In 1963 Phillip Heib started a company that specialized in real estate loans funded by individual investors, outside the institutional mindset. In a stroke of brilliance, he named the company after his wife, Hope. The Hope Company was born.
Fast forward to 1970 when his handsome son Jeff reluctantly abandoned the life of an international playboy to struggle into harness to help run the family enterprise.
In 1978, the family enterprise morphed into The Hope Trust Deed Company, Inc., about the same time Jeff’s childhood amigo Jack Thomas staggered into the firm.
Phil and Hope retired in 1999. Jeff assumed the ownership of the firm at that time, and he continues at the helm today.
As this is written, September of 2011, we are working on our 14,057th loan. We’ve probably seen it all and done most of ’em. And all in the private sector, where an investor makes his own decision as to where his $$ is invested.
With any luck, there’s another 14,000 loans on the horizon.