DXD Capital, a self-storage real estate and private-equity firm, has hired Kevin Bledsoe as vice president of acquisitions and James Hamilton as vice president of development. The additions follow the company’s closing of its inaugural fund that launched in November 2020, according to a press release.

Bledsoe, a self-storage veteran of nearly 20 years, will lead a team responsible for sourcing and selecting acquisitions. He formerly worked as first vice president for a national commercial real estate brokerage firm, specializing in the sale of self-storage. Throughout his career, Bledsoe has managed and sold more than $1 billion in self-storage assets. He began in the industry in 2004 as a district manager with privately held real estate investment trust PFG Capital LP, and later transitioned to third-party management, overseeing more than 100 properties. He has extensive experience leading acquisition and brokerage teams.

Hamilton will oversee the entitlement and pre-construction efforts for DXD’s self-storage pipeline across the Southeast. Prior to joining the company, he worked for national developer Johnson Development Associates Inc., where he was responsible for the construction, design and permitting of more than 1.2 million square feet of self-storage in Florida and the Northeast. He also managed the company’s renewable-energy projects totaling more than 170 megawatts of solar energy.

DXD exceeded its funding goal by raising $53 million, investing $12.8 million to develop climate-controlled self-storage facilities in Las Vegas and Phoenix. Fund I has 12 approved investments across many states including a joint venture in Kapolei, Hawaii, with self-storage developer InSite Property Group, which operates the SecureSpace brand. It has additional pipeline projects in Texas, the release stated.

“After pursuing a ground-up development strategy for Fund I, DXD is expanding its acquisitions platform so that it is poised to take advantage of every opportunity that's sourced through our unique and proprietary process, regardless of where we are in the real estate cycle,” said Drew Dolan, principal and fund manager for DXD Capital. “James and Kevin both have the track record to help us continue our growth. Additionally, they are the perfect for our culture at DXD.”

Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, DXD is a real estate and private-equity firm that leverages data technology to make opportunistic investments. With a team of 17, the group anticipates it’ll begin construction on six facilities and acquire 10 properties this year.