Dhanani Private Equity Group Hits Billion Dollar Mark and Takes on Fort Bend County


Dhanani Private Equity Group’s Leadership Team: Ali Wadhwani, Nick Dhanani and Nikhil Dhanani.


COVER STORY | By Patti Parish-Kaminski  | Photos by Kelley Sweet Photography –

Setting goals, developing new initiatives, launching projects – these are all objectives typically associated with a new year, but for Dhanani Private Equity Group (DPEG), the new year looks a bit different. In addition to the typical forecasting for the coming year, DPEG begins 2023 with a celebration of the ten-year-old Sugar Land based company achieving major milestones. DPEG closed 2022 with a billion dollars in transactions and assets under management. And according to Chief Executive Officer and founder Nadyrshah “Nick” Dhanani, that’s only the beginning for this company that not only focuses on high returns but developing lasting partnerships with their investors.

2022: A Year of Milestones – Close to Home

Reaching the billion dollar mark in transactions was just one of the highlights of 2022, a year when many industries still struggled due to the pandemic.  “Our highest return rose from 137% to 178.8% in 2022, which resulted from the sale of a retail center that was acquired during COVID-19 in January 2021,” said Nikhil Dhanani, President.

50-Acres by Smart Financial Centre

With the acquisition of four different landbank assets of over 250 acres across Texas, 150+ acres of this acquisition was close to home in Sugar Land. Last November, DPEG closed on a 50-acre tract next to Sugar Land’s Smart Financial Centre purchasing the property from Texas-based Fluor Corp.  The mixed-use development will consist of 50% commercial development, including office, retail and restaurants, and 50% residential townhomes and/or condos.

“Our current plans are for us build townhomes, or other residential units as part of this mixed-use development, as well as part of the commercial development, partner for a portion of the development and possibly sell some of it,” said Nikhil Dhanani, who shared that DPEG has already begun the process of due diligence for the project to move forward with a projected fourth quarter 2023 start date.


The property is located along University Boulevard and Lexington and will be surrounded by the Smart Financial Centre, the Texas Instruments campus, the Avalon at Telfair neighborhood and the University of Houston at Sugar Land.  The goal is to create an activity center where residents can live, work and enjoy restaurants and retail, plus the University of Houston’s College of Technology addition and the expansion of the Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital campus.

Territory at Telfair

Another DPEG milestone for 2022 is the Sugar Land high-end retirement community scheduled to break ground this year:  Territory at Telfair.  Conveniently located near restaurants, shopping, HEB and a major hospital on Highway 90 and Highway 6, this innovative retirement community for residents 55+ features upscale amenities in a four-story building.

“Territory at Telfair will contain over 20,000 square feet of amenities, including a spa, theatre, dog park, pickle ball court – all types of activities and on-site transportation,” said Nikhil Dhanani.

The project, developed by DPEG, will contain 160 units and will be classified as an A++ product for senior living.

Imperial Sugar Land

Another investment in Sugar Land in 2022, DPEG purchased +/-92 acres in the Imperial development from Johnson Development Corporation.  Plans for this purchase include mixed-used development including restaurants and fast-food establishments along Highway 6 and University with a focus on retail.

The firm raised the landbank assets required equity in less than 60 minutes from nearly 200 investors when the opportunity arose for this purchase.  And that type of relationship speaks to the philosophy that CEO Nick Dhanani and his team has built with his what he calls DPEG’s “partners.”

A humble man from humble beginnings has contributed to shaping Nick Dhanani into the type of CEO that he is – a man who wants to help as many people as possible to “build their wealth and their futures.”  And the end result?  A trusting relationship with DPEG’s over 1,400 partners.

“Making money is the easiest thing to do,” shared Nick Dhanani.  “Preserving it as wealth is the most difficult part and that is what we are good at.”

DPEG’s First Trophy Asset

Last year brought another first for the private equity firm, their first trophy asset.  Trophy real estate refers to a property that ranks in the top 2.5% in terms of value, demand, location or other high-quality attributes which increase market value.  Acquiring Galleria 1 and 2, a 400,000 square foot, mixed use office building at the intersection of Westheimer and Sage in Houston gave DPEG their first trophy asset.

“We are turning the ground floor into retail and are working with a few high-end restaurants to locate there,” said Nikhil Dhanani.  “The asset sits on 5.7 acres, and with our investors and capital, we have the upper hand because of our purchase price.  We can turn this asset around and aim to lease the building up quickly with our below market office rent.”

Expanding DPEG

DPEG has extensive experience in developing shopping centers, convenience stores and multiple real estate ventures, so it seemed only natural for the company to launch DPEG Construction in 2022.  “Bringing all real estate services in house makes it easier for us to coordinate and streamline the process,” said Nikhil Dhanani.  “Time is critical in our business.”

