Jay Rippeto
Chief Executive Officer
Juniper Investment Group

Jay Rippeto is the CEO of Juniper Investment Group, Ltd. and of First Choice Management Group. Mr. Rippeto formed Juniper in April 2000. Previously, Mr. Rippeto was a Vice President in the real estate asset management and underwriting group for Fortress Investment Group, a New York based real estate investment firm. Fortress was formed by the former principals of the Global Principal Finance Group of Union Bank of Switzerland (“UBS”). Mr. Rippeto joined UBS in 1997 and then Fortress in 1998. While with UBS and Fortress, Mr. Rippeto managed commercial assets ranging from direct property investments to performing and distressed mortgages, real estate owned through foreclosure, and commercial mortgage‐backed securities.

Prior to joining UBS and subsequently Fortress, Mr. Rippeto was a Vice President at Cheslock, Bakker & Associates, a Stamford, Connecticut, based real estate merchant bank specializing in both commercial mortgage‐backed securities and direct equity investments. Mr. Rippeto has also worked for the Chase Manhattan Bank as an Associate in their Commercial Real Estate Department, specializing in distressed loan workouts, and for JMB Properties Company in its office building property management division.

Mr. Rippeto earned a BA from Vanderbilt University, graduating cum laude, and an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.