ABOUT REVocity
OUR STORY
In 1982, Managing Partner Brett Reese purchased both his first building and business in downtown Northfield, Minnesota known as the Rueb ‘N’ Stein. He continued over the years to dabble with investments into properties and businesses with friends and family in the community. After several successful investments in helping turnaround struggling businesses, Brett looked to start a formal group that focused full-time on investments & management. In 2008, Brett Reese along with Jennifer Sawyer and Craig Ibsen founded Rebound Partners, formally Rebound Enterprises. One of the first business verticals of the company was real estate, offering services including acquisition, development, brokerage, leasing and property management in the Northfield community.
As the Rebound Partners team invested and managed properties in the community, Reese, Sawyer, Ibsen and Chris Kennelly wanted to give the people of Northfield an opportunity to invest in real estate in their own backyard. In 2011, the team created their first Community Real Estate Fund in Northfield. The Northfield Community Real Estate Fund helped bring several properties to a higher and better use along with meaningful financial return to investors – a true impact investment. After establishing its third Community Real Estate Fund, one of them in Grand Rapids and the other two in Northfield, Rebound Partners wanted to take this unique investment model out to more communities, so it established its seventh vertical in 2020 that is now named REVocity.
The REVocity team was intentional with the approach of selecting the name of their organization. The first part of the name represents ‘revving’ an engine or creating acceleration and speed. This is our philosophy when we work alongside communities to build momentum for their future. Every city has real estate needs, and every city has individuals that care about enhancing their community to the best it can be. REVocity was formed to be a catalyst for bringing individuals together and elevating communities for all involved.
Lori Bonin
President & General Partner, REVocity
lori@revocity.com
Lori Bonin is the President and General Partner for REVocity. Her core roles include leading the operations and scale of creating Community Real Estate Funds. These Funds are a form of impact investing, delivering both meaningful financial return for investors while generating economic benefits in local communities.
Prior to joining REVocity, Lori owned her own consulting business providing executive leadership in a variety of industries. She started her career as a CPA at Ernst & Young (EY) then spent over 19 years at Target Corporation in a variety of senior leadership roles in finance, store facility operations, and property development. Lori has held a variety of board positions for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Through her many leadership roles, she has been described as the “glue” that binds in how she engages, coordinates and collaborates with partners to bring things together.
Lori’s kitchen is always stocked with coffee, dark chocolate, and red wine. She enjoys a busy lifestyle of traveling, hosting gatherings, and volunteering and loves taking some time to relax at their cabin with her husband Mark, kids Ellie and Luke and her sweet golden retriever Finley.
Chris Kennelly
Chief Investment Officer & General Partner, REVocity
chris@revocity.com
Chris is the Chief Investment Officer and General Partner for REVocity. In addition, Chris is the Vice President of Acquisition and Development for Rebound Real Estate. He has spent over 20 years in the real estate and construction industry with extensive experience in various real estate asset classes including office, industrial, retail, condominiums, multi-family, residential, and hospitality. Chris is the Founder and President of Bluewater Properties and President & Owner of G&H Properties, both of which are full-service real estate companies. In addition, he is the Owner & President of the Northfield Construction Company, a full-service general contracting firm.
Before his current roles, Chris served in a variety of executive real estate positions in the Twin Cities. He was the Vice President of The Excelsior Group and Welsh Companies, both full-service real estate firms out of Minnetonka, MN. Prior to these positions, Kennelly was the Chief Operating Officer for the Lander Group, an urban real estate development company in Minneapolis, MN.
Chris is an active Northfield community member where he and his wife, Sheila, reside with their two boys. In his spare time, he serves on varying boards and volunteers for several organizations including the Northfield YMCA and Northfield Youth Hockey Association. Chris and the Kennelly family enjoy spending time outdoors hiking and playing anything with a stick and a ball (or a puck) such as baseball, lacrosse, golf and hockey.
Brett Reese
Founder & Managing Partner, Rebound Partners/REVocity
brett@revocity.com
Brett is the Founder and Managing Partner of Rebound Partners and REVocity. Long before Brett started the investments and management firm in 2008, he showed signs of his entrepreneurial spirit and developing business skill sets. At age 12, Brett took out his first loan from Castle Rock Bank to start a cow-calf operation. Today he continues to do business with the bank. Early on, he worked in the restaurant industry as a busboy, dishwasher, cook, bartender and manager, eventually purchasing his first business, the “Rueb-N-Stein,” at age 23 with his partners while also working as a CPA for Grant Thornton. These early work experiences helped create a foundation for Brett to develop his business values and philosophies while coupling with his energetic, creative, and visionary leadership qualities.
Brett has served in leadership roles as President and as a member of the Board of Directors of many non-profit organizations including the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation, Prairie Creek Charter School, Northfield Chamber of Commerce, Northfield Retirement Community Foundation, and Northfield Rotary Club, among others.
