MC Cos. and Bridge Founders Group have completed a strategic merger to form The Founders Group (TFG), a unified and scaled multifamily investment and operating platform built to tap into the opportunities the current market is seeing.
The merger unites the two firms, whose principals together have acquired more than 75,000 units, executed over $13 billion in transactions over nearly four decades, and built institutional relationships across capital markets, operations, development, and property management.
“This is a generational moment in multifamily, and The Founders Group was built for it,” said managing director Russ Minnick. “A structural housing shortage, a reset in capital markets, and powerful demographic tailwinds have converged to create one of the most compelling entry points we’ve seen in our careers. We’ve combined two teams that have operated through every kind of market—and we’re deploying that experience with greater scale, sharper execution, and real momentum behind us.”
Bridge Founders Group principals Minnick, Dan Stanger, Chris Young, and Rich Stayner—whose combined 150-plus years of multifamily experience includes co-founding Bridge Investment Group—joins MC Cos. principals Ken McElroy and Ross McCallister, whose firm has completed more than $2 billion in transactions since 2021 and operates approximately 6,500 units in the West.
TFG has a vertically integrated model spanning acquisitions, asset management, development, and property management. It owns and operates 35 multifamily communities with approximately 7,900 units. It is actively pursuing growth across its current footprint in Arizona, California, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, Texas, and Utah.
According to TFG, it sees a compelling runway to capitalize on market dislocation, execute on opportunities that require scale and deep expertise, and expand its footprint in markets with strong fundamentals. Its multi-strategy approach spans value-add, institutional-quality acquisitions, and ground-up development.
The strategic merger expands balance sheet strength, capital markets relationships, and the pipeline of institutional-quality opportunities. It also provides an elevated standard of service for residents through aligned teams operating on a unified platform and a more dynamic organization for employees with expanded career pathways and additional resources.
“Scale matters—but only when it’s paired with discipline,” added McCallister, chairman of TFG. “We’ve built something rare: a platform with institutional capability and entrepreneurial speed. That’s how we intend to grow, and that’s how we intend to deliver.”