“A unique transaction presented itself, where time was of the essence so I reached out to the Academy Fund. I view this as probably one of my most successful deals up to this point…we were in and out of the Academy Fund in about 90 days…There are a lot of cliches in business, and a lot of catchphrases, but ‘time is money’ is one that is always at the forefront in my mind. In this case, the main thing the Academy Fund delivered for me was the time component. Being able to close the transaction and transition quickly is really what set us up for the future successes that we're going to have.”
- Chris Tyll (USNA ‘01)
The Academy Fund is a private real estate fund that invests in military-veteran real estate operators and developers. We leverage relationships among Investors, Advisors, and Operators to facilitate the valuable “trust capital” and believe that intelligence, integrity and grit are competitive advantages and key inputs to building wealth. Today, we’re excited to share the story behind Navy Veteran Chris Tyll’s most recent deal with the Academy Fund, a 350-acre farm located in Maine! This deal demonstrates how money really does move at the speed of trust and why the strength of the relationships we develop with our borrowers and investors is the key to everyone’s success.
Meet Chris Tyll
Chris Tyll grew up in rural Michigan and graduated from the Naval Academy prep school in Newport, Rhode Island in 1997. Following this, he attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating with a degree in Ocean Engineering in 2001. Chris served in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer and Fire Control Officer aboard the USS Valley Forge. He was later selected and transferred to Naval Special Warfare where he served in various assignments before becoming Detachment Commander for an East Coast-based U.S. Navy SEAL team.
His varied military background prepared Chris perfectly for his current role as the owner and founder of a successful collection of companies built across multiple industries. Real estate development is the heart and soul of Chris’s business ventures, driven by his long-term passion and business strategy to generate wealth through real estate by owning and operating companies that require it. Right now, Chris loves working on restorative projects where he and his team find an underperforming asset and rebuild the property, either with a new purpose for a different industry or optimizing the property for the industry already occupying the real estate.
When Chris discovered a 350-acre farm located in Maine that represents everything he loves about real estate development, he knew he had to jump at the chance to acquire the property. Because the property includes farming, residential and development parcels, Chris knew there were going to be time issues in the appraisal process, delaying his ability to close the deal quickly so he turned to the Academy Fund. Chris had all his documents in place, enabling the Fund to make underwriting decisions at warp speed, which meant that Chris was able to offer the seller a closing time of under 30 days.
Right now, Chris and his family are busy rebranding and revitalizing the farm as Three Sisters, named for his three daughters. This winter, they’re focusing on strategic crop development and plan to expand into rotational livestock farming. According to Chris, permanent financing options and the quick closing time facilitated by the Academy Fund is the reason why Three Sisters farm is his most successful project to date. Trusted relationships Chris developed with the Academy Fund team through the lending process are perhaps the most valuable to his business. Chris’s next goal? To be the fastest military veteran real estate operator to go from Academy Fund borrower to Academy Fund investor!
Chris believes success is all about building mutually beneficial relationships and never taking no for an answer. We couldn’t agree more! We love working with Chris and can’t wait to see how his farm continues to grow and thrive in the years to come.
We Finance Military Veteran Real Estate Operators
Do you need financing for your next real estate project? Would you like to invest?