About

Guiding Principles

At SJC Ventures, our Guiding Principles define our winning culture and shape every facet of what we do.

INTEGRITY

Do the right thing. Always. Period.

EXTREME BIAS FOR ACTION

Move fast, anticipate needs, and take massive initiative to deliver extraordinary results.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE PARAMOUNT

We are nothing without our highly valued clients, partners, teammates, and stakeholders.

EXCELLENCE MINDSET

Always exceed expectations. Never accept the status quo. Every detail matters.

Leadership

SJC Ventures is led by its three Principals Jeff DeHart, Jeff Garrison and Fain Hicks. The firm’s focus is value creation through serving its investors, retailer partners and all stakeholders to create successful projects that excite, engage and enhance the communities in which they are located. SJC continues to build on its long, successful track record as the proven, leading development platform of choice for premium retailers, residents, investors and municipalities.

Jeff DeHart

Principal

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Jeff Garrison

Principal

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Fain Hicks

Principal

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Jeff DeHart

Principal

Jeff DeHart, partner at SJC Ventures, leads the firm’s legal, leasing, and day-to-day operational management functions.

He has been active in the commercial real estate and leasing industries since 1986. Over that time, he has developed nearly 60 retail projects across multiple regions of the U.S.

Jeff received his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Georgia. He currently serves on the Ben Franklin Academy Board of Overseers, teaches Sunday school at Peachtree United Methodist Church, and served as scout master for Atlanta’s Troop 232.

Originally from North Carolina, Jeff resides in Atlanta with his wife, Jessica. The couple has three adult sons.

Jeff Garrison

Principal

Jeff Garrison, partner at SJC Ventures, leads the firm’s project creation, site selection, design, and entitlement efforts. His passion for creating dynamic, community-changing developments that drive connection, walkability, and activation infuses every SJC project.

He has developed more than 6 million square feet of transformational high-end residential, retail, and mixed-use projects nationwide.

Jeff graduated magna cum laude with degrees in real estate and speculative finance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Georgia real estate license and is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. He previously served on the board of Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, where his children attended.

Jeff lives in Atlanta with his wife, Jennie. The couple has three children.

Fain Hicks

Principal

Fain Hicks, partner at SJC Ventures, oversees the firm’s capital markets functions and strategic direction. With over 25 years of commercial real estate experience, his expertise centers on deal and capital structuring. He has been directly involved in more than $5 billion in investment property transactions and project capitalizations.

A Georgia native, Hicks earned bachelor’s degrees in finance and real estate from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. He is a member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors and the International Council of Shopping Centers and holds the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation.

He is actively involved with several nonprofit organizations and is a member of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, where he has served in various leadership roles, including Chair of the Board of Trustees.

He resides in Atlanta with his wife, Kereth, and their two daughters.