Welcome To Columbus Capital
Columbus Capital is a southwest commercial property company that offers beautiful and functional retail, medical office, professional office, warehouse, residential, junior and large box properties. We also offer attentive and effective property management to our tenants with a full service team to address any need and want.
The founders of Columbus Capital, LLC have many years of experience in Real Estate Brokerage, Planning, Development and Project Management for both the residential and commercial sectors. Columbus Capital believes that our tenants’ success, comfort, and needs make our company succeed. Our vision is that properties will expedite success and convenience for the people that work and reside in these communities, which we hope will facilitate a path to progressive and bright future.
Meet The Team
Jeffrey Branch
Founder & CEO
Columbus Capital founder, Jeffrey Perea Branch, has invested in and developed more than $950 million in commercial real estate for more than 30 years. Jeff is a board member of BorderPlex Community Trust and is a Tony Robbins Platinum Partner. Jeff is a CCIM, as well as a CRX (Certified Retail Property Executive).
Jeff is as passionate about his New Mexican family lineage and the uniqueness of Latino culture in America as he is about consistently creating extraordinary real estate investment opportunities.
Jeff lives with his family in Santa Barbara, CA. In addition to his innovative and timely multicultural approach to real estate development, his family is a multicultural success story. He and his wife, Michelle Madrid-Branch delivered one son through birth, another through adoption in Russia, and a daughter through adoption in Ethiopia. Jeff also has a daughter attending school in San Diego and his eldest daughter, Megan Branch who resides in Santa Fe.
Phaedra Roybal
Accounting
Born and raised in New Mexico, Phaedra Roybal is happily married and has two wonderful children. Phaedra started working at 14 at a sandwich shop, where she was quickly promoted into accounts payable. This began a love of accounting. Phaedra has her degrees in accounting and business management. She acquired her mortgage license in 2021 and real estate license in 2022. Phaedra has volunteered and raised funds for Santa Fe Youth Shelter, March of Dimes, Anchorage Alaska Family Readiness Group, Espanola Humane, Santa Fe High NJROTC and others. Phaedra has returned to Columbus Capital after a two year hiatus from accounting.
Rachel Oostman
Humble Servant of the Community
Rachel is a dynamic and accomplished professional, originally from the Midwest and now proud to call Nevada her home. With a diverse background and a wealth of experience, she brings immense value to her current role at Columbus Capital. Rachel’s entrepreneurial spirit shines through her previous success as the founder of KRMA Foods, where she transformed innovative ideas into thriving ventures.
In addition to her extensive sales expertise, Rachel possesses a deep understanding of essential operational aspects crucial to business success. Her hands-on experience in various roles has provided her with valuable insights into creating efficient systems from the ground up.
Rachel’s unwavering commitment to constant and never-ending improvement (CANI) is the driving force behind her professional achievements. Known for her passion, work ethic, and infectious positive energy, she excels at fostering happiness within teams and organizations. She firmly believes that continuous personal growth and a positive mindset are indispensable elements in achieving unparalleled success. Rachel’s ability to make a lasting impact and her unwavering determination to deliver exceptional results make her an unstoppable force.
On a personal note, Rachel is a twin with a unique talent for writing upside down, and she proudly embraces the role of being a grandma. When she’s not fully engaged in her professional endeavors, she thrives on the Las Vegas sunshine, embracing the scorching heat alongside her husband Klaus, who hails from Germany. During her leisure time, Rachel’s insatiable thirst for exploration, learning, and growth takes her on captivating adventures. She finds immense joy in traveling and immersing herself in new cultures, broadening her horizons and gaining valuable perspectives. Additionally, Rachel values her health and dedicates herself to Pilates, prioritizing physical well-being as an integral part of her daily life.
Mark Ruhlman
Qualifying Broker
Mark was a senior level Real Estate executive for many national development companies. With over 20 years in management, his primary focus was achieving real estate sales, and closing goals that ensured the maximum return to shareholders. He was involved with planning of both large and small scaled master planned communities which incorporate both commercial and residential. Mark’s experience with communication skills complemented by a deep understanding of the psychology of buying and the art of negotiation complements the rest of the Columbus Capital team.
Cherilyn De Claro
Executive Virtual Assistant
Cherilyn is a highly diversified and skilled executive virtual assistant, customer service professional and works remotely and independently. A graduate of Bachelor of Science in tourism and management. She is a hard-working and creative individual with extensive experience in customer service, administration, and office management.
Cherilyn works directly with the CEO of the company. She manages administrative tasks, coordinate with team members, vendors, taking care of the calendar, research information for delivery content, help in creating company flyers and brochures. She also handles email correspondence, data entry and using software applications to create documents.
Throughout her career, she has held various positions within larger companies. These positions have given her a wide range of experience in the fields of business management, customer service, operations, and project management. She uses her skills and knowledge to find solutions, improve operations and increase overall business performance.
Fadi El Rabaa
Chief opeRATING OFFICER
With over 20 years of executive leadership, Fadi specializes in driving organizational growth, optimizing financial performance, and strengthening productivity and controls. His expertise spans family office management, banking, finance, and trading, with a focus on corporate lending, credit risk, asset-based lending, and wealth management.
Since 2013, he has served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Consultant for Way Group, WLL, in Doha, Qatar, managing investment portfolios for a member of the Qatar Royal Family. Leading a team of over 90, he oversees assets in real estate, commodities, oil & gas, and trading, achieving a 33% ROI and negotiating high-value deals.
Previously, as Assistant General Manager and Head of Corporate for First Leasing, Barwa Bank Group, he reduced costs by 25% and led initiatives to enhance compliance and client service. At Qatar Islamic Bank, he drove a 70% increase in corporate lending sales and achieved 120% of divisional goals.
Fadi’s career foundation includes roles as Senior Relationship Manager at Washington Mutual Bank and Executive Manager at Wells Fargo Bank. He holds an MBA in Finance from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Arizona.
Greg Gonzales
Director of construction
Greg was born and raised in northern New Mexico. He attended St Michael’s School where he met Jeff Branch who would be a best friend and future business partner. Greg received a degree in Construction Management from the University of New Mexico and since then he has accumulated over twenty-five years of experience in construction management and construction estimating. He spent his early career working on commercial projects ranging from small retail centers to multiple story hotel and apartment projects throughout Arizona and California. Prior to moving back to New Mexico, Greg was a Senior project manager for a large construction company in San Diego, California where he worked on projects such as the San Diego convention center, the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel and the Joan Crock Center at the University of San Diego.
Since joining Columbus Capital, Greg has over seen approximately $26 million dollars of new ground-up construction, consisting of major retail centers, apartment buildings and single family residential subdivisions. He has also overseen approximately $3 million dollars’ worth of building renovation and Tenant Improvement projects.
Greg’s favorite part of his job is working with people to create a vision for a building or project and helping them implement a plan to build it.
Greg currently lives on a small farm within a few miles of where he was raised with his wife Jill and two children Michaela and Luke. His favorite time is Fall in Santa Fe. He loves the brisk mornings and warm afternoons, hiking to see the beautiful colors and the smell of roasting green chile.
Dylan Boswell
Investment Team Member
Dylan is from Santa Barbara, California. He studied real estate development at the University of Southern California and focuses on financial modeling, feasibility analysis, negotiations, and strategy. Prior to working for Columbus Capital, Dylan worked on the development of vacation rental housing in Yosemite and retail asset management for the family business. He also worked in San Francisco developing mixed use multifamily projects throughout the West Coast.
In his free time, Dylan enjoys surfing, yoga, and mentoring children through a local non-profit.
