David Brain co-founded EPR Properties in Kansas City in 1997 with little more than a computer and two telephones in a few sublet cubicles. EPR Properties didn’t follow the usual formula for success. The company doesn’t make widgets or provide a traditional service. EPR is a specialty real estate investment fund that builds and leases entertainment, recreation and education properties that traditionally were thought to be too volatile for institutional investment. EPR bolsters the economy and improves the communities in which it invests through its unique sources of capital and investment approach.
The seeds for EPR were planted while Brain attended Tulane University in New Orleans, earning a B.A. in Economics and an MBA. A Kansas City native, he found himself comparing and contrasting the two cities’ mixes of heritage and innovation. He developed a deep appreciation for unique and independent niche-oriented thinking. In fact, Brain attributes the success of EPR to the ability to identify a market need paired with simple problem solving. Those who have seen him at work understand how insightful his vision is and how far his reach extends.
By 2014, the company had built an investment portfolio of over $3.5 billion and more than 200 properties across 39 states, investing in theatres, retail centers, water parks, ski parks, public charter schools and more.