Larry Goldstone

Larry Goldstone is Founder, Chief Executive Officer and President of Aventur Partners. Mr. Goldstone oversees the company’s overall strategic direction and business activity and is involved in investing in and developing businesses that the company believes have potential. At present, the company has four businesses that it is currently developing; Aventur Mortgage Capital LLC, UC Charting Solutions LLC, Technology Solutions NM LLC, and Blue Aspen Capital LP.

Mr. Goldstone holds an MBA in Economics from the University of Arizona and a BA in Economics from New Mexico State University. After receiving his MBA, Mr. Goldstone began his financial career in 1984 as Vice President and Chief Investment Officer with Home Federal Savings and Loan in Tucson, AZ. Relocating to California in 1986, he continued to build his financial career as Senior Vice President with Great American Bank and Downey Savings and Loan. In 1992, Mr. Goldstone Co-founded Thornburg Mortgage and served as the President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer of this highly successful NYSE listed mortgage REIT and originator that grew under his leadership to become a Fortune 1000 company.

Mr. Goldstone is also the majority owner of American Country Collection (ACC) furniture located in Santa Fe, NM.  ACC is an award-winning home furnishings and interior design retailer that is committed to bringing their clients the best quality, taste level, and value available in the home furnishings marketplace. By bringing cutting-edge, innovative, beautiful design to their vibrant, arts-focused community, ACC aims to enrich their client’s lives by enhancing their home environments. Visit www.accsantafe.com to learn more about ACC.

Mr. Goldstone is an acclaimed innovative industry expert in financial product development and marketing; consistently recognized for excellence in investor communications and transparency in financial reporting.  As Co-Founder and CEO of a highly successful NYSE listed mortgage REIT and originator of premier quality jumbo and super jumbo loans, he achieved the following key accomplishments:

• Led Thornburg Mortgage, a NYSE listed company, to a peak market capitalization of $3.2b, the 787th largest U.S. corporation; the premier high quality jumbo and super jumbo mortgage lender in the U.S., and consistently one of the highest quality loan portfolios in the U.S.; 18th largest correspondent mortgage lender in the U.S.
• Managed a leveraged mortgage portfolio of $58 billion, including approving all portfolio management decisions.
• Negotiated over $35 billion of portfolio financing arrangements, including repurchase agreements, warehouse lending agreements and commercial paper financings.
• Securitized (and financed) in excess of $20 billion of originated and purchased mortgage loans over 7 years.
• Successfully raised over $5 billion of debt and equity financing in the public markets over 17 years.
• Delivered an average 15% annual return to shareholders over 15 years (excluding last 2 years).
• Consistently recognized for excellence in investor communications and transparency in financial reporting.

Clarence G Simmons III
Chief Financial Officer
csimmons@aventurpartners.com

Clarence “Clay” Simmons is a Founding Partner and Chief Financial Officer of Aventur Partners. He is a seasoned, creative financial services executive with more than 25 years experience as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer / Chief Risk Officer in banking, mortgage banking and other financial services companies that were either publicly held or highly regulated. Mr. Simmons oversees all financial management, reporting, accounting, strategy, and capital raising and is involved in investing in and developing businesses that the company believes have potential including Blue Aspen Capital LP and Aventur Mortgage Capital LLC. 

Mr. Simmons holds an MBA in Finance from the University of New York and a BA in Biochemisty from Bowdoin College. After receiving his MBA, Clay began his financial career in 1982 as a Financial Planner at Marine Midland Bank (now HSBC) in Syracuse, NY. From 1984 to 1997, Mr. Simmons served at First Federal Savings and Loan Association in Rochester, NY as the Vice President of several areas including Profitability Planning, Financial Analysis, Treasurer and Chief Risk Officer, Director of Merger and Acquisitions and was ultimately appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. After serving two years as the Chief Operating and Financial Officer of Canada Trust USA, Inc. (now Toronto Dominion), Mr. Simmons was appointed Manager Director and Chief Operating Officer for Countrywide Financial Corporation. At Countrywide, Mr. Simmons served as the senior executive responsible for leading Countrywide’s diversification initiative to enter the banking business by developing the banking strategy, securing regulatory approval, hiring the executive team, building the technology platform and operations processes to support an innovative alternative delivery banking platform through internal development and acquisition, and growing the consumer banking business to be a significant segment within CFC (Countrywide Financial Corporation). In 2005, Mr. Simmons was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Thornburg Mortgage, where he served as the senior financial, capital markets, strategic planning and risk management executive for a $58 billion in assets, NYSE listed mortgage REIT. At Thornburg Mortgage, Clay was responsible for all financial management, public and internal financial reporting, securitization, capital markets, risk management, mergers and acquisitions and strategic planning functions and, during his tenure there, raised over $2 billion in capital in both public and private placement transactions through creative subordinated debt, perpetual preferred stock and common equity structures to support balance sheet growth and maintain liquidity despite a very difficult environment for mortgage originators and portfolio managers.