R.J. Gallagher, Founding PARTNER, General Managing Partner
R.J. is the General Managing Partner for Forte. He is responsible for all of the day-to-day operations of Forte and its overall performance.
Prior to Forte, R.J. was the Founder and President of Gallagher Sharp West in Aspen, Colorado from 1991 until 2009 when GSW became Forte International. GSW was a pioneering organization, implementing successful marketing, sales, communications and design programs for high-end real estate projects and select clients in the resort, entertainment, hospitality, travel industries. During that time GSW provided services for some of the finest projects throughout the United States and Mexico, generating over $14 billion in sales revenues.
GSW also provided services within the entertainment, resort, luxury hospitality and professional sports franchise industries on a global level.
Prior to GSW, R.J. worked in the broadcast industry as the general manager of progressive and award-winning radio and television stations that were eventually sold to a major North American cable company. In addition to his broadcast background, R.J. served as the Vice President of Marketing and Operations for Newfield Enterprises International, a developer and owner of fine hotels, resorts, and residential developments worldwide including several Ritz-Carlton Hotels‚ New York, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Aspen. R.J. was also the founder and Board Member of a start up commuter airline that served the Aspen market from Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Denver. He has served on a variety of boards, including the Aspen Community Foundation. R.J. attended the Leeds School Of Business at the University of Colorado and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Marketing and Finance.
Steve Laver, Founding PARTNER/Investor
Steve is a Founding Partner in Forte and acts as a strategic advisor for the firm. Steve is also currently a Partner and CFO of Blueprint Global marketing in Vancouver, British Columbia.
From 2004 to 2009, Steve operated and repositioned two resort development companies within the Intrawest portfolio. He was President of the luxury residence club division, Storied Places, where he developed four luxury projects, including three sell-outs of developer inventory. Steve then managed the sale of Storied Places to the Fairmont organization in 2008. Steve was also President of the global sales and marketing firm Playground. Steve’s sales teams achieved nearly $2 billion of resort sales and closings during his tenure, which were unrivaled results in global resort sales.
Prior to Playground and Storied Places, Steve was a national partner of Trammell Crow Company in the early 1990s. In 1996, he was recruited to Canada to become Chief Operating Officer of Brookfield Properties and the first President of its facilities management subsidiary, BLJC. Steve moved to Vancouver in 1997 to become Chief Operating Officer and a founding Partner of Bentall LP, one of North America’s largest real estate advisors. Steve attended Principia College and Harvard Business School.