Mark Petersen MBA ’84
Franklin Square Capital Partners
Executive Vice President – Business Development
Mallory Petersen BBA ’07
GEMSA Loan Services
Valuation and Financial Consultant
by Kristin Todd
After earning a BBA from the University of Texas at Arlington, Mark Petersen enrolled in Baylor’s MBA program while working at a local bank. He eventually became involved in the real estate industry via Baylor graduate, Earl Patrick. “Jim Stewart and Earl Patrick of (Coldwell Banker) Jim Stewart, Realtors were clients, and my relationship with them motivated my real estate interest,” he said. “I ultimately joined their firm and got my real estate license.”
In 1984, Mark and his wife relocated to the Metroplex, and he has been involved with private equity fund raising since then. He has been serving as a partner at William Blair Funds Placement Group, LLC, which is the global funds placement arm of William Blair & Company, Inc. However, Petersen recently took the position as executive vice president for business development at Franklin Square Capital Partners, a specialty finance company that provides debt and equity financing to small- and middle-market private U.S. companies.
“A rewarding aspect of my career has been the wonderful relationships that I have developed around the world-both business and non-business,” he said.
Mallory followed her father’s footsteps by studying real estate at Baylor. “I knew I wanted to study business but needed to find a focus,” she said. “My dad was an influence in my decision to study real estate because of growing up around it, but there was never any pressure from him for me to get into the real estate industry.”
As a young alumnus, Mallory said Baylor equipped her with the skills needed to enter the workforce successfully upon graduation. “It has definitely been a good transition from Baylor to the ‘real world,'” she said. “Through earning my degree, I learned a lot about the basics of real estate and touched briefly on investments. It definitely laid the foundation I needed to begin working in the industry.”
Mallory now works as a valuation and financial analyst for GE, determining commercial property values and collaborating with asset managers. “The best advice I got out of college was to find a career in an area you are passionate about and can use your skills,” she said. “When I graduated last May, I wasn’t sure which area of real estate I wanted to work in. I began contacting people through my dad, as well as the Baylor Business Network and the Baylor Alumni Association.”
Mark also stressed the importance of being “open minded” upon entering the industry and to be aware of available opportunities. “I had no idea how broad the industry was even after I became interested in it,” he said. “There are so many ways to plug into the real estate industry from brokerage, leasing and sales, to development, construction, finance, securities, design, and appraisal-all on a domestic and international scale.”