Select Partners

Select Partner Profiles

Valarie Bomar, is VP, Corporate Counsel for Sara Lee Corporation. She has experience in managing cases in state and federal courts, and has represented clients in these forums as well. Ms. Bomar served as a law clerk for the Honorable Eric L. Clay in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. As a former partner of Sonnenshein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, she co-chaired the firm’s Recruiting Committee, and was a member of the firm’s Ethics Committee. She remains active in many bar associations. She is a board member for the Martin Luther King Jr., Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, and the Legal Assistance Foundation. Ms. Bomar is admitted to practice in both Illinois and Michigan.>

Charles Frazier, is the president and co-founder of Educational Development Company of America, LLC which was formed in 1997. He has grown the student housing investment and development company to over $125MM in apartment communities which the firm developed or co-developed. Charles was an original founding partner of GRIG and formerly Jr. Partner of GRIG in 2000. He is an active member and currently serves on the GRIG real estate committee. Charles' past work experience includes Citigroup, Prism Properties and Hinson Realty. He is an active member of the Real Estate Executive Council, the Urban Land Institute, Fannie Mae South East Advisory Council and several other professional and civic organizations. He received his M.B.A. from the Florida A&M University School of Business and Industry.

Aaron Gray, a native of Chicago, IL, and recently finished an assignment in business development at Fandago in Los Angeles, CA and also completely a two-year commitment as an Investment Banker at Goldman Sachs. Previously, he worked in their Technology, Media, and Telecom Group in the Investement Banking Division and at the Florida State Board of Administration in their domestic equities Group as a Research Analyst. He attended Florida A&M University on a full four-year, academic scholarship and graduated summa cum laude in May 2003. He currently attends Harvard University seeking his Masters in Business Administration.

Marvis Simpson, was born in Atlanta, and moved back to her hometown after graduating with her MBA from Florida A&M University. She moved back to study the insurance business in her fathers State Farm Insurance office. After working under his tutelage for five years Marvis applied for an agency position with State Farm to build her own office. She is currently operates her own franchise agency in south metro Atlanta.

Malcolm Jackson, is an independent consultant that assists publicly traded companies on projects with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance. He has been a member of GRIG since inception in 1997. Malcolm received both a BA and MBA from Florida A&M University. He serves as the lead of GRIG’s Venture team. A native of Chicago, Malcolm currently resides in Dallas, TX.

Garry Gordon, was one of the original members of GRIG. He received his undergraduate from Florida A&M University in Agronomy. He obtained his M.S. in Horticulture from Auburn University and currently works for the United States Agricultural Department in Miami, Florida. Garry is originally from Richmond, VA. and wanted to tell anyone who was interested in joining that, "GrassRoots has offered me the opportunity to invest with some of the most business savvy individuals of my generation."

Kristen Harper, is a native of Columbus, Ohio and 2001 MBA graduate of Florida A&M University. She is a Warm Spirit Independent Consultant, a nature based line of self-care and wellness products (www.warmspirit.org/relaxwithme); and principal of Celestial Real Estate Properties, LLC. Kristin serves the community through Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Sankofa Educational Enrichment Program and New Jerusalem Baptist Church nursery coordinator. She has been recognized for her leadership with several awards, including Reach for the Stars Emerging Leaders ('05), Leading Women Award ('04), YWCA Rising Stars ('03) and GRIG Entrepreneurial Service Award ('03).

Marck Dorvil, recently served as Senior Partner of GrassRoots Investment Group, LLC, a position he succeeded twice. Additionally, Marck is a member of the Business Ventures Team, and Treasurer for WEJ Wash and WEJ Properties, LLC. In 2001, Marck became a member of GrassRoots Investment Group, LLC and was also appointed Junior Partner in that same year. A proud graduate of Florida A&M University’s School of Business and Industry, Marck received his MBA with a concentration in Finance and Operations Management. Marck and his wife reside in Marietta, Georgia and are both Realtors (www.DorvilTeam.com). Prior to becoming a Realtor, Marck was a Finance Manager in the Strategic Markets Group for The Home Depot Company.