The range and depth of investment experience and finance capabilities at Blume Capital are unique for a firm of our size. The principals all previously worked in large, well-known financial institutions, and our backgrounds include equity research, investment banking, and private equity.
On a personal level, each of the firm's principals made a conscious decision to leave larger institutions to create a professional environment that allows us to work directly with clients and provide independent, objective advice.
James Blume
CEO
James Blume
Following a successful investment career and seven years practicing psychology, James "Jim" Blume founded Blume Capital Management in 1993 with the vision of bringing an institutional level of investment expertise to the individual client.
Jim began his professional career on Wall Street in 1966 as an equity research analyst for Faulkner, Dawkins & Sullivan, a prominent Wall Street institutional research firm, and was subsequently a founding member of the firm's investment banking department. Among other companies, he successfully arranged financings for Koger Properties, a developer of suburban office parks in the Southeast and Southwest. Jim was elected to the Board of Directors of Koger as well as two other public companies.
In 1974, Jim left Wall Street and began a career in real estate working for Arthur M. Fischer, Inc., a regional shopping center developer. As a partner, he was instrumental in the purchase and redevelopment of one of the nation's earliest and largest regional malls in Houston, Texas.
In 1979, Jim returned to graduate school, where he obtained a PhD in Psychology. He was a practicing clinical psychologist in Berkeley from 1987-1993, prior to founding Blume Capital Management.
Jim serves on the board and the Endowment Committee of the Ploughshares Fund and is a former board member of the ACLU-NC. He and his wife, Kathryn, live in Berkeley and have a son.
Education:
Williams College - BA, Political Science
Harvard University - MBA
The Wright Institute - PHD, Psychology
Jeff St.Claire
President
Jeff St.Claire
Jeff St.Claire joined Blume Capital Management in 2004 following a career in investment banking.
Prior to joining Blume Capital, Jeff held positions with Robertson Stephens, Alex Brown & Sons, and PricewaterhouseCoopers Securities. During that time, he advised clients on mergers & acquisitions, as well as public and private equity financings across a variety of industries including technology, manufacturing, and retail. Prior to his career in investment banking, Jeff consulted with Fortune 500 companies to provide expert witness advisory services on antitrust disputes related to mergers and acquisitions.
Jeff serves on the investment committee for the Alta Bates Summit Hospital Foundation and on the City of Piedmont Capital Improvement Committee. He is a native of the Bay Area and lives in Piedmont with his wife, Lisa, and their four children.
Education:
Georgetown University - BA, Government (with honors)
Georgetown University - MBA (MBA Scholar)
Peter Reidenbach
Director
Peter Reidenbach
Peter Reidenbach joined Blume Capital in 2011 following a career in private equity.
Peter joined Blume Capital from Industrial Growth Partners, a San Francisco based private equity firm targeting investments in manufacturing and industrial services companies. Previously, he spent six years with G.E. Capital, where he was Vice President, and focused on investments of debt and equity in businesses across a broad cross section of industries. Peter started his career at Wells Fargo Bank, where he provided capital to Bay Area businesses and completed their Credit Management Training Program.
Peter grew up in the Bay Area and lives in San Francisco with his wife, Kathleen, and their two children.
Education:
Amherst College - BA, Economics
U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business - MBA
Gigi Marania
Director of Operations
Gigi Marania
Gigi Marania has 25 years of experience working in the financial services industry. She joined Blume Capital Management after spending fifteen years working with a broker-dealer in San Francisco. Ms. Marania was the primary liaison for both institutional and retail clients as well as agency clients, specializing in underwriting and marketing of municipal bonds.
Ms. Marania was Operations Manager at Mark Pressman Associates, and most recently in the Public Finance Division of Wulff, Hansen & Co. She began her career as a Sales Assistant at Smith Barney & Co.
She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and 3 children.