Outside of work, Brett’s life can be summarized in three words – Family, Faith, and Farming. He loves and enjoys his family spending quality time and traveling the world with his daughters Meredith and Milly. He shares his faith in many ways including via Marketplace Ministries and in creating a Kingdom Company. Brett came full circle and went back to his childhood roots by purchasing a 40-acre farm outside of his hometown Northfield, MN, named The Ramblin’ R Ranch where he contentedly resides with his cows, calves, and horses, enjoying his daily chores.
Lori Bonin
President & General Partner, REVocity
lori@revocity.com
Lori Bonin is the President and General Partner for REVocity. Her core roles include leading the operations and scale of creating Community Real Estate Funds. These Funds are a form of impact investing, delivering both meaningful financial return for investors while generating economic benefits in local communities.
Prior to joining REVocity, Lori owned her own consulting business providing executive leadership in a variety of industries. She started her career as a CPA at Ernst & Young (EY) then spent over 19 years at Target Corporation in a variety of senior leadership roles in finance, store facility operations, and property development. Lori has held a variety of board positions for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Through her many leadership roles, she has been described as the “glue” that binds in how she engages, coordinates and collaborates with partners to bring things together.
Lori’s kitchen is always stocked with coffee, dark chocolate, and red wine. She enjoys a busy lifestyle of traveling, hosting gatherings, and volunteering and loves taking some time to relax at their cabin with her husband Mark, kids Ellie and Luke and her sweet golden retriever Finley.
Chris Kennelly
Chief Investment Officer & General Partner, REVocity
chris@revocity.com
Chris is the Chief Investment Officer and General Partner for REVocity. In addition, Chris is the Vice President of Acquisition and Development for Rebound Real Estate. He has spent over 20 years in the real estate and construction industry with extensive experience in various real estate asset classes including office, industrial, retail, condominiums, multi-family, residential, and hospitality. Chris is the Founder and President of Bluewater Properties and President & Owner of G&H Properties, both of which are full-service real estate companies. In addition, he is the Owner & President of the Northfield Construction Company, a full-service general contracting firm.
Before his current roles, Chris served in a variety of executive real estate positions in the Twin Cities. He was the Vice President of The Excelsior Group and Welsh Companies, both full-service real estate firms out of Minnetonka, MN. Prior to these positions, Kennelly was the Chief Operating Officer for the Lander Group, an urban real estate development company in Minneapolis, MN.
Chris is an active Northfield community member where he and his wife, Sheila, reside with their two boys. In his spare time, he serves on varying boards and volunteers for several organizations including the Northfield YMCA and Northfield Youth Hockey Association. Chris and the Kennelly family enjoy spending time outdoors hiking and playing anything with a stick and a ball (or a puck) such as baseball, lacrosse, golf and hockey.
Brett Reese
Founder & Managing Partner, Rebound Partners/REVocity
brett@revocity.com
Brett is the Founder and Managing Partner of Rebound Partners and REVocity. Long before Brett started the investments and management firm in 2008, he showed signs of his entrepreneurial spirit and developing business skill sets. At age 12, Brett took out his first loan from Castle Rock Bank to start a cow-calf operation. Today he continues to do business with the bank. Early on, he worked in the restaurant industry as a busboy, dishwasher, cook, bartender and manager, eventually purchasing his first business, the “Rueb-N-Stein,” at age 23 with his partners while also working as a CPA for Grant Thornton. These early work experiences helped create a foundation for Brett to develop his business values and philosophies while coupling with his energetic, creative, and visionary leadership qualities.
Brett has served in leadership roles as President and as a member of the Board of Directors of many non-profit organizations including the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation, Prairie Creek Charter School, Northfield Chamber of Commerce, Northfield Retirement Community Foundation, and Northfield Rotary Club, among others.
Outside of work, Brett’s life can be summarized in three words – Family, Faith, and Farming. He loves and enjoys his family spending quality time and traveling the world with his daughters Meredith and Milly. He shares his faith in many ways including via Marketplace Ministries and in creating a Kingdom Company. Brett came full circle and went back to his childhood roots by purchasing a 40-acre farm outside of his hometown Northfield, MN, named The Ramblin’ R Ranch where he contentedly resides with his cows, calves, and horses, enjoying his daily chores.
Jennifer Sawyer
Founding Partner Rebound Partners
Jennifer Rajala Sawyer is a business entrepreneur. She is a Founder and Partner of Rebound Enterprises/Rebound Partners and a General Partner in the Northfield and Grand Rapids Real Estate Funds. Jennifer is also President and Founder of BoardBOS.
Jennifer specializes in three key areas: Board Governance, Strategic Planning and Leadership Development for both the for-profit and nonprofit organizations sectors. She has been trained as a certified E-myth executive business coach, a certified Mastermind facilitator, and an expert in the EOS Traction Strategic Planning system.
Her entrepreneurial spirit comes from being a 4th generation family member of Rajala Companies, Minnesota’s largest privately owned lumber, logging and sawmilling company. Jennifer graduated from St. Olaf College and currently lives in Northfield with her 3 sons. When Jennifer is not busy attending children’s football, hockey or baseball games, Jennifer can be found hiking, kayaking, downhill skiing, traveling, and serving on local and regional community and business boards.
