Mr. Mantell began his career practicing securities, real estate and bankruptcy law at prominent New York firms for almost seven years before leaving to establish and head the Development Division of Julien J. Studley, Inc., a national real estate brokerage and investment firm. He soon went on to form Founders Property Corporation which, under his leadership, developed in the ‘80s more than 5,000 apartments in 13 cities throughout the United States and made numerous other acquisitions, including apartment complexes, shopping centers, office buildings, hotel, nursing home and dormitory properties. In most instances, Founders directly managed the properties involved.
In 1980, Mr. Mantell founded an N.A.S.D firm active in venture capital and private equity finance with a presence in more than a dozen states. In 1988, he formed Guardian Capital Group, Ltd., an early participant in the then-emerging commercial mortgage-backed securitization (“CMBS”) business, and soon thereafter Guardian Mortgage Corporation, a national multi-family lender that was supported at the time by a $250MM institutional credit facility.
Arising out of his CMBS-related activities, Mr. Mantell in 1993 had the opportunity to found and serve as Managing Director and Co-Head of the Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities & Finance Group of Barclays de Zoete Wedd Securities, Inc., the global investment banking arm of Barclays PLC. While at Barclays, Mr. Mantell also acquired considerable debt management expertise when he oversaw the restructuring of the larger ($50MM+) loans in Barclays Bank PLC’s more than $3B non-performing commercial mortgage portfolio.
Late in 1995, Barclays’ British parent company decided to exit most of the commercial real estate markets around the world. In response, Mr. Mantell resumed merchant banking and other personal investing activities and expanded his consulting work. This included restructuring various companies on behalf of the private equity firms controlling them, for instance as Vice-Chairman and CEO of a NASDAQ healthcare company and with respect to a $60MM passenger transportation company.
Mr. Mantell is a member of Tiger21, an association of high net worth investors whose 1300 members today manage their own collective portfolio of approximately $130B. His extensive family office experience includes heading the Einbender Family Office, serving as a member of the Board of Advisors of the Stuart Family Fund, and serving as a member of the Investment Committee of MUUS & Company.
Mr. Mantell holds a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago and a JD from Columbia Law School, where he was selected as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He has advanced training in negotiation from Harvard’s Center for Management Research and has served as an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and as a mediator in diverse matters. He lives in New York with his wife Laura.
I hired Alan Mantell to help me navigate my way through a bank restructuring involving a home development company – although it could just as easily have been any other business. Alan has an uncanny ability to distill multiple complex moving parts into their essence, then formulate the tactical and strategic moves to achieve defined and realistic goals. His intelligence, business acumen, legal knowledge, and focus always made him the strongest player in the room. Several months later we had a deal which was most satisfactory to my partners and myself. I couldn’t be stronger in my recommendation.
Larry J. Gelber
Gelber Associates
I hired Alan Mantell to help me navigate my way through a bank restructuring involving a home development company – although it could just as easily have been any other business. Alan has an uncanny ability to distill multiple complex moving parts into their essence, then formulate the tactical and strategic moves to achieve defined and realistic goals. His intelligence, business acumen, legal knowledge, and focus always made him the strongest player in the room. Several months later we had a deal which was most satisfactory to my partners and myself. I couldn’t be stronger in my recommendation.
Larry J. Gelber
Gelber Associates
Mantell Advisory is a boutique consulting firm that provides a broad spectrum of strategic advisory services to companies, families and individuals facing complex – and seemingly intractable – business and financial problems.
When appropriate, Mantell Advisory can tap into its selective network of specialists to help maximize results.