Mark J. Bennett is Managing Director of MJBennett, PLLC, an affiliate of Pappas Financial and The Enterprise Securities Company. Mark is an entrepreneur, attorney and FINRA-registered securities professional with 30+ years of experience in structuring, financing and executing sophisticated transactions with an emphasis in real estate and technology.
Since 2015, Mark has been involved in the placement of more than $75 million of direct real estate equity financing in the City of Detroit for six new multi-family construction and significant rehab developments consisting of more than 1,100 units and cumulative project value in excess of $275 million. Three of these investments involved Qualified Opportunity Funds under the new Opportunity Zone legislation. Mark has started five venture capital backed companies and partnered with others raising more than $100 million in equity from private equity funds, corporate venture funds, individual accredited investors, family offices and venture capital firms including Bain Capital.
While in law school, Mark founded Toxicheck, which later merged with Environmental Data Resources Inc., the leading national environmental information services company and owner of the largest Sanborn Map Collection, which helps the real estate industry manage environmental risk and liability.
Mark practiced law at Miller Canfield and has extensive legal experience in real estate, environmental, renewable energy and economic development incentives at the federal, state and local levels. Mark is a Member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Finance Committee of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and the United Jewish Foundation.
He has published more than 40 articles and made numerous public appearances in a variety of market areas.
He earned his BS in Economics, Phi Beta Kappa from Michigan State University and his JD from the Wayne State University Law School.
