Left to right: Mike Donovan, Tom Bene and Steve Brown
General Partners
STEVE BROWN
General Partner
Steve Brown, Age, 64, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Balke Brown Transwestern, Inc. Mr. Brown has 39 years of experience in the development, acquisition, leasing and management of institutional quality office, multi-family and industrial buildings in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. He joined the founder of Balke Brown Transwestern, Inc., Gary Balke in 1984. Mr. Brown is responsible for leading members of the firm to create long term value for clients of Balke Brown Transwestern through thoughtful real estate investment and management. Mr. Brown has sponsored and led the development and acquisition of many significant Class A commercial real estate assets with an aggregate value of over $750,000,000 in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, including 16 office buildings totaling 1,300,000 square feet, 12 industrial buildings totaling 3,200,000 square feet, and 7 multi-family projects totaling 1554 apartment units. Mr. Brown earned a Bachelor of Architecture Degree in 1982 from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Architecture and Urban Design in 1984 from Harvard University.
MICHAEL DONOVAN
General Partner
Michael J. Donovan, age 62, serves as Chief Operations Officer of Balke Brown Transwestern, Inc. Mr. Donovan has over 32 years of experience in the acquisition, disposition and leasing of institutional quality office and multi-family buildings in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. Since 2007, Mr. Donovan has initiated the acquisition of over $500,000,000 of Class A office buildings and has leased over 3,000,000 square feet of space in the St. Louis area. Mr. Donovan’s current role includes the acquisition, asset management, leasing and disposition of Balke Brown Transwestern sponsored assets including the Rough Diamond and Diamond Income Funds. Prior to joining Balke Brown Transwestern, Inc. in 2007, Mr. Donovan was Vice President of Duke Realty Corporation and had an average leasing production of over 300,000 square feet a year between 2000 and 2006.
Other Associates
TOM BENE
Chief Financial Officer
Thomas A. Bene, serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Balke Brown Transwestern, Inc. Mr. Bené began his career in public accounting at Ernst and Young in St. Louis, MO, working there for over five years. After leaving public accounting, Mr. Bené has spent his career working for firms in the multifamily development, construction, and property management space. Since joining Balke Brown Transwestern in 2024, Mr. Bené has taken a leadership position by being involved in the continued advancement of the accounting function while also striving to drive overall company performance and growth. Mr. Bené looks to continue the great success of Diamond Income Fund by keeping finances controlled and visible to the investor members of the Fund. Mr. Bené earned his Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in Accountancy from University of Missouri - Columbia in 2001, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and has been an AICPA and MSCPA member since 2001.