April 4, 2024

LA Times B2B 2024 Orange County Inspirational Women Forum & Leadership Awards Honoree is Presented to Lisa Bhathal Merage

Congratulations to Lisa Bhathal Merage, Co-Founder, Chief Impact Officer & Managing Partner of Revitate, for being recognized as an honoree in the Entrepreneur/Founder category at the 2024 Orange County Inspirational Women Forum & Leadership Awards.

We’d also like to congratulate all of the finalists!
Patty Arvielo – New American Funding – CEO & Co-Founder
Alicia Cox – The Prjkt Restaurant Group – CEO & Founder
Samantha E. Dorey – Everett Dorey LLP – Co-Founder & Partner
Jenny Zhan – Beyond Holding U.S. – CEO

More News

November 12, 2025

Revitate Foundation 2025 Social Impact Summit

The Revitate Foundation held its fifth annual Social Impact Summit at UC Irvine's Langson Orange County Museum of Art. The event recognized individuals advancing social change across sports, real estate, and consumer brands.

November 11, 2025

Thorns fandom, lucky charms and family values: Suite Level with the Bhathals

If Portland Thorns owner Alex Bhathal isn’t spotted on game day striding around Providence Park in his signature red Moncler polo, black slacks, and custom black-and-red Jordans, start worrying. Not because he would ever miss a home match, but because if he shows up in anything else, his sister an

April 21, 2025

Sutter Plans Advanced Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Care Complex in Sacramento

Rendering of the upcoming Sutter Advanced Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Care Complex in downtown Sacramento. Future-forward Center Further Solidifies Downtown as Entertainment, Healthcare Destination NORTHERN CALIF. – Building on its 100-plus year tradition of caring for Northern Californians,

October 7, 2024

Revitate Foundation 2024 Social Impact Summit

On September 25th, Revitate Foundation convened its 2024 Social Impact Summit at the Vea Hotel in Newport Beach, California. This annual gathering serves to bring together Revitate’s community, by honoring leaders who are effecting significant social change at the nexus of sports, r

September 24, 2024

LaTerra Development and Revitate Close $88.2M Construction Loan to Build 344 Build-to-Rent Units in Albuquerque, NM

LaTerra continues SunBelt expansion LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 24, 2024 / LaTerra Development, a leading real estate investment and development company, and Revitate, an alternative investment management firm specializing in opportunity zone investing, closed an $88.2M constructio

September 18, 2024

Portland, Oregon Awarded WNBA’s 15th Franchise

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced today that it has awarded Portland, Oregon, the league’s 15th franchise. The Portland team, set to begin play in the 2026 season, will be owned and operated by RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal (Revitate’s Manag

May 23, 2024

NWSL’s Thorns add new investors months after $63M takeover

BY ASLI PELIT, EBEN NOVY-WILLIAMS MAY 23, 2024 10:00AM The Portland Thorns are adding minority investors, including a former NBA player, the CEO of a sportswear company, a prominent asset manager and an NBA co-owner. Less than five months after buying the Portland Thorns for $63 million, Thorns

April 24, 2024

Workforce Housing’s ‘Double Economy’ Benefits

By Chris Marsh Chris Marsh of Revitate Cherry Tree writes on the resiliency of this investment. At this juncture, no one knows which way the economy will go. Though talk of recession has declined, we continue to face economic headwinds due to inflationary pressures and geopolitical instability. As a

April 4, 2024

LA Times B2B 2024 Orange County Inspirational Women Forum & Leadership Awards Honoree is Presented to Lisa Bhathal Merage

Lisa Bhathal Merage was honored with the Entrepreneur/Founder Award at the LA Times Inspirational Women Forum in Irvine, CA

March 27, 2024

Real Assets Advisor Podcast: Professional sports and its investment opportunities

Kunal Merchant, a partner and COO at the private equity firm Revitate Sports, talks pro sports, TV contracts, merchandising, fantasy football, the “star system” and how investors can make money by investing in professional sports — short of franchise o

February 14, 2024

Pro Soccer team in Portland the latest sports bet for Alex Bhathal and family

Alex Bhathal has several highlights to point to since winning a Business Journal Excellence in Entrepreneurship award last March. His Newport Beach-based RAJ Sports, which he leads with his sister Lisa Bhathal Merage, bought control of the Portland Thorns FC

January 23, 2024

Commentary: Why buying into Portland Thorns and the NWSL was ‘a no-brainer’ for one family

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Why buying into Portland Thorns and the NWSL was ‘a no-brainer’ for one family

January 3, 2024

RAJ Sports Finalizes Acquisition of Portland Thorns FC

Bhathal family becomes controlling owner of the Portland Thorns FC, acquiring club from Peregrine Sports

