Operationally Intensive Assets

Outsized Returns

Clipper Harbor Capital was born out of our principals’ shared love of Northern Michigan, its raw beauty, its water-inspired lifestyle, and the sense of freedom it offers. The name reflects who we are and how we invest. A clipper is a fast, decisive, and commanding ship, built to navigate complex waters with speed and precision. A harbor is a place of safety and trust, offering stability amidst uncertainty. Together, Clipper Harbor represents both agility and security: we move boldly to capture opportunities, while providing our investors a safe harbor for their capital. Rooted in the beauty and clarity of Northern Michigan’s waters, our identity is about living well, solving hard problems, and charting a steady course toward lasting value.

Clipper Harbor Capital specializes in the ownership and operation of premier wedding venues nationwide. Our unique experience, coupled with proprietary relationships, positions us at the forefront of a consolidating, high-margin, and fragmented industry. With Rye Venues as our strategic operating partner, we bring more than 15 years of venue management experience to every asset, ensuring disciplined execution and consistent performance. We excel in operationally intense environments where others hesitate - complex logistics, guest-facing service, and on-site execution create natural barriers that deter most investors. These challenges form our competitive advantage.

Our Team

Mitch serves as the Director of Real Estate at Clipper Harbor Capital, where he oversees deal sourcing and execution across diverse asset classes.

Before joining Clipper Harbor, Mitchell was an Investment Associate at Promanas, where he led due diligence on more than $1B of equity requests, negotiated debt and equity structures, and served as project manager for a $200M ground-up hotel development in Nashville.

Earlier in his career, Mitchell worked at REDICO and Oxford Companies. He is also Co-Founder of a high-growth auto services company in Traverse City, Michigan.

A graduate of the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business with a BBA, Mitchell is a licensed real estate salesperson, private pilot, and certified dog dad. 

Mitch McMullen, Director of Real Estate

Peter serves as a product leader at Lyft, where he has worked since the company’s first year of operations, helping build and scale the driver platform now used by roughly 1% of the U.S. workforce each year. His work has focused on marketplace dynamics, platform tooling, and products that support millions of drivers nationwide.

Peter has been an active investor in operationally intensive real estate since 2015, with a focus on hands-on execution, asset-level optimization, and durable cash-flowing investments.

Peter began his career at TechCrunch, where he conducted market research and supported large-scale industry conferences and events. He is a graduate of Grand Valley State University, where he studied Business, and is based in New York City.

Peter Sauer, Partner

Joe is the CEO of Cardinal Senior Living, a senior housing owner-operator he co-founded in 2015. Cardinal began by leasing and turning around underperforming senior living communities in Pennsylvania, which were successfully stabilized and sold in 2022.

In 2022, Cardinal partnered with a Latin American family office to acquire additional communities across Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Today, the firm focuses on long-term ownership, operations, and management of senior living assets.

Previously, Joe founded Ancora Properties, where he acquired and repositioned distressed multifamily and self-storage properties. He holds degrees in Entrepreneurship and Public Administration from Grand Valley State University and serves on the Pennsylvania Health Care Association and NIC Future Leaders Council boards.

Joe Pohlen, Advisor

Contact Us