Firm

Our simple goal: optimize public interests while maximizing financial performance.

Origin Story

CEO Michael Lemanski’s first engineering job was to clean up a contaminated historic paper mill so that the owner could demolish it. Seeing a lost opportunity to rebuild value from distress, Michael developed a business model that would transform dormant downtowns. He moved back home to Durham, N.C. and spent 15 years demonstrating how redeveloping historic structures can be both profitable and help create a new sense of possibility.

Rivermont formally launched in 2017 when Michael joined up with Andrew Holton, who shared his passion for the potential of underperforming downtowns and for creating a new kind of investment company.

Different

Rivermont invests on behalf of a diverse group of investors. We believe in the power of re-creating the vibrancy that drives downtown markets. Rivermont does not simply invest in buildings; we invest in communities. We build environments that grow and attract employers, investors, and engaged citizens in support of a common vision.

We embrace our target communities and cultivate long-term relationships that maximize strengths and mitigate weaknesses. This often involves long-standing commitments to public partners in these communities. Our simple goal: optimize public interests while maximizing financial performance.

We do not shy away from the difficult. Our business is built to achieve results for our investors. Low cost assets, tax credits and public private partnerships are some of the tools we employ to create projects that work. We are results-oriented and willing to create investment solutions for clients who believe in the potential of vibrant downtown areas.

Why “Rivermont?”

Growing up in Durham, the Eno River was (and still is) a big part of our founders’ lives. Rivermont Road, an old dirt road in Durham, leads to one of the best trailheads on the river. In the early 1900s, Rivermont was the name of a sanitarium that produced pure water that was marketed to restore community health.

We chose the Rivermont name to honor this distinctive place that played an important role in our upbringing and to continue its legacy of restoration.