December 11, 2023

Revitate, LaTerra and WAY Capital Win National ‘Best Land Deal of the Year’ Award for New 344-Home Build-to-Rent Community

Revitate Impact joined LaTerra Development and WAY Capital Inc. to break ground on the 344-home Bedrock at the Trails in Albuquerque, N.M. Less than one month later, they accepted Informational Management Network’s 2023 “Best Land Deal of the Year” awa

November 16, 2023

Revitate Breaks Ground On Bedrock, The New 37-Acre, 344-Home Community In Albuquerque, N.M. With Development Partner LaTerra

On November 16th, Revitate joined with LaTerra Development and several local civic and community leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking for our latest opportunity zone investment: Bedrock at the Trails in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Bedrock is a “build-to-rent” community that inclu

November 13, 2023

Revitate’s ESG Returns

ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL: Raising $150M for Newest Apartment Fund; Mixed-Use Focus

November 7, 2023

Visionary Women Set Sights on the Future, Open Doors for Next Generation of Female Executives while Giving Back to Community 

Impressive accomplishments by the esteemed ‘Visionary Women of Impact’ panel that convened at the Revitate 2023 Social Impact Summit

October 31, 2023

Recap: 2023 Revitate Social Impact Summit

Revitate commemorated it’s 3rd annual Social Impact Summit held at the Orange County Museum of Art

October 20, 2023

Social Impact Profile: Fountainhead Apartments

Revitate Cherry Tree acquires workforce housing in the Midwest. Here is a highlight of one of our properties in Kansas City. By acquiring and actively preserving workforce housing for Americans of modest means, we are contributing in a positive way to the f

September 5, 2023

Revitate Cherry Tree Fund II Introduction

Learn about Fund II and our Midwest workforce housing strategy.

July 21, 2023

Los Angeles Times B2B Commercial Real Estate features Lisa Bhathal Merage as one of the 2023 Visionaries

Lisa has brought savvy, adaptability and relentless optimism to Southern California commercial real estate.

July 20, 2023

Revitate Celebrates New 380-Unit Morrison Yard Opportunity Zone Mixed-Use Development in Charleston, SC

Morrison Yard project visited by Sen. Tim Scott, co-author of federal Opportunity Zone legislation; Development team and local leaders announce ‘Community Compact’ outlining project’s target economic and community benefits.

June 15, 2023

Shay Hawkins joins Revitate Social Impact Council

Revitate is pleased to announce Shay Hawkins as the newest member of the firm’s Social Impact Council

June 12, 2023

Owners, developers sound off about higher insurance costs

MULTIFAMILY DIVE: Recent premium hikes have been painful for apartment owners of all sizes.

June 5, 2023

Six Years On, Opportunity Zone Funds are Finding Secondary Markets

CONNECT CRE: Since its introduction in 2017, the opportunity zone program has been lauded and criticized in turn. Cutting through some of the rhetoric, investors participating in the program have taken advantage of opportunity zone tax benefits.

May 17, 2023

Revitate Cherry Tree Acquires Sixth Workforce Housing Property; Closes Fund Activity With A Total Of 841 Multifamily Units

Acquisition in Greater Cincinnati region closes Revitate Cherry Tree Multifamily Fund I, LP, acquires $110 million of workforce housing communities in high-growth Midwestern markets.

May 11, 2023

Workforce Housing Specialists Court Equity Investors

WEALTHMANAGEMENT.COM: Backers argue that the segment of the multifamily market is underserved and likely to generate healthy returns amid economic uncertainty.

May 9, 2023

RevOZ Capital: Groundbreaking Ceremony for Township 9 in Sacramento

Township 9 is an investment in the RevOZ Capital Opportunity Zone portfolio co-led by Revitate’s Managing Partners Alex Bhathal and Lisa Bhathal Merage.

April 28, 2023

Webinar: Revitate Impact Q1 2023 Opportunity Zone Update (13 minutes)

Four months into 2023, how is the Opportunity Zone market performing? To explore this question, Revitate convened leading experts and practitioners in the OZ landscape for our Q1 2023 Revitate Impact OZ update.

April 17, 2023

The Art of ESG

MULTIFAMILY EXECUTIVE: Learn how multifamily owners and operators are managing the ESG hype—and growing from it

April 10, 2023

Revitate Cherry Tree Announces First Distribution to Midwest Workforce Housing Fund Investors

Revitate Cherry Tree’s Midwest workforce housing investment platform has announced its first cash distribution to Fund I investors less than three months following the final close

April 3, 2023

Family Offices Have Dry Powder Ready to Deploy on Real Assets

WEALTHMANAGEMENT.COM: Recent surveys indicate a high demand over the next two years from family offices for illiquid assets, including real estate.

