alexandria, Virginia

Mr. Mason graduated from Duke University and The Hill School. His family has been successfully involved in Washington, DC real estate and banking for over 90 years.