James W. Brennan reads the pulse of culture. He entrenches himself into a location, soaks in the vibe, finds the missing ingredient and builds the perfect plan. Over 10 years in mortgage loan services, development, acquisitions, sales, financing and management give James the experience to turn his vision into a profitable business. His acumen is key to EnDev's success.
After graduating from the University of San Diego with a B.A. in Business Administration, James started his professional career at Mortgage Loan Specialists. In 1998, James co-founded New American Financial. He was named to Mortgage Originator Magazine's list of the "Top 200 Originators" in the nation. He would go on to make the list in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 as well. He has personally funded over $500 million in his career.
In 2002, James, along with Mitchell Compton II, co-founded Halcyon Companies, LLC, (EnDev's predecessor company) in La Jolla, California. Halcyon was an integrated real estate operating company that successfully acquired, operated and disposed of residential and commercial real estate assets at attractive risk-adjusted returns. Halcyon combined in-house expertise and third-party professionals in order to streamline the Company's operations and reduce unnecessary overhead. Those operations included acquisitions, financing, legal, accounting, land-use planning, entitlements, design, engineering, construction, asset management, leasing and disposition.
In 2002, James, along with Demien Farrell, co-founded 3/73 Management, LLC. 3/73 Management opened one of the most successful lounge and restaurants in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, Side Bar and Ciro's Pizzeria. On the heels of Side Bar's success, James and the 3/73 Management group designed, developed and opened Stingaree in December 2005. A 22,000-square-foot state-of-the-art restaurant, nightclub and event center boasting the ultimate blend of high style and excellent service, Stingaree has set a new standard for nightlife in San Diego.
In 2006, James merged Halcyon Companies, LLC, and 3/73 Management, LLC, to form EnDev Enterprises, LLC. EnDev Enterprises brings together business ventures in both the entertainment arena and the development arena. On the heels of its formation, EnDev opened The Witherby. Also located in the Gaslamp District, The Witherby is destined to be San Diego's most sought-after unique event venue, designed for high-end, cutting-edge corporate and private social events.
James lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, Lauren. They have two children, Brielle and Finnian. James sits on the boards of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of San Diego and The Toussaint Academy of Arts and Sciences.