April 1, 2023

Workforce housing: The segment can serve as an investment buffer during recessionary times

IREI: While real estate, broadly speaking, is a strong asset category to withstand inflation, not all types of real estate are created equal

March 20, 2023

Alex Bhathal: Building the Raj Empire

ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL: Alex Bhathal was one of five entrepreneurs honored by OCBJ at the 2023 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards.

February 28, 2023

ABC’s of ESG

RE BUSINESS ONLINE: Property owners establish environmental, social and governance programs to appeal to both tenants and investors.

February 28, 2023

Revitate invests in 4,300-acre industrial development in Reno

IREI: Revitate has expanded its opportunity zones portfolio with a new investment into Victory Logistics District, an industrial development in Fernley, Nev.

February 21, 2023

Workforce Housing Is a Steady Alt Investment in Recessionary Times

WEALTHMANAGEMENT.COM: Revitate Cherry Tree’s Chris Marsh on the fundamentals that point toward immediate and attractive risk-adjusted returns.

February 16, 2023

Revitate Makes Investment In Nevada Industrial Development

OPPORTUNITYDB: featured Revitate’s investment from its Impact OZ Fund 2022 into Victory Logistics District, a 4,300 acre industrial development located in Fernley, Nevada.

February 14, 2023

Revitate Expands Opportunity Zones Portfolio; Invests in 4,300-Acre Industrial Development in Reno, Nevada Submarket

Project will bring new jobs and economic development to the Reno metropolitan area, while meeting ongoing needs for industrial space

February 3, 2023

Workforce Rental Housing: The ‘Under-The-Radar’ Investment

PRIVATE WEALTH MAGAZINE: Chris Marsh of Revitate Cherry Tree to explain the benefits of Workforce Rental Housing.

January 17, 2023

Revitate Announces Social Impact Council

Leading alternative investment firm announces advisory group of business and civic leaders to help shape firm’s social impact strategy.

December 21, 2022

Achieving Impact through Entrepreneurial Leadership

Social Impact, until recently, was seen as a ‘nice to have’ rather than a ‘must do’ for many companies. Now, as society is increasingly shining the spotlight on social, environmental, and systemic issues, and people look for larger social action from

December 19, 2022

Social Impact Panel Recap: Impact Strategies in Uncertain Times

Impact Strategies in Uncertain Times panel was moderated by Clayton Bland of CliftonLarsonAllen” and included Revitate’s Chief Impact Officer Lisa Merage, Chris Marsh Founder of Cherry Tree Capital Partners, and Nate Raabe Managing Director of RX3 Growth

December 6, 2022

Robert Lang joins Revitate as Managing Director of Commercial Real Estate

Former Irvine Company Executive brings 3+ decades of experience to Emerging Investment Platform

November 17, 2022

Revitate Holds Annual Social Impact Summit and Names 2022 Social Impact Champions

Revitate hosted its annual Social Impact Summit to share updates on the firm’s progress and celebrate its first class of Revitate Social Impact Champion award winners. The award intends to honor leaders making unique and innovative contributions to the com

November 16, 2022

RevOZ Capital Opportunity Zone Fund Announces Special Distribution to Investors

Award-winning Opportunity Zone platform has announced a special distribution to investors following the successful recapitalization of San Bernardino Medical Center.

October 31, 2022

Lisa Merage featured in ‘Using the Capital for Communities Scorecard to Boost Social Impact and Equity’ Webcast

Urban Institute demonstrates how private developers, mission-driven investors, governments, and nonprofit organizations can use the Urban Institute’s new Capital for Communities Scorecard to assess whether proposed projects align with community priorities

September 28, 2022

Revitate Cherry Tree ESG Plan

The Revitate Cherry Tree ESG approach is to focus on preserving the workforce housing that middle-class families are counting on in a way that still delivers compelling returns to our investors.

September 26, 2022

AltsDb: A Family Office Perspective On Real Estate Investing, With Alex Bhathal

Andy Hagens of the Alternative Investments Database Podcast interviews Revitate’s Alex Bhathal in “A Family Office Perspective on Real Estate Investing”.

September 14, 2022

Revitate’s Opportunity Zone Market Update and Policy Outlook with Senator Tim Scott

On Wednesday, September 7th, Revitate hosted a special live webcast featuring U.S. Senator Tim Scott to discuss the current state of the Opportunity Zone (OZ) marketplace and federal policy discussion.

