April 20, 2022

It was Dwight Dunton’s grandfather who demonstrated the true value of investing in real estate. In the 1950s, he contributed land to a joint venture for a new apartment complex in Alexandria, Va.—an investment that generated a steady stream of “mailbox checks” over a 40-year period.

In 1999, when the majority partner in the JV wanted to sell the property, 25-year-old Dunton decided to buy out the partner and form his own multifamily investment firm called Bonaventure. Reflecting on that decision, he describes his younger self as “blissfully ignorant” of the challenges associated with owning and managing an apartment building.

“Sometimes not knowing stops you from stopping before you start,” Dunton says.

As founder and CEO, Dunton has built Bonaventure into an integrated alternative asset management company that employs more than 300 people and specializes in multifamily design, development, construction, asset management and property management. The Alexandria, Va.-based firm manages more than 6,000 apartment units across 31 communities, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

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