Gregory Houghtaling
Founding Partner
Vista Private Equity Group
Gregory Houghtaling | Founding Partner | Vista Private Equity Group
Greg is a founding Partner of the Vista Group of entities and co-manages the activities of Vista’s Private Equity Group. Prior to co-founding Vista in 2006, Greg served as a Managing Director for 10 years with RSTW Partners, a Houston-based private equity firm which invested mezzanine and equity capital totaling $850 million through three institutional investment funds. At RSTW, Greg was responsible for managing the entire investment process on transactions that he led, including transaction sourcing, structuring, due diligence, negotiations/closings, post-closing management and coordinating investment exit scenarios. Greg served on the board of directors for a variety of RSTW portfolio companies, and he actively managed the financial, strategic and operational oversight of numerous RSTW portfolio companies.
Greg began his career with Ernst & Young, an international professional services firm, where he provided accounting, consulting and transaction advisory services to Fortune 500 and middle market companies in a wide variety of industries. Greg held the position of Senior Manager with Ernst & Young, where he worked from 1985 until 1994, when he left to pursue his interest in operations management. From 1994 to 1996, Greg worked as a senior financial executive for two separate operational turnarounds – one involving a large global operating division of a Fortune 100 company and one involving the previous leveraged buyout of a middle market specialty molding company. Through his operational management positions, as well as in connection with certain RSTW investments, Greg has substantial experience in managing distressed restructurings and turnaround situations.
Greg holds a B.B.A. degree from Texas A&M University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude, and is a former practicing CPA. He is married and has three children.
281-560-7385 | gregh@vistagroupllp.com | vCard
Brent Mann
Founding Partner
Vista Private Equity Group
Brent Mann | Executive Vice President | Vista Equities Group
Brent is a founding Partner of the Vista Group of entities and manages the activities of Vista’s Real Estate Group. Prior to co-founding Vista during 2006, Brent served in a variety of executive/management capacities over the course of a 19-year career with Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE: WRI), a Houston-based real estate investment trust with an equity market capitalization exceeding $2.5 billion. Most recently, from 2004 to 2006, Brent served as Senior Vice President of New Business Development for Weingarten, where he held responsibility for leading new project development and merchant-build opportunities, as well as creating and managing joint venture development programs and other long term joint venture partnerships.
From 2000 to 2004, Brent was a Regional Director of Leasing for the Western U.S. region, where he held primary management responsibility for leasing and asset management covering a portfolio of sixty-six shopping centers representing 8.7 million square feet in the aggregate. In this role, he also began to actively generate new real estate development projects along with other growth opportunities for Weingarten.
From 1998 to 2000, Brent served as Director of Operations, where he managed all aspects of Weingarten’s property management department covering a portfolio of 300 plus properties, which represented an aggregate of 36 million square feet at that time. Prior to 1998, Brent worked in a variety of Weingarten leasing management positions over a 10-year period, including 5 years in which he was named a top leasing producer.
Brent holds a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University. He is married and has two children.
281.560.7375 | bmann@vistagroupllp.com | vCard
Patty Bender
Partner
Vista Private Equity Group
Patty Bender | Partner | Vista Private Equity Group
Patty Bender is a recently retired Executive Vice President with Weingarten Realty Investors and during her thirty-three year tenure, directed the Leasing, Marketing and Market Research departments. Ms. Bender was responsible for the net income of 300 shopping centers and directed all transactions in existing assets, re-developments and new developments. Her team’s responsibilities included anchor and shop tenant replacement, re-merchandising, and re-positioning assets to maximize cash flow.
In addition, Ms. Bender was particularly focused on the design and development of the lifestyle centers owned by Weingarten Realty. Specifically, she directed the development of Centre at Post Oak and the Village Arcade, and the redevelopment of the River Oaks Shopping Center, all located in Houston.
Prior to joining the company, Ms. Bender was a Senior Fashion Buyer at Foley’s Department Store.
Ms. Bender holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing/Management from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Westchester University. She is a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) “Fellow”; also, she holds a Texas Real Estate Broker’s License, a Certified Property Manager Designation (CPM), and is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.
In 2009, Rice University asked Ms. Bender to develop a Real Estate course for the Jones School of Business. Since that time, she has been an active Adjunct Professor teaching her course entitled “Marketing Based Project Analysis”.
In 2011, she was asked to join the Francesca’s Collection Board of Directors, where she serves on both the Audit and the Nominating & Corporate Governance committees. In addition, she serves on the Board of Uptown Houston, chairing the Uptown Marketing Committee, and serves on the Board of the Texas Gulf States Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
281-560-7347 | pbender@vistagroupllp.com | vCard
Matt Runkel
Vice-President
Vista Private Equity Group
Matt Runkel | Vice President | Vista Private Equity Group
Matt Runkel is responsible for analyzing and procuring new investment opportunities while providing support in the ongoing portfolio management process. Additionally, Matt assists with investor relations and overall portfolio administration tasks. Prior to joining Vista Private Equity Group, Matt spent time in public accounting in Houston with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Matt is a graduate of Texas A&M University where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of Science degree in Finance. Matt is a member of ICSC and The Parade Committee of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
281-560-7319 | mrunkel@vistagroupllp.com | vcard