BlackSand Capital

Our Team

The financing professionals at BlackSand Capital possess extensive real estate and capital markets experience, having overseen the investment of approximately $4 billion across all property sectors since 2000.

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Nothing can replace the competitive advantage of local presence in a unique environment that demands creativity, flexibility, and decisive action. –– B.J. Kobayashi

B.J. Kobayashi

Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & a Founder

B.J. Kobayashi is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and a Founder of BlackSand Capital. Mr. Kobayashi oversees the investment and operational activities of the company and is also a member of the firm's investment committee. In addition, Mr. Kobayashi is a Founding Partner of the Kobayashi Group, a property development and real estate investment firm based in Honolulu, which he co-founded in 1996. Mr. Kobayashi has 25 years of experience in real estate investment. Over the course of his career, Mr. Kobayashi has been involved in approximately $5 billion worth of real estate investments in hotels, residential, retail, land and mixed-use developments.

Mr. Kobayashi graduated from Punahou School, Georgetown University’s School of Business with a major in International Business, and Georgetown University’s Law Center, where he earned a Juris Doctorate degree. He is also a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association.

Mr. Kobayashi served on the board of directors of the Hawaiian Electric Company and was a Trustee of the Hawaiian Tax-Free Trust, Hawaii’s largest municipal bond fund. In 2011, the late U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye appointed Mr. Kobayashi to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Committee, where he served as co-chair of the Budget and Finance sub-committee.

Mr. Kobayashi is active in community service where he serves as the President of the Georgetown Club of Hawaii, serves on the Board of Regents of Georgetown University, co-founder of the GIFT Foundation of Hawaii, Board member of the Shane Victorino Foundation and Director for Inspire the Keiki Foundation. Mr. Kobayashi is also a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.

Bryan K. K. Li

Principal

Bryan Li is a member of the firm’s acquisitions and asset management team, and is a member of the firm's investment committee. He is also responsible for BlackSand's transactional activity and business plan execution. Prior to joining BlackSand, Mr. Li was at Cirrus Asset Management from 2009 to 2010, where he was the Vice President and Hawaii Regional Supervisor responsible for acquisitions and asset management of multifamily assets. Previously, he spent five years at Fowler Property Acquisitions as Vice President of Acquisitions and Asset Management for the Hawaii region, where he managed a real estate portfolio consisting of over 1 million square feet of commercial real estate. Before joining Fowler in 2004, Mr. Li was in the Investment Banking Division at Credit Suisse First Boston from 2000 to 2003.

Mr. Li is an active alumnus of Iolani School and Georgetown University where he graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the Georgetown Club of Hawaii, and serves on the boards for NAIOP Hawaii, Shioi Construction and Hoo Cho Chinese School. Mr. Li is also a 2010 Pacific Century Fellow.

Benjamin J. Wang

Principal

Benjamin Wang is a member of the firm’s acquisitions and asset management team, and is a member of the firm's investment committee. He is also responsible for the transactional activity and business plan execution of BlackSand. Prior to joining BlackSand, Mr. Wang was at The Shidler Group from 2006 to 2010, where he worked on the acquisitions and dispositions of over $500 million in commercial property throughout Honolulu, Southern California, and Phoenix.

Mr. Wang received an MBA with a focus on real estate finance from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a member of the California Alumni Club of Hawaii, and serves on the board for the Urban Land Institute and Palama Settlement.

Will D. Nguyen

Principal

Will Nguyen is responsible for investment underwriting and analysis for BlackSand. Previously, Mr. Nguyen was a senior manager on the Business Development & Strategy and Corporate Development teams at Microsoft, where he was responsible for the execution of strategic acquisitions, equity investments and partnerships. Prior to Microsoft, Mr. Nguyen was in the Investment Banking Division at Merrill Lynch & Co., where he was involved in the execution of merger advisory and financing transactions.

Mr. Nguyen was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and graduated from Punahou School. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Washington, a Juris Doctor degree with honors from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and is a licensed attorney in the State of California.

Holly A. Park

Chief Financial Officer

Holly Park is responsible for the financial, accounting, and investor-related functions of BlackSand. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Park was a senior manager at KPMG LLP from 1999 to 2010. Ms. Park has over 10 years of experience in providing financial audit and accounting services to companies ranging in size from large public to small private clients. She is skilled in various industries, including financial services, real estate, hospitality, and not-for-profit organizations.

Ms. Park was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, with a concentration in accounting, from Seattle University.

Chris A. Fong

Associate

Chris Fong is responsible for investment underwriting and analysis for BlackSand. Previously, Mr. Fong was in the Investment Banking Division at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods where he focused on mergers, acquisitions and financing transactions for financial institutions.

Mr. Fong was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. degree from the Marshall School of Business.

Nicole Chang

Chief Legal Officer & Chief Compliance Officer

Ms. Chang is the Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of BlackSand Capital. Ms. Chang is responsible for administering the firm's legal and compliance program, as well as the risk and ethics functions. Ms. Chang sits on BlackSand Capital’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Chang served in the Head of Legal and Compliance functions for multiple fund managers based in London. Earlier in her career, Ms. Chang was a corporate attorney in New York, as well as a member of the Investment Banking Division at J.P. Morgan.

Ms. Chang is a graduate of Iolani School, Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center.