Jennifer is currently a Board Member of Merchants Financial Bank in Winona, MN. She is currently a Board Member and Governance Chair of Northfield Shares Community Foundation. Past leadership positions include: Board Member of First National Bank of Northfield. Co-founder of Rebound Hospitality Management and Bluewater Commercial Management. Founding board member of Northfield Area YMCA, Past Board Chair of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, St. Olaf Alumni Board, Junior League of Minneapolis, Northfield Arts Guild, WINGS foundation, and Bethel Lutheran Church.
Theresa Goette
Financial Controller, Rebound Partners/REVocity
tgoette@reboundpartners.com
Theresa Goette is the Financial Controller for Rebound Partners and REVocity. In her position, she manages the overall accounting function for multiple Rebound Partners companies. For REVocity, Theresa is responsible for accounting, financial analysis and reporting, banking relationships, and tax preparation coordination.
Before joining Rebound Partners, Theresa was a financial manager for BerganKDV where she worked directly with charter schools to help assist with budgeting, grant management, and IRS filings. She began her career at a regional public accounting firm preparing business and personal tax filings after graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a degree in accounting.
Outside of work, Theresa and her husband, Zach, love spending time with their two dogs, Beebee & Freddy. During the summer, she enjoys creating and maintaining native landscapes. Theresa is part of the Minnesota Society of CPAs.
Scott Koester
President, Rebound Real Estate
skoester@reboundpartners.com
Scott Koester is the president of Rebound Real Estate. With 30 years of industry experience, he effectively leads various aspects of Rebound Real Estate development and acquisition opportunities. His project planning, underwriting, design, and development skill set paired with his collaborative approach has helped Rebound Real Estate successfully expand its portfolio and be an integral part of every community it touches. Scott provides his expertise to support REVocity real estate projects. This includes leading development projects, underwriting and consulting.
With Scott’s industry acumen, he has helped Rebound Real Estate complete numerous developments including the renovation of a historical property in St. Paul, MN repositioning it to the Celeste Hotel and Bar. Before becoming the President of Rebound Real Estate, Scott was the Vice President of WAI Continuum, an architectural design and development consulting firm out of the Twin Cities. He was also the Vice President and Head of Business Development for Lightowler Johnson Associates (LJA) of Minnesota.
In his spare time, Scott enjoys traveling the globe learning about new cultures with his wife Tamara and their two sons, Austin & Bjorn. In addition, he gives back offering both his time and leadership experience to assist non-profit organizations in meeting their charitable goals. These roles have included various board and committee positions with several healthcare service organizations, the Minnesota Construction Associations, Care Providers of MN, and Aging Services of MN.
Brent Nystrom
Director of Business and Capital Development & Investors Relations, Rebound Partners
bnystrom@reboundpartners.com
Brent Nystrom is the Director of Business and Capital Development & Investors Relations. Since joining Rebound Partners in 2014, Brent has been an integral part of the success and growth of the company. He is known as the “go-to” person for the team. In his position, Brent connects, informs, and builds relationships with investors across Rebound Partner’s areas of business and provides support to its vertical champions when it comes to needs like presentations, applications and communications. This includes playing a critical role to support the REVocity team and communities.
Prior to joining Rebound Partners, Brent worked in higher education at Carleton College for nearly 15 years, both in the Alumni Relations Office and the Career Center, where he helped current students and alums stay connected with the school by facilitating networking.
Brent is an active volunteer in his community. He is passionate about affordable housing and is currently the President of the Rice County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and Chair of the Northfield Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA). In addition, Brent is a dedicated member and upcoming President of the Northfield Rotary Club, chair of the non-profit Carleton Ultimate Fund, and head coach for the Northfield High School Boys Ultimate Frisbee team.
After growing up in Kentucky, Brent moved to Minnesota to attend Carleton College, where he received his BA in Geology. He also holds a Masters degree from the University of Minnesota in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. Brent is an avid Kentucky Wildcats and Minnesota Timberwolves basketball fan and enjoys running outdoors, traveling, reading, and playing Ultimate Frisbee at the highest levels.
Ryan Torbenson
Business Analyst, REVocity
ryan@revocity.com
Ryan Torbenson is an analyst for REVocity. In his position, Ryan performs financial analysis, market research and supports business operations. He is driven to utilize his strong interest in real estate investments to make a difference in communities.
As an intern for Rebound Partners in 2018, Ryan got a glimpse of life at Rebound Partners while he attended St. Olaf College where he studied Economics and Finance. He decided to come back to the company after graduation to start his career with the growing organization. During his four years at St. Olaf, Ryan studied abroad in Tanzania, India, China, and Argentina. He also played baseball for the Oles and was a member of the Investments Club, Project Friendship, and the Good Athlete Project.
In the warmer months, Ryan enjoys watching and playing baseball. In the colder months, he likes to spend time downhill skiing and skating outdoors. He also enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with friends & family.
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