Damon Elder Joins American Healthcare Investors as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Dec. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- American Healthcare Investors, a commercial real estate investment firm that specializes in the acquisition and management of healthcare-related properties, announced today that Damon Elder has joined the company as senior vice president, marketing and communications.  

"Damon is an accomplished marketing communications executive, with the proven ability to develop effective marketing plans and campaigns, as well as deliver insightful strategic counsel," said Jeff Hanson, principal of American Healthcare Investors.  "He played a key role in the successful launch and maturation of Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II [to be renamed Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II], and I couldn't be more pleased that he has agreed to join us as we continue to manage and grow what is widely considered one of the most successful non-traded real estate investment trusts in the country."

Elder previously served as senior director of communications with Grubb & Ellis Company, where he led all internal and external communications for the company's investment management division and supervised the marketing of multiple private and public securities offerings that raised in excess of $2.5 billion through the independent broker-dealer channel, including Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II (to be renamed Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II).   These offerings acquired more than $4 billion worth of commercial real estate on behalf of thousands of individual investors between 2006 and 2011.     

Prior to joining Grubb & Ellis in 2006, Elder served as president of EB Communications, a full-service independent marketing communications firm that provided service to a host of commercial real estate, manufacturing, and consumer firms.  He has an extensive background in government and politics, having served as a senior aide to a long-serving member of the United States House of Representatives, communications director for a multi-million dollar congressional campaign, and as regional director for a nationwide advocacy organization.  Elder entered the private sector in 2000, when he joined one of Orange County's largest independent public relations agencies as a senior account executive.

Elder has broad experience as a public speaker, speech writer, author, and strategic communications consultant. He has received multiple awards for his work in marketing and media relations and his writings have appeared in numerous regional and nationwide publications, including the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, as well as a wide-range of trade and business journals.

Elder studied political science and broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California and is a volunteer public relations consultant to the Special Olympics of Orange County.

American Healthcare Investors has established a joint venture with Griffin Capital Corporation and affiliates to advise and manage Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II, a publicly registered non-traded real estate investment trust that currently owns a portfolio of healthcare properties valued in excess of $430 million and seeks to raise up to $3.0 billion in equity capital.  The REIT will be renamed Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II in the coming weeks. 

On Nov. 8, the independent members of the REIT's board of directors announced that it had elected to replace Grubb & Ellis as sponsor with American Healthcare Investors and Griffin Capital as co-sponsors. It also appointed Griffin Capital Securities as replacement dealer-manager.

About American Healthcare Investors
American Healthcare Investors, LLC is an investment management firm that specializes in the acquisition and management of healthcare-related real estate, including medical office buildings, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities and hospitals.  The company was founded by nationally recognized real estate investment executives Jeff Hanson, Danny Prosky and Mathieu Streiff, who have completed in excess of $15 billion in aggregate acquisition and disposition transactions during their careers, $5.0 billion of which has been healthcare-related real estate transactions.  Approximately $8.0 billion of the $15 billion was completed as a team while they led Grubb & Ellis' investment management subsidiary for more than half a decade. American Healthcare Investors is committed to providing investors with access to the potential benefits that healthcare-related real estate ownership can provide. For more information regarding American Healthcare Investors, please visit www.AmericanHealthcareInvestors.com.

About Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II, Inc.   (to be re-named Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II, Inc.)
Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II, Inc. is a real estate investment trust that seeks to preserve, protect and return investors' capital contributions, pay regular cash distributions, and realize growth in the value of its investments upon the ultimate sale of such investments.  With a current nationwide portfolio valued in excess of $430 million, Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II is seeking to raise up to $3 billion in equity and to acquire a diversified portfolio of real estate assets, focusing primarily on medical office buildings and other healthcare-related facilities.  For more information regarding Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II, please visit www.gbe-reits.com/healthcare2.

About Griffin Capital
Los Angeles-based Griffin Capital Corporation has a sixteen-year track record sponsoring real estate investment vehicles and managing institutional capital. Led by senior executives, each with more than two decades of real estate experience who have collectively closed more than 400 transactions representing over $14.0 billion in transaction value, Griffin Capital has acquired or constructed over 11 million square feet since 1996, and currently manages a portfolio of more than 8.5 million square feet located in 13 states, representing approximately $1 billion in asset value. Griffin Capital is the sponsor of Griffin Capital Net Lease REIT, Inc., a publicly-registered, non-traded real estate investment trust. Manifesting keen alignment of shareholder interest, the principals and certain affiliates of Griffin Capital invested over $26 million of capital into Griffin Capital Net Lease REIT, shares of which are distributed by Griffin Capital Securities, Inc. through leading independent broker-dealers. For more information regarding Griffin Capital, please visit www.griffincapital.com.

Contact:  Damon Elder
               (714) 356-1460
               [email protected]

SOURCE American Healthcare Investors