MCB Real Estate Debuts DST Division, Names Former Capital Square President as CEO
MCB Real Estate, a commercial real estate investment management firm with approximately $4 billion in assets under management, has launched MCB Wealthbridge, a division offering high-net-worth investors access to tax-advantaged real estate through Delaware statutory trust structures and other 1031 exchange programs.
Leading the new division as chief executive officer is Mike Waddell, a veteran of the securitized 1031 exchange industry who previously served as president of Capital Square, as AltsWire reported his promotion in 2019. Waddell will also serve on MCB Wealthbridge’s investment committee.
Joining Waddell is Margo Steahly, a DST distribution veteran who previously served as national sales director at Capital Square, a role AltsWire covered when she joined the firm in 2018. More recently, Steahly served as senior vice president for sales operations and due diligence with Trilogy Real Estate Group. She brings more than 20 years of financial services experience spanning wealth management and private placement product sales, including prior roles at Sandlapper Capital Investments and ORIX USA, where she focused on tenant-in-common sales.
Melin Ross will serve as director of investor relations for MCB Wealthbridge.
MCB Wealthbridge represents an entirely new business line for MCB Real Estate. The parent firm has not previously sponsored securities offerings; its previous activity in the real estate sector has been conducted through its institutional investment management, acquisitions, and development platforms rather than through retail capital programs. Both Waddell and Steahly bring their sponsored securities experience from their prior tenures, most recently at Capital Square, to the new division.
Founded in 2007 by P. David Bramble and Peter Pinkard, MCB Real Estate operates a nationwide portfolio of approximately 22 million square feet across more than 35 states, spanning industrial, office, retail, multifamily, mixed-use, and life sciences properties, with a development pipeline of approximately 6 million square feet. The firm has grown its institutional platform in recent months, completing the acquisition of Epic Real Estate Partners in February 2026 and entering a joint venture with CBRE Investment Management in April 2026 for a national grocery-anchored retail portfolio.
MCB Wealthbridge will initially focus on stabilized multifamily, student housing, industrial, and retail properties – asset classes the company describes as offering “durable income profiles and strong fundamentals” – and will use the DST structure to provide accredited investors with passive ownership, monthly distributions, and equity preservation. The division, which is targeting baby boomers as a primary audience, plans to draw on MCB’s existing acquisition pipeline and asset management infrastructure as its source of properties for DST programs.
“Wealthbridge isn’t just a name; it’s our mission,” said P. David Bramble, co-founder and managing partner of MCB Real Estate. “We are offering investors the chance to bridge wealth from one generation to the next, and to provide a trusted path forward for those looking to preserve their legacy through tax-advantaged real estate investment.”
“This platform is purpose-built as a bridge, for high-net-worth investors looking to build wealth, into MCB’s deep real estate expertise and its vast investment opportunities,” Waddell said. “They want tax-advantaged real estate investments that perform – providing income and growth, stability, peace of mind, and an opportunity to diversify their assets.”
The launch arrives as the DST market is posting its strongest fundraising numbers in years. DST equity fundraising totaled approximately $3.75 billion through May 2026, a nearly 24% year-over-year increase, according to Mountain Dell Consulting, which projects the market could reach $10 billion to $11 billion by year-end. That would represent a potential record for the asset class, surpassing the $8.41 billion raised in 2025, itself a 49% increase over 2024, and approaching the approximately $9.5 billion raised in the peak year of 2023. DST equity raised in the first quarter of 2026 alone reached $2.44 billion, up 34% year over year.
The division intends to distribute through broker-dealer and registered investment adviser channels. “We invite our broker-dealer and RIA communities to dig into MCB’s history,” Waddell said. “When they do, they’ll see a company that has delivered time and again – in investment management, acquisitions, asset management, dispositions, development and in results.”
MCB Real Estate, which is headquartered in Baltimore, Md., said that MCB Wealthbridge-specific offerings have yet to be announced.
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