Criterion leadership
Chuck Rosenzweig founded Criterion in 2010. The two most senior principals at Criterion have over 50 years of combined experience investing in real estate debt and equity through multiple market cycles. They have been partners at Criterion for over ten years.
Chuck
Rosenzweig
Founder and Managing Partner
Mr. Rosenzweig is the founder and Managing Partner of Criterion Real Estate Capital. Mr. Rosenzweig founded Criterion in 2010. With more than thirty-three years of commercial real estate and capital markets experience, Mr. Rosenzweig has focused on principal investments in commercial real estate for all property types. During his career, he has been responsible for originating and closing more than $35 billion of debt and equity investments.
Mr. Rosenzweig’s previous positions include Managing Director for the Real Estate Finance Group at RBS Greenwich Capital, which he joined in 2002. As an origination head at RBSGC, Mr. Rosenzweig was responsible for the origination and closing of mortgage debt, mezzanine financing and preferred equity. Prior to RBSGC, he was a Managing Director and head of origination for CDC Mortgage Capital (now Natixis Real Estate Capital). At CDC/Natixis, he was one of two executives who set up and formed their commercial real estate finance group in 1999. Prior to CDC/Natixis, Mr. Rosenzweig was a Managing Director and Head of the Eastern Region for Nomura Capital and was instrumental in growing its then pioneering commercial real estate business between 1994 and 1999. His experience in real estate began with the law firm of Kaye Scholer (now Arnold & Porter), where he was a transactional attorney in the real estate department.
Mr. Rosenzweig received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his law degree from Cornell Law School. He is a member of the Cornell University Council, the Cornell Arts and Sciences Advisory Council, the Cornell Law School Advisory Council and the Advisory Board for Cornell’s Center for Real Estate and Finance. He is also a member of the Real Estate/Real Assets Investment Subcommittee for the Cornell University endowment.
Brett
Kantor
Director
Mr. Kantor has more than ten years of experience in commercial real estate finance, investing, and development. He joined Criterion in February 2014 and is responsible for sourcing, underwriting, closing, and asset managing investments. Prior to joining Criterion, Mr. Kantor was a member of the investments team at The JBG Companies, where he focused on underwriting new investment opportunities as well as asset- and portfolio-level recapitalizations and sat on the Portfolio Management Committee responsible for the oversight of eight opportunity funds with over 100 active investments.
Mr. Kantor earned his AB with honors in Economics as well as Public Policy and American Institutions from Brown University. Mr. Kantor is an active member of the Brown Real Estate Group Steering Committee and The Dalton School Alumni Association and has been involved in the Municipal Art Society of New York and Project Renewal.
Ben
Milde
Chief Operating Officer
Ben Milde has spent over 25 years focused on commercial real estate investing, development, lending and asset management.
Mr. Milde joined Criterion Real Estate Capital as its Chief Operating Officer in August of 2024.
Mr. Milde has also served as Managing Member of Richbell Equities, LLC, a privately held multifamily investment, development and asset management company. Previously Ben was a Managing Director at TPG Global and was Head of Commercial Mortgage Originations at Allegiant Real Estate Capital (previously known as FirstKey Lending prior to the relaunching of FirstKey’s CRE business as an independent investment company renamed as Allegiant in 2016).
Prior to that, Mr. Milde was a Managing Director and Head of Commercial Mortgage Originations in the CRE Finance Group at Citigroup. Prior to Citi, Mr. Milde was a Managing Director in the CRE Finance group at J.P. Morgan. Mr. Milde joined J.P. Morgan in 2008 as a result of its acquisition of Bear Stearns, where he was a Senior Managing Director in the CRE Finance group.
Mr. Milde received a B.S. in Applied Economics and Business Management from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Bennett
Heller
Associate
Mr. Heller joined Criterion in 2022 and focuses on sourcing, underwriting, closing, and asset managing investments. Prior to joining Criterion, Mr. Heller worked at Silverstein Properties with a primary focus on the equity fund management businesses, including the Cantor-Silverstein Opportunity Zone Trust (CSOZT) family of funds. Prior joining Silverstein, Mr. Heller worked as an analyst in the Research Department of Jones Lang LaSalle in New York City.
Mr. Heller holds a BA in Economics with Honors from the University of Chicago and an MS in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.
