Caliber and United Cities North America partner to develop sustainable cities and open opportunity zone fund

Published: 12/21/2021
Updated: 07/24/2024

United Cities selects Greater Phoenix for North American headquarters

SCOTTSDALE (December 21, 2021) – Caliber, (CaliberCos Inc.), a vertically-integrated alternative asset manager and fund sponsor based in Scottsdale, AZ and United Cities North America (UCNA), creates and builds sustainable and net zero (smart) cities and communities, are pleased to announce that UCNA has selected Scottsdale to open its North American headquarters. Caliber will serve as the master developer of the new UCNA site with development commencing in Q1 2022. Together, Caliber and UCNA have also opened a new United Cities Qualified Opportunity Zone fund.

The Scottsdale UCNA headquarters will house the organization’s Innovation Hub. The central role of UCNA’s Innovation Hub is to foster connections between and among companies, entrepreneurs, capital, partners, local government, academia and other stakeholders to build a robust, economically viable ecosystem for the community, the region, and the world. The UCNA Innovation Hub is the “place” where the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem can convene, network, create, educate, and celebrate. The I-Hub will also attract legacy name companies to its premises involved in securing resources to build a smart and sustainable city.

United Cities digital twin facility in Norway, which virtually maps the hundreds of sustainability KPI’s for the entire country, will be featured at the UCNA headquarters in Scottsdale mapping and assessing cities throughout North America. This data will help economic developers and city planners solve problems such as CO2 emission, traffic problems and the efficiency of buildings by measuring their electricity usage. By using the latest technologies such as AI and machine learning, this facility will allow cities to compare data side-by-side to improve sustainability and solve problems to meet the 2030 goals such as SDG 11.

Caliber will be the master developer for the UCNA headquarters and Fund projects. This role includes research, site selection and compiling the development team to execute the project. The UCNA headquarters will also include a university component and an industrial lab. UCNA’s headquarters will sit on a 25-acre site in Scottsdale. Caliber’s work in Opportunity Zones focuses economic development in areas that would significantly benefit from increased revenues. In line with this goal, the UCNA headquarters will be located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation.

Jason Lohe, head of UCNA, comments: “We selected The Greater Phoenix Area because it is one of the fastest growing markets in the US and we believe it is well positioned to be a driver of the Net Zero and sustainability goals going forward. And we chose Caliber because of the qualities we see in Chris Loeffler, CEO and Co-Founder. He is highly capable, understands our mission and is experienced with its Opportunity Zone funds.” Lohe added: “We also like the way organizations such as the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) work collaboratively to build cities.”

“Caliber and United Cities North America’s partnership comes at a perfect time as we strive for a cleaner, more sustainable world,” says Chris Camacho, president & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. “The growth Greater Phoenix is seeing in advanced sustainability technology is remarkable and the collaboration born out of innovation is driving us to be a leader on the global stage.”

“United Cities is an organization that embodies the best of what we know about how to build sustainable cities which are interconnected, more mobile, use less energy and create a better way to live,” says Chris Loeffler, CEO and Co-Founder of Caliber. “Jason is an innovative entrepreneur who builds best-in-class teams. He has built that with United Cities North America and we are excited to be a part of it.”

Regarding the specific location of the UCNA headquarters, Loeffler adds that: “The location on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation near Scottsdale, Arizona is a perfect metaphor to drive sustainable progress to underserved areas. With this partnership, we will leapfrog forward our work with Opportunity Zones. This project will be an economic driver for the SRPMIC community, for Scottsdale and for the state of Arizona.”

 

About United Cities Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund

The partners have launched a new Qualified Opportunity Zone fund – United Cities & Caliber Sustainable Opportunity Zone Fund – to be administered by Caliber as an additional offering in its family of funds. UNCA & Caliber will act as Fund Managers, sourcing investment opportunities that advance the goals of UCNA, developing and constructing projects, and managing the projects through an Opportunity Zone compliant infrastructure.  The new Fund will invest alongside the Caliber Tax-Advantaged Opportunity Zone Fund, LP, providing both Funds with enhanced deal-flow and capital for execution.

The new United Cities & Caliber Sustainable Opportunity Zone Fund is immediately available for Qualified Opportunity Zone investment, providing the marketplace with a new option to reduce capital gains taxes while investing in innovative smart-city developments.

About United Cities

United Cities, creates and builds sustainable and net zero (smart) cities and communities, is a global program and is in partnership with several UN agencies and international organizations. The main SDG goal that aligns with United Cities is SDG 11. The purpose of SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities is to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, and is essential to the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development committed by 193 countries. More information can be found at: https://www.unitedcities.io/

About Caliber

Caliber – the Wealth Development Company – is a middle-market alternative asset manager and fund sponsor with approximately $2 billion in assets under management and development. The Company sponsors private funds, private syndications, as well as externally-managed real estate investment trusts (REITs). It conducts substantially all business through CaliberCos, Inc., a vertically integrated asset manager delivering services which include capital formation and management, real estate development, construction management, acquisitions and sales. Caliber delivers a full suite of alternative investments to a $4 trillion market that includes high net worth, accredited and qualified investors, as well as family offices and smaller institutions. This strategy allows the Company to opportunistically compete in an evolving middle-market arena for alternative investments. Additional information can be found at CaliberCo.com and CaliberFunds.co.