August 31, 2022

Go Midwest: How Multifamily Investors Are Finding Untapped Value in the “I-70 Triangle”

While the Sunbelt is a popular geographic focus for multifamily investors, key regions of the Midwest are also experiencing promising demographic and employment growth trends.

August 11, 2022

OpportunityDb Podcast: Opportunity Zones For Family Offices, With Alex Bhathal

Alex Bhathal joins the OpportunityDb Podcast with Jimmy Atkinson to discuss the evolution of Opportunity Zones and how family offices have come to better understand the incentive.

August 9, 2022

Revitate Cherry Tree Acquires Walnut Trails in Elkhart, Indiana for $22,500,000

Revitate Cherry Tree has acquired Walnut Trails, a 210-unit garden-style multifamily property located in Elkhart, Indiana.

August 3, 2022

Revitate Launches ‘Revitate Impact’ Opportunity Zone Fund

Firm Leadership’s Fourth Opportunity Zone fund will focus on New Multifamily and Industrial Developments in Emerging U.S. Markets.

July 11, 2022

Revitate Insight: In Challenging Economic Times, Workforce Housing is the Right Product for Multifamily Investors

Even in the face of significant economic headwinds, multifamily properties that cater to working-class Americans remain a reliable source of attainable housing that may provide attractive and historically steady returns for investors.

June 28, 2022

Group managing Clippers’ NBA project joins sports arena team Midway Village+

THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE: The team has hired prominent facility adviser CAA Icon to represent the group as it seeks to privately finance and build a 15,000-seat replacement sports arena.

June 3, 2022

California company snatches up Louisville-area apartment complex in $22M deal

LOUISVILLE BUSINESS FIRST: California company snatches up Louisville-area apartment complex in $22M deal.

June 3, 2022

Revitate Cherry Tree Acquires Beech Grove Apartments in Jeffersonville, Indiana for $22M

RevCT continues to be an active acquirer in the Midwest, with approximately $73 million in transaction volume over the last six months across Kansas, Missouri, and Indiana.

May 26, 2022

Revitate named Finalist in New San Diego Arena District Bid Process

Great news out of San Diego this week, as the San Diego City Council voted unanimously to advance Revitate’s Midway Village+ development proposal as one of three finalists to redevelop the 48.5 acre Sports Arena site in downtown San Diego.

April 18, 2022

Opinion: The Best Team and Best Plan for the Sports Arena is Midway Village+

TIMES OF SAN DIEGO: San Diego has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the aging Sports Arena District and create a model of vibrant, diverse, and inclusive development.

April 12, 2022

Mayor wants to cut these 2 teams in the running for San Diego’s sports arena site

THE SAN DEIGO UNION-TRIBUNE: Council members asked to end negotiations with Neighborhood Next and Discover Midway so the city can press forward with picking a winner to redevelop 48-acre site in the Midway District.

March 29, 2022

Revitate Leaders talk Sports, Real Estate, and Social Impact at ALTSLA 2022

Revitate principals Alex Bhathal, Kunal Merchant, and Chris Marsh were featured speakers at ALTSLA 2022 on Thursday, March 24th in Los Angeles.

March 17, 2022

Revitate Insights: Preserving Impact in the Era of Inflation

Rising prices are putting pressure on working families and investors. There’s a way to help both.

March 16, 2022

Proposals for San Diego’s sports arena site now headed for elimination phase

San Diego City Council members, as well as the public, will soon get to weigh in on the five development teams looking to remake the city’s sports arena site in the Midway District with thousands of apartments and a new or refashioned entertainment venue.

March 7, 2022

Revitate Cherry Tree Leaders Break Down Workforce Housing Strategy on “The Multifamily Investor Podcast”

Attainable housing for blue-collar, service, and entry-level workers has dwindled to worrying levels across the country in recent years.

February 17, 2022

OZ Investments Surge As The Program Attempts To Emerge From The Uncertainty Of Its Early Years

BISNOW: A year-end deadline for tax benefits and more clarity made 2021 a banner year for the opportunity zones program, with $6.9B invested in qualified opportunity funds in the latter half of the year, up 39% from the first half of the year, new data shows

February 17, 2022

Alex Bhathal named ‘2021 Top 25 OZ Fund Managers’

Opportunity Zone Magazine selects Alex Bhathal of RevOZ Capital as Top 25 OZ Fund Manager.

January 28, 2022

San Diego’s sports arena site is up for grabs. These are the 5 teams competing to remake the property

THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE: Development teams are attempting to wow local leaders with proposals that promise thousands of homes for people of all income levels and a world-class sports arena.

