About Us

Since 2006, we have focused on acquiring and improving the service-oriented neighborhood retail plazas that serve our community’s every day basic needs.

We take pride in creating robust retail properties that attract top tenants with established track records.  We have proudly secured some of the top national brand name tenants, as well as the admired local family-owned businesses many of us consider as a large part of our day-to-day lives.

bios

Don Tepman

Principal and Founder

Don Tepman has been active within the commercial real estate industry since 2002, and founded University Avenue Partners in 2010. Mr. Tepman oversees all aspects of the company’s strategic and investment decisions. He graduated from Santa Clara University with a Finance degree, and grew up in Cupertino, CA.

James Martin

Director of Investments and Development

James Martin joined University Avenue Partners in 2015.  Mr. Martin is involved with all aspects of the Company’s day-to-day operations, including asset management, redevelopment projects, lease negotiations, acquisitions, and strategic planning.  Mr. Martin is from Indianapolis, Indiana, and is a graduate of Purdue University.

Maria Talpas

dIRECTOR OF Acquisitions

Maria Talpas joined University Avenue Partners in 2013, and spearheads the Company’s property acquisition efforts.  Ms. Talpas maintains relationships with hundreds of real estate professionals in multiple markets in order to facilitate the expansion of the Company’s portfolio.  Ms. Talpas grew up in Los Gatos, CA, and graduated from CSU Chico, where she majored in both Finance and Economics, and graduated with Honors

Jacob Lightman

Senior Acquisitions Associate

Jacob Lightman is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and underwriting new investment opportunities east of the Mississippi.

Previously, Mr. Lightman managed real estate acquisitions for Keyway, and prior to that, he worked for Brookfield Properties, where he focused on the Asset Management of its Manhattan Office and Retail portfolio.

Mr. Lightman is originally from Windermere, Florida, and is a graduate of the University of Michigan - Ross School of Business.

Weston Pollock

PROPERTY MANAGER

Weston Pollock spent two years in Property Management at Jay Paul Co prior to joining University Avenue Partners. Mr. Pollock specializes in property operations and management for mixed use, office, and retail properties. Born & raised in Ventura County, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Finance.

Andrew Lehrhoff 

PROPERTY ASSET MANAGER

Andrew Lehrhoff serves as a property asset manager at TownCentre Capital, where he leads leasing and construction initiatives. A Los Angeles native, Mr. Lehrhoff holds a degree in Finance from George Washington University and brings valuable experience from his two years in Asset Management with Walker & Dunlop.

Our History

2002

  • Our Principal, Don Tepman, began as a retail property leasing agent

2006

  • Irvington Plaza in Fremont, CA, a 5-tenant retail plaza is the first property purchased under the direction of Don Tepman.

2007

  • The Bank of the West building in Hayward, CA is purchased.  It is the company’s first purchase of a single-tenant asset.

2008

  • The long-time Dairy Belle Property in Sunnyvale is purchased.  The site would turn into the home of the iconic Dish N Dash restaurant.

2010

  • University Avenue Partners is created, and the company crosses the $5M mark in total investor capital deployed.
  • University Avenue Partners completes is first full renovation, converting the Blockbuster Video at 361 N Capitol Ave in San Jose, CA into a multi-tenant retail plaza consisting of Chipotle, Panda Express, and T-Mobile

2012

  • University Avenue Partners completes its first of three transactions with Sherwin Williams, as company surpasses $10M in total investor equity deployed.

2013

  • University Avenue Partners enters the “Santana Row / Westfield Valley Fair” market of San Jose, CA with the the $4.5M purchase of 2910 Stevens Creek Blvd, company surpasses $20M in total investor equity deployed.
  • Maria Talpas joins University Avenue Partners

2014

  • University Avenue Partners enters San Joaquin County with the purchase of the Tracy Crossroads Shopping Center.
  • University Avenue Partners enters Contra Costa County with the purchase of Brentwood TownCentre, a 24,000 square foot neighborhood strip mall in Brentwood, CA.

2015

  • James Martin Joins University Avenue Partners

2017

  • University Avenue Partners adds to its presence within the Santana Row / Westfield Valley Fair market with $31M cash purchase of 2880 Stevens Creek Blvd, a 2 acre site at the entrance to Westfield Valley Fair, company surpasses $75M in total investor equity deployed.
  • University Avenue Partners adds 4 more parcels within the Santana Row / Westfield Valley Fair market with the purchase of 2960 Stevens Creek Blvd.
  • University Avenue Partners completes the full renovation of 2910 Stevens Creek, attracting Bank of the West and Verizon Wireless.

2019

  • University Avenue Partners adds its 8th another parcel within the Sananta Row / Westfield Valley Fair Market.
  • Company surpasses $100M in total investor equity deployed.

2021

  • University Avenue Partners completes the $17,250,000 disposition of 2910 Stevens Creek Blvd.