Ben Weprin
Ben Weprin (born June 28, 1978) is the founder and CEO of AJ Capital Partners,[1] a private real estate company based in Chicago, Illinois.[2][3][4] Weprin and AJ Capital founded Graduate Hotels in 2014.[5]
Early life and education
Weprin was born and raised in Oakwood, Ohio, a Dayton, Ohio suburb.[4] He graduated from the University of Tennessee before moving to Chicago in 2001 as a real estate broker at his father's firm,[6][7] Marcus & Millichap.[4] He became one of the company's elite brokers in 3 years.[4] Weprin and his wife, Mary Anne, took a 2 year sojourn in Nashville, where he started that city's Marcus & Millichap office, before returning to Chicago to begin his career renovating hotels.[7][4] Weprin has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.[8][4]
Career
In 2008, Weprin founded AJ Capital Partners. In Chicago, he restored the Hotel Lincoln, Chicago Athletic Association, Soho House and Thompson Chicago.[4] The current portfolio includes projects throughout Chicago, as well as the Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans and the Thompson Nashville in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood.[9] He founded Graduate Hotels in 2014.[5] Recent projects underway include The Armory in San Francisco; May Hosiery and Nashville Warehouse Company in Nashville, as well as the Rusacks Hotel overlooking the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, opening in 2021[10].
Awards
- Inc. (magazine) 2017 Design Awards, Best Interior Design - Graduate Hotels[11]
- Fast Company The Most Innovative Companies of 2016 – AJ Capital Partners[12]
- Urban Land Institute Chicago’s Catalytic Redevelopment – Chicago Athletic Association[13]
- James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Design Finalist – Cherry Circle Room – Chicago Athletic Association[14]
- James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Design Finalist – Cindy’s – Chicago Athletic Association[14]
- National Trust for Historic Preservation Driehaus Preservation Award – Chicago Athletic Association[15]
References
- ^ "New Icons". Hospitality Design Magazine. November 2016.
- ^ Grossman, Evan (June 8, 2015). "How AJ Capital is Developing a Unique Value Proposition". Lodging.
- ^ Brown, Adam (January 4, 2016). "The revivalist: A young hotelier with an eye for an aged luxury gem". Forbes.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gallun, Alby (October 24, 2015). "Ben Weprin is behind some of Chicago's most stylish hotels. Here's his latest obsession". Chicago Business. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ a b "Graduate Hotels graduates into a bigger chain". USA Today. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ "Hit The Town With AJ Capital Partners' Ben Weprin". Chicago Athletic Association. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ a b Rosman, Katherine (July 14, 2018). "The Education of a Brotelier". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Hochman, David (February 20, 2018). "This college town boutique hotel chain is the anti-Airbnb". CNBC. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Brown, Abram. "The Revivalist: Young Hotelier Ben Weprin Has An Eye For An Aged Luxury Gem". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
- ^ "Luxury St Andrews hotel Rusacks set for revamp after sale to American firm". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
- ^ Rhodes, Margaret (May 17, 2017). "This College-Town Hotel Chain is Putting Airbandb on Notice". Inc. Magazine.
- ^ Wilson, Mark (September 2, 2014). "Relive The Glory Of Your College Years With School-Themed $500M Boutique Hotel Chain". Fast Company.
- ^ "Twelve projects and programs, 1 young visionary named winners of ULI Chicago's 2016 Vision Awards". REJournals.com. June 3, 2016. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Stone, Brian (April 1, 2016). "Take a Look Inside the 2016 James Beard Award Nominees for Restaurant Design". Architectural Digest.
- ^ "3 Structures To Get Landmark Awards". NBCChicago.com. September 11, 2015.