He served as chief investment officer and, with CEO Ben Ochs, led the firm’s strong growth
James Schmid
MEDIA, Pa. – James A. Schmid III, one of the healthcare real estate (HRE) sector’s most-active and well-known professionals, has stepped down as managing partner and chief investment officer after more than a decade with Charlottesville, Va.-based Anchor Health Properties, a firm he helped lead and grow into one of the industry’s most prolific developers and investors.
His last day of being involved in day-to-day operations with Anchor was officially last Friday, July 17. He will remain available as a resource to the firm through the first quarter (Q1) of 2027.
Based in Anchor’s Media office outside of Philadelphia, Mr. Schmid has been with the firm since 2016, prior to which he had made quite an impact in the sector while serving for six years as the senior VP and managing director of healthcare investments with Orlando, Fla.-based CNL Financial Group.
Mr. Schmid joined Anchor less than a year after Benjamin W. “Ben” Ochs, the CEO and managing partner, acquired the 31-year-old firm from the founders, Lou Sachs and Paula Crowley. Mr. Ochs merged his company at the time, Brinkman Management and Development, into Anchor.
With Mr. Ochs leading the company, Mr. Schmid became co-managing partner with him in 2016. The duo led the firm’s growth from about 1 million square feet of developed projects and 15 employees to what it is today, a firm that has developed about $2.7 billion worth of HRE projects with a total of about 5 million square feet of space.
With Mr. Schmid’s arrival, the firm also launched its investment platform, and since then it has invested about $3.4 billion in 130 assets. Currently, Anchor manages 167 assets totaling 8.8 million square feet of space, according to its website.
As noted, the firm has been very active over the years, not only in acquiring and developing HRE properties, but in forming financial partnerships to do so. It has formed several joint ventures (JVs) with investment management firms during the past decade.
In 2022, La Jolla, Calif.-based StepStone Group Inc. (Nasdaq: STEP), a private market investment firm with total capital allocation of $588 billion and $137 billion in assets under management (AUM), acquired a 49 percent stake in Anchor through a separate account on behalf of a large international pension fund, an Australia-based superannuation fund.
Earlier this year, Anchor acquired Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Chestnut Funds, which the firm had partnered with since 2014 on the acquisition and development of about 100 HRE facilities. The new investment arm operates as Anchor Health Capital.
In posting the news about his stepping down on LinkedIn and Facebook, Mr. Schmid wrote that “after working with my partner Ben Ochs to grow the platform into a best-in-sector, nationwide operating business, I am departing the Anchor platform so I can focus on family time and some enjoyment of life outside of the corporate sector.”
He went on to write that it has “been a life-changing and career-defining experience for me working alongside Ben and the entire Anchor team during my time here. What we have built is unique in scope, mission and best-in-class reputation. I am so proud of all that has been accomplished during my time here. Moving back home to the Philadelphia area to lead our Media office has been a dream come true for me.
“I am eager to see the next generation of leaders at Anchor develop into best-in-industry performers in the years ahead. I am thankful to Ben for giving me the opportunity to play a meaningful part as a leader in a transformative period in Anchor’s history. The firm has experienced exponential and sustained growth and evolution within its business lines over the past decade, and continues to do so today. My commitment to the firm’s success both corporately and as a part of the broader Philadelphia community will continue strongly in the years ahead.
In a statement, Mr. Ochs wrote: “For over a decade, James has played an instrumental role in working as my partner to help shape Anchor’s investment platform and broader business evolution, serving as a key member of the leadership team during a transformative period in Anchor’s history. During his tenure, Anchor experienced significant growth and evolution. James’ leadership, industry expertise, and commitment to the firm both internally and in the broader Philadelphia community helped lay the foundation for the organization we are today.
“James has been – and remains! – a valued friend and partner to me and many others across the company and has contributed meaningfully to the development of our investment capabilities, relationships, and long-term strategic direction. His fingerprints are on many of the partnerships, strategies and competencies that define Anchor now, and his contributions have helped position the company for continued success in the years ahead.”
For more information, please click here.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-schmid-292992/
The full content of this article is only available to paid subscribers. If you are an active subscriber, please log in. To subscribe, please click here: SUBSCRIBE
