The Quarters at Oxford is a 636-bedroom, garden style community located adjacent to Ole Miss University. A $10M renovation on the apartments and amenities has already commenced and is projected to be complete by August of 2022.

109 Tower is a 16-story apartment building located just steps from Florida International University. Major capital improvements to amenities and common areas will begin in the spring of 2022.

Tailwind Group is a top-20 owner and operator of off-campus student housing in the country. They own and manage over 12,500 bedrooms in 13 different states and employ over 200 team members.

Any inquiries regarding the acquisitions or Tailwind Group should be directed to Brandon Smith, Vice President of Operations & Development.

“It’s been amazing to see the growth over the past few years. All credit goes to our hard-working employees. That is the most rewarding part of all of this – watching them all succeed and grow with the company”, said Kyle Smith, one of the founders of Tailwind Group.

Any inquiries regarding the acquisitions or Tailwind Group should be directed to Brandon Smith, Vice President of Operations & Development.

“We are excited about the opportunity in Oxford”, said Lane Gravley, President of Tailwind Group. “This is a premier property that serves the University of Mississippi. At over 1,000 beds, it becomes our largest acquisition by bed-count to date. The cottage-style community adds to our College Town brand as it mirrors our property at Minnesota State in Mankato, MN. It is a very popular destination for the Ole Miss student base and we are confident it will be a performance leader in our portfolio.”

The property was purchased from Greystar and the deal was brokered by Ryan Lang of Newmark.

Inquiries about the acquisition should be directed to Brandon Smith at bsmith@thetailwindgroup.com.

“There was a lot we liked about the opportunity in Columbia”, said Brandon Smith, Tailwind Group’s VP of Operations and Development. “Geographically, it fits in with the portfolio we have been building over the past few years. We have also had past success with value-add opportunities in which we are renovating units in the middle of a lease term. Lastly, we are a big believer in Mizzou’s continued enrollment recovery after the large decline between 2016 and 2018.”

The property was purchased from Greystar and the deal was represented by Ryan Lang of Newmark.

Inquiries about the acquisition should be directed to Brandon Smith at bsmith@thetailwindgroup.com.

In the November/December 2020 edition of Student Housing Business, Tailwind Group was featured in the article “Taking Off” written by Randall Shearin.

Minnesota-based Tailwind Group has steadily expanded its footprint and now owns and manages 8,500 beds.
By Randall Shearin

Excerpt from the article…

After September 11, 2001, two Minnesota-based corporate pilots, Kyle Smith and Reggie Reed, concerned about the uncertainty of the airline business, decided to diversify their incomes by investing in real estate. Recognizing that off-campus student housing had taken hold at many Southeastern campuses, they suspected the same thing could be done in the Midwest. Focusing on their home market of Mankato — home to Minnesota State University (MSU) — Smith and Reed began by purchasing small single-family properties and flipping them. In 2005, they partnered with two other investors — Michael Sather and Kyle Smith’s brother, Landon Smith — and created Tailwind Group to invest in larger student housing projects. The partners all had other jobs at first, but that quickly changed when they purchased a 400-bed apartment community in Mankato.

In 2008, the company partnered with another local developer to build College Town Mankato, a 456-bed cottage-style student housing project close to the MSU campus. From 2008 to 2016, the company continued to develop properties and grow its management business in Southern Minnesota, adding some retail and commercial properties. During that time, the company also developed The Quarters, a large student housing complex across the street from College Town in Mankato, and several retail and office properties in the city.

With MSU’s enrollment stable at around 15,000 students, Tailwind realized that having nearly 2,000 beds in the market, plus over 900 beds owned by American Campus Communities, combined with the scattered site beds by other off-campus owners, the Mankato market was pretty full. In 2016, the company turned its attention to other markets. The company purchased a student housing community near the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls from The Scion Group. The company also purchased land in Iowa City near the University of Iowa for development and acquired a turn-around project in East Lansing, near Michigan State University. In Iowa City, the company developed an 892-bed project called The Quarters at Iowa City. By the end of 2017, the company had nearly 5,000 beds under management in four separate university markets.

Read the entire article at StudentHousingBusiness.com.

The 7-Story building and parking garage will feature state of the art technologies and exclusive resident amenities. The development features an expansive outdoor recreation area to include a heated swimming pool, hot tub, outdoor fitness areas, multiple outdoor kitchens as well as a dog park and wash station.

The interior community spaces will include a large fitness center, spray tan stations, functional lounges and gaming areas, group and private study rooms, an “Uber” Lounge and an Amazon package room. The fully furnished 1,2,3 and 4 bedroom units all with En-suite bathrooms will be outfitted with the latest wireless technologies to include keyless entry, smart-thermostats and high speed wi-fi connectivity and luxury finishes that include luxury plank flooring, stone countertops and stainless appliances. This will truly be the premier living option for UNL students and young professionals alike.

The project is financed in part by City of Lincoln TIF redevelopment funding that will assist in providing energy efficiency, building façade and significant streetscape improvements to the M, 9th and 10th Street corridors. Construction financing is to be provided by Bridgewater Bank with additional investment via Opportunity Zone funds.

The project’s development team includes the award-winning local Lincoln contractor Sampson Construction with Architecture by Grace Hebert Curtis Architects and Engineering and Civil design by Lincoln’s ETI and REGA Engineering.

LivRed will commence preleasing in Fall 2021 and is slated for opening in August of 2022 to coincide with UNL’s fall semester.

To ensure continued growth and sustainability, Tailwind Group’s founding partners are pleased to announce a new Leadership Team. By elevating new leaders and passing their day-to-day responsibilities on, the partners will shift their focus to company growth, acquisitions and dispositions, and investor relations. The following employees have been promoted and will guide their respective departments moving forward:

Brandon Smith – Vice President, Operations & Development
Brandon previously served as Tailwind Group’s Senior Development Manager. In his new role, Brandon will oversee the operations department – which includes property management, leasing and marketing, and information technology. Additionally, Brandon will continue to lead the development department relating to new construction and acquisitions.

Shelby Thorne – Vice President, Accounting
Shelby previously served as Tailwind Group’s Financial Controller. In his new role, Shelby will oversee all accounting functions in the company. This includes residential, commercial, and investment fund accounting. His team will ensure all transactions are recorded accurately, financial reports are readily available, and the company stays compliant with all financial requirements.

Krystal Pierce – Vice President, Legal & Administration
Krystal previously served as Tailwind Group’s Associate Legal Counsel. In her new role, Krystal will lead the company in all legal matters pertaining to real estate acquisition and dispositions. In addition, Krystal will oversee the administrative department of the company which includes human resources and training.

Josh Sherburne – Vice President, Finance
Josh previously served as Tailwind Group’s Vice President of Asset Management. In his new role, Josh will lead the company in all financial matters relating to investor relations, capital markets, and asset management. Josh will also continue to assist in equity fundraising for the company.

Rounding out the Leadership Team are David Hughes (promoted to Director of Information Technology), Betsy Dornfeld (promoted to Asset Manager), and Jessica Dane (continues in her role as Regional Property Manager).

These seven employees will continue to collaborate with the Tailwind Group partners on all aspects of the company.