Aukum Group is a private real estate investment company focused on apartments in the western United States. We partner exclusively with private accredited investors and select private equity funds.
Aukum has acquired over 8,000 apartment units, representing more than $1.5B in transaction value, since its founding in 2009, and is actively managing a portfolio of over 5,000 units. We are actively selling and acquiring new assets in select western markets.
Jason is the President and CEO of Aukum. He founded and has run the company since inception in 2009, overseeing all aspects of the business. Before founding Aukum, Jason served as Vice President of Foxfam LLC, Aukum's predecessor, a 100% family-owned real-estate company. In 2007/2008, Jason was instrumental in guiding the family to refinance, dispose, or trade its non-multifamily assets into multifamily, and led several transactions to position the family for the launch of Aukum. In 2009, Jason began raising outside capital for investment in apartment joint ventures managed by Aukum. Jason also brings with him his prior experience as a technology and operations executive, having helped to grow a startup market-research firm from $1M to $80M in revenues in seven years that led to its acquisition valued at $450M by The Nielson Company. Jason received a BA in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
George Yandell joined us in March, 2017 as Chief Financial Officer. He became a Principal of Aukum Group in January, 2020. From 2003 through 2014, George was with The Nature Conservancy in a variety of roles related to the acquisition and management of real estate and other assets, including his role as the California chapter’s Director of Real Estate from 2009 to 2013. In this capacity, he was responsible for approving all conservation asset transactions, the overall management of a portfolio of over US$500 million of real estate and capital allocations for a pipeline of over 75 projects. During his tenure, George and/or his department won four chapter awards for organizational excellence, innovation and staff development. Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy, George was a Senior Managing Director in NationsBanc Montgomery Securities’ (“NMS”) (now Bank of America Merrill Lynch) consumer group. His responsibilities included directing the hotel REIT underwriting and mergers business. The group consistently earned Wall Street’s #1 or #2 underwriting ranking. He also served as a member of the Investment Banking Committee. George served at NMS from 1991-1999, and at First Boston (now Credit Suisse) between 1980-1991. George earned an AB in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard University.
Matt joined Aukum in 2016 and became a Principal in January 2021. Matt serves as Sr. Vice President – Acquisitions, responsible for expanding Aukum’s portfolio of multifamily real estate holdings. Prior to Aukum, Matt was Vice President – Acquisitions & Development at Montage Hotels & Resorts, where he led the company’s global growth strategy for the Montage and Pendry brands through acquisition/conversion and ground-up development. Before Montage, Matt spent over 14 years in a variety of investment banking corporate financial advisory roles, primarily focused on mergers & acquisitions and equity capital raising. As an investment banker, Matt led all facets of transaction execution - from deal sourcing to closing - and has experience with a wide range of industries including real estate, hospitality, consumer, business services and technology. Matt received both a BA and MBA from the University of Michigan.
Lydia Thompson joined Aukum in 2021 and became a Principal in January 2025. Lydia serves as Sr. Vice President in charge of Asset Management & Construction Management. Lydia is an executive leader and real estate operations expert who has served with some of the most respected brands within the multifamily industry. A 25-year industry veteran, Ms. Thompson has substantial expertise in all facets of the business from an owner/operator perspective, including owner/third-party management, acquisitions, dispositions, development, lease-ups, rehabilitation of multifamily projects, marketing, human resources, operations, sales, and training. Prior to Aukum, Lydia was a Senior Managing Director of Investment Sales for Newmark for four years. Before this, she served as Senior Director at Greystar for nearly three years, preceded by 13 years as Vice President with Holland Partner Group and seven years as Regional Manager with Trammell Crow Residential.
