American Healthcare Investors, a commercial real estate investment firm that specializes in the acquisition and management of healthcare-related properties, announced today that Damon Elder has joined the company as senior vice president for marketing and communications.

Damon Elder is an accomplished marketing communications executive, with the proven ability to develop effective marketing plans and campaigns, as well as deliver insightful strategic counsel.” – Jeff Hanson Principal American Healthcare Investors. 

Elder previously served as senior director of communications with Grubb & Ellis Company, where he led all internal and external communications for the company’s investment management division and supervised the marketing of multiple private and public securities offerings that raised in excess of $ 2.5 billion through the independent broker-dealer channel, including Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II (to be renamed Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II). These offerings acquired more than $ 4 billion worth of commercial real estate on behalf of thousands of individual investors between 2006 and 2011.

Prior to joining Grubb & Ellis in 2006, Elder served as president of EB Communications, a full-service independent marketing communications firm that provided service to a host of commercial real estate, manufacturing, and consumer firms. He has an extensive background in government and politics, having served as a senior aide to a long-serving member of the United States House of Representatives, communications director for a multi-million dollar congressional campaign, and as regional director for a nationwide advocacy organization. Elder entered the private sector in 2000, when he joined one of Orange County’s largest independent public relations agencies as a senior account executive.

Elder has broad experience as a public speaker, speech writer, author, and strategic communications consultant. He has received multiple awards for his work in marketing and media relations and his writings have appeared in numerous regional and nationwide publications, including the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, as well as a wide-range of trade and business journals.

Elder studied political science and broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California and is a volunteer public relations consultant to the Special Olympics of Orange County.

American Healthcare Investors has established a joint venture with Griffin Capital Corporation and affiliates to advise and manage Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II, a publicly registered non-traded real estate investment trust that currently owns a portfolio of healthcare properties valued in excess of $ 430 million and seeks to raise up to $ 3.0 billion in equity capital. The REIT will be renamed Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II in the coming weeks.