With half a billion dollars in assets under management at Crew Enterprises, real estate investment is being revolutionized. Company founder and CEO Blake Wettengel has a goal of transforming the way properties are owned and managed, evolving with new technologies instead of competing against them.
“Our purpose is to manage and oversee investments in a client-focused, modern, and tech-driven way—blending proven underwriting principles with innovative operational tools to deliver stronger returns and a better experience for our residents and partners,” Wettengel explains.
Today, Crew Enterprises operates seven student housing and multifamily properties. Under Wettengel’s leadership, Crew harnesses a blend of expertise and strategic insight to redefine the landscape of student housing across the United States.
Real estate has always been a substantial part of Wettengel’s professional career. In 2005 after graduating with a Juris Doctorate from the UCLA School of Law, he began working as a real estate transactional and corporate attorney at a distinguished law firm in southern California.
“I preferred making deals instead of breaking deals apart,” Wettengel highlights.
Ten years at law firms honed Wettengel’s skills in and built upon his knowledge of the real estate industry.
He later became an in-house attorney for a real estate investment company. His time there expanded his experience outside of the legal world.
After three years in-house, Wettengel used his substantial and varied professional experience to launch his own real estate investment company, focused exclusively on student housing.
“Student housing keeps me connected to the energy and optimism of the rising generation—the excitement of college life, athletics, and the pivotal decisions students are making about their futures,” Wettengel reflects. “I love the creativity involved in building communities for them, from marketing to amenities to the overall lifestyle experience.”
Crew has also adopted some multifamily properties in their portfolio over the years. Their top-notch student and multifamily properties are strategically located throughout the country, capable of providing investors with favorable returns.
“We created Crew to focus on the experiential side of real estate investment and the ever-evolving technology behind operations and asset management,” Wettengel explains.
Wettengel acknowledges that an emphasis on innovation is key to providing housing that aligns with the high expectations of most of Crew’s residents: college students, the rising generation.
At pinnacle importance for Wettengel and his team is using technologies like website AI integration, secure phone access, interactive televisions, and high-tech package lockers for their residents. Enhancing details like these set Crew apart from other student housing owners, Wettengel says.
Crew’s portfolio is the sum of Wettengel’s law experience and business skills, together with a high-talent team. Aside from innovation, Crew focuses on providing an investor-centric approach to real estate investment, identifying investor goals and objectives, and then creating strategies that align with those goals.
Learn more about Crew Enterprises’ portfolio here.