DPEG Construction, led by Ominiyo Akindojo, launched in January of 2022 with the first project beginning in March, a 27,000 square foot endeavor, the Y Shops and office condos at Kingsland.  Next projects included tenant improvement projects for DPEG properties, and the company recently completed a Golden Chicks Restaurant in Houston.

With the success of DPEG Construction and DPEG Insurance, DPEG plans to add other branches to the DPEG holdings, including a title and brokerage company, so that all related services can be accomplished in house.

With the growth and success of the past year, adding to Team DPEG was the next natural step. Perhaps thought of as a small family run company, DPEG’s growth and mindset is distinctly that of a large financial institution, and to continue that success, a number of new principals and employees joined the team.

 

Lucy Singh, Chief Operating Officer

Lucy Singh joined DPEG in 2022 as Chief Operating Officer bringing with her over 20 years of experience working as a Principal Engineer for major telecom companies where she successfully managed and launched complex projects.  Lucy has diverse skills in technology, management and operations working with Fortune 500 companies. Her specialty is bringing structure and efficiency to organizations and managing teams to achieve company goals. As COO, Lucy leads several development projects and looks forward to making the DPEG team even stronger.

Narmeen Nazneen, Principal Design

Narmeen Nazneen, Principal Design, brings her experience working as a Senior Executive at a prominent real estate developer in Mumbai, India. She joined the DPEG team as a Strategic Advisor from 2011-2014 then worked as a tax consultant.  More recently in 2020, Narmeen started her own business running COVID-19 testing sites across Houston.  As Principal Design, Narmeen leads in developing the firm’s blueprints vision into reality with a special focus on aesthetically pleasing multi-family residential properties and office spaces.

 

Ahsan Daredia, Principal Investor Relations and Marketing

Ahsan Daredia joined Dhanani Private Equity Group in early 2021 as the Principal of Investor Relations and Marketing. After starting his career in finance as an analyst, Ahsan moved into consulting at Ernst & Young, where he spent three years advising Fortune 500 clients on IRS compliance for the Affordable Care Act. Over the following two years, Ahsan joined the Uber in Los Angeles as a Program Manager, leading rider operations, content strategy and new product rollouts across the US and Canada. At DPEG, Ahsan leads investor relations for over 1,300 of the company’s partners, helping the executive team launch new projects, and runs the company’s social media and public relations efforts.

Expansion for DPEG also means relocating to their new office in Stafford, part of one of the largest deal’s in DPEG’s history to date, raising over $37 million in equity to purchase a $90+ million asset, The Fountains On the Lake.

“With this project, we promised a cash on cash distribution and physical 10% payout to our investors every year, leaving 3% for special distribution.  We achieved this successfully for the last four quarters,” said Nikhil Dhanani.  “What we promise, we deliver.”

The new office will provide DPEG with more space to welcome partners and expand new DPEG divisions.

For more information about Dhanani Private Equity Group and their upcoming projects, visit dhananipeg.com or call 281.561.5135.

Sharing the Wealth: The DPEG Foundation

In 2019, Dhanani Private Equity Group (DPEG) formed The DPEG Foundation to give back to non-profit organizations meaningful to both the company and their investor partners.  “When we make money, we believe in giving back,” said Nikhil Dhanani.  “This has been our focus on launching our foundation – to make a difference in many people’s lives.”

On December 9th, 2022 the DPEG Foundation did just that.  At their Holiday Gala attended by over 800 investor partners, the DPEG Foundation proudly awarded $35,000 to five organizations.  Grants were awarded to:

WithMerci Foundation: Founded by DPEG Advisory Board Member Whitney Mercilus, the WithMerci Foundation provides advocate services and support to families of children with disabilities and special needs.

Sugar Land Police and Fire Department: The Sugar Land Police and Fire Departments provide quality law enforcement, crime prevention, community policing and life-saving assistance making the city a safe place to live, work and play.

Missouri City Parks and Recreation Department:  Offering a variety of family-friendly activities and events in indoor and outdoor facilities throughout the city, Missouri City Parks and Recreation provides healthy, safe alternatives for recreation for all ages.

Habib University: A world class Liberal Arts University where 85% of the students receive financial support.

The Dhanani family: Junior, Sudha, Nick and Aaryan at the 2022 Holiday Gala.

Ibn Sina Foundation:  The Ibn Sina Foundation operates six beautiful community clinics throughout Greater Houston and Port Arthur areas, focused on providing low-cost preventative and primary medical, dental, diagnostic, specialty and children’s health services to indigent community.

According to CEO Nick Dhanani, this year’s inaugural charitable awards was just the beginning for both DPEG and the DPEG Foundation. “Next year, our goal is do more, achieve more and to give back even more.”