January 27, 2022

Insight: Getting Real on Rising Interest Rates

Real estate investors and analysts are abuzz about the upcoming impacts of persistent inflation and rising interest rates. But while tracking the spread between treasuries and cap rates provides solid insight into the broader economic landscape, it’s not a

January 24, 2022

$51M Midwest Rental Push For New Revitate Fund

ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL: Cherry Tree Offshoot Adds 3 Complexes

January 22, 2022

Team Revitate at IMN Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Conference in Laguna Beach

Members of team Revitate attended the 18th Annual IMN Winter Forum on Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Conference at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach this January.

January 13, 2022

Midway Village+ sports arena plan lands backing from key labor group

THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE: San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents 30,000 construction workers, has endorsed the Toll Brothers-led team.

January 12, 2022

Revitate Cherry Tree Kicks-Off Debut Multifamily Fund with Three Acquisitions for $51.5M and 353 units

Revitate Cherry Tree has purchased its first three assets as a part of its debut multifamily fund launched in October 2021, which aims to acquire both workforce housing and value-add investments throughout the Midwest and Sunbelt.

January 10, 2022

West Coast investor buys 280-unit KC apartment portfolio for $42.5M

KANSAS CITY BUSINESS JOURNAL: Two Kansas City brokers completed the sale of a 280-unit multifamily portfolio in Kansas City for $42.5 million to an investment company based in Newport Beach, California.

January 6, 2022

A Strong Finish to 2021 for RevOZ Capital

RevOZ Capital Q4 Closings

December 15, 2021

Here Are the 5 Contenders for the Sports Arena Redevelopment

OB RAG: There are 5 remaining redevelopment teams bidding to take on San Diego’s 48 acres of city-owned land around the sports arena in Midway District.

December 4, 2021

Midway Plan Swaps in New Developer

SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE: The Midway Village+ team will submit a bid for San Diego’s sports arena site with a substitute taking over arena development.

November 18, 2021

Revitate Launch Event @ Newport Beach Country Club

On November 18, 2021 Alex Bhathal, Lisa Merage, and Chris Marsh hosted a special invite-only event to commemorate the launch of Revitate, a new private equity investment platform pursuing real estate, consumer-focused, and professional sports investment opportunities wi

October 25, 2021

NBA Sacramento Kings co-owners to ramp up RE offering on new platform

REFI: RAJ Capital expects to bring new emerging managers and initiatives in the next few months

October 4, 2021

Bhathal Family Revamps Investment Platform

ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL: Newport Beach’s Bhathal family, best known for apparel manufacturer Raj Swim and as co-owners of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, said they are shifting their family office into a new scalable investment platform open to outsid

September 14, 2021

Former Irvine Company Apartment Division President Chris Marsh Launches Cherry Tree Capital Partners

THE REGISTRY SF: After serving the Irvine Company’s Apartment Development Division for nearly a decade, Chris Marsh has announced plans to launch Cherry Tree Capital Partners, a multi family-focused real estate investment company.

August 23, 2021

Ex-Irvine Co. Rental Exec Launches Firm

ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL: Workforce Housing Focus for Cherry Tree

January 28, 2021

NBA Owner Makes Big Bet On Opportunity Zones As Biden Presidency Sparks Fresh Start For OZs

FORBES: An owner of the Sacramento Kings is driving hard into the Opportunity Zone market. RevOZ—an investment arm of the Bhathal Family, which parlayed their swimsuit business into a real estate empire and stake in the Kings—plans on investing roughly $

September 2, 2020

RevOZ Capital Closes New Opportunity Zone Investment in Downtown Sacramento

Mixed-use redevelopment is firm’s latest bid to leverage federal tax incentive to stimulate new economic and community benefits in historically under-invested communities.

March 16, 2020

Sacramento Kings Co-Owners Plow $850M Into Opportunity Zones, But Mostly Pass On California

BISNOW: The co-owners of the Sacramento Kings basketball franchise are betting big on opportunity zones, but won't be putting much money into their home state of California.

September 18, 2019

RevOZ presented with GlobeSt.com’s Opportunity Zone Investor of the Year

NEWPORT BEACH, CA – For GlobeSt.com’s ADAPT awards, we reviewed individuals and companies that have made a significant impact on the adaptive reuse / Opportunity Zone sector with their various efforts. We are pleased to announce that RevOZ Capital and it

June 5, 2019

Aaron Rodgers Launches $50 Million Venture Capital Fund With Roth Capital

FORBES: Rodgers is now putting some of those riches to work in the VC world with a new venture and growth stage fund, Rx3 Ventures, focused on consumer brands.

April 16, 2019

Bhathal siblings investing in real estate opportunity zones through RevOZ Capital

ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL: Bhathals Swimming In New OZ Fund