This month Reformation Asset Management is celebrating its 5th Anniversary as a company. As Founder and President Charles Bulthuis expands RAM to include nationwide investment opportunities, he credits his humble beginnings as a driving force for that expansion.
Across the US housing insecurity is an ongoing, systemic problem. For many, it’s an issue they’ve considered in theory, but for Bulthuis it’s a lived experience, a catalyst for positive change in both his life and the inspiration behind his initiatives to do things differently in his business.
When Bulthius was no more than four years old, his family lived out of their station wagon and a tent for several years before finally settling into a discounted apartment in the LA suburb of Sierra Madre.
From these early days, Bulthuis experienced a lack of housing stability that played a big part in his ultimate decision to join the army as a combat medic and eventually sparked his interest in real estate investing. It was during his army days that Bulthuis first began studying the relationship between global and domestic current events and investing. This newly acquired knowledge prepared him for his next opportunity: becoming a real estate broker in San Diego.
Over the next 29 years, the inextricable tie between current events, investing wisely, and the profound lived experience of escaping systemic housing insecurity greatly influenced the initiatives put forth by Reformation Asset Management.
Having substantial experience with the Section 8 Voucher Housing Program, Bulthuis has made it a priority to ensure these tenants have transportation and access to step-by-step help in securing temporary or new housing if their building is being renovated or remodeled when dealing with RAM.
Bulthuis shared, “As most people are aware there have been countless studies conducted on the emotional and psychological impacts our environment has on our productivity and happiness. These studies are academic for most people, but for me, they are a part of my history. If we want to encourage the assimilation, and integration of our most income-challenged individuals, we should begin by providing them with safe, affordable, and secure housing as the cornerstone to that path. I know that serving in the military provided me with security, positive peer influence, and job skills. The military is not for everyone, but we can use the same core concepts they espouse in our community-building programs. I believe that the best way to solve the issue is with a combined public and private approach that uses cost-saving measures such as rezoning to allow private investors to build in better areas at lower costs, versus increasing taxes and building more subsidized apartments in areas already burdened with many lower-income families. The community integration will also serve to provide the inclusion and acceptance of often ignored citizens while providing those citizens with access to new points of view, and peer interaction geared toward pathways of opportunity.”
Looking towards the future, Bulthuis intends to uphold this core company value of helping others find housing stability or their own personal “Fortress of Solitude” by sharing in-depth insights on real-estate investing that will benefit both new and experienced investors.
Helping people find housing has remained a core company value of Reformation Asset Management since its inception; with a cubic warehouse currently being built to import materials at cost and nationwide investment opportunities on the horizon, Bulthuis and his team are just getting started in making this goal attainable across the country.
