Investor's Circle Profile: Brian Milovich

After graduating from the Carlson School, Brian Milovich, ’00 BSB, stayed in the area for a while, working for Wells Fargo in the Twin Cities as an analyst and later as a relationship manager. However, the coast was calling him, so he ended up moving to California to complete an MBA and then worked at a large real estate private equity firm. In 2010, he and two graduate school classmates went out on their own to create their own real estate investment company, Calvera Partners. Calvera purchases apartment buildings in Silicon Valley and other select markets across the country on behalf of high-net-worth investors.

Despite being half a continent away and knee deep in the intense world of California real estate, Milovich has not forgotten his roots. “I really feel that the foundation I received at the Carlson School is second to none,” he says. “I want to give back to help get the word out that the Carlson School is an elite institution and that its students can compete with anyone across the country and globe.”

Milovich is a member of the Carlson School’s Investors Circle—a group that recognizes the school’s top champions— through his support of the San Francisco Bay Area Alumni Chapter’s Scholarship Fund. “The founding members of the alumni chapter and I created a one-of-a-kind scholarship to support undergraduate students’ efforts to pursue a career in Silicon Valley,” he says. “We want to import Carlson School talent to the Bay Area and provide them with a support system, financially and through networking, to make it happen.”

He adds that it was the access to scholarships and deep connections to the business community that made him want to attend the Carlson School in the first place. “I believe it’s important to provide those same opportunities to current and future students as well,” he says.

To others who are considering joining the Investors Circle, Milovich has two simple words: “Why not?” He says it’s a great way to provide a meaningful gift to maintain and grow the quality of a Carlson School degree. “Find a cause to support, create a scholarship, or provide a general gift to make it happen,” he says. “Help us create a stronger culture of philanthropy at the Carlson School.”