McGuire Alumni 5 Questions | Bryan Schachter ('07)

Bryan Schachter ('07) was born and raised in Tucson and stayed local, attending the Eller College of Management with focuses in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Schachter joined Watermark Retirement Communities while still attending Eller and has been with the company nearly 14 years. In March 2020, Watermark completed a sale of 50% of the company to a Singaporean company named Keppel Capital, and on that same day, Schachter was named Chief Investment Officer for the company. During his time with Watermark, he has helped grow the company from seven communities to nearly 70 projects across 21 states and closed 46 real estate transactions totaling $3.33 billion. He has two young boys (ages 4 and 1) and lives just outside Tucson in Marana, Ariz. 

5 Questions with Bryan Schachter ('07)

Q. What is most surprising about being an entrepreneur? 

A. Really the ups and downs from a day-to-day perspective. There are wild swings in terms of performance and challenges that are faced, and tremendous patience is required. 

Q. What was the most important lesson you learned in the Entrepreneurship Program? 

A. For me, it was the experience with a real-world structure of working on a year-long project that allows collaboration with key folks and not the traditional school setting where everything culminated in an exam. 

Q. What impact has the Entrepreneurship Program had on your career or life? 

A. It has helped me view my role within the company in an entrepreneurial way and be very patient, as I have continued to grow as the company has grown. 

Fun Fact: “I am a two-time stem cell donor for a patient with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.”

Q. What do you consider your biggest entrepreneurial success? 

A. When I joined the company in 2006, the company managed seven communities and we are now up to nearly 70 projects across 21 states. I have been in the driver's seat for much of that growth and played a key role in the sale of 50% of the company to a Singaporean company named Keppel Capital. 

Q. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? 

A. It is essential to stay patient and continue to learn from your peers each and every day. I have worked my way up through the company doing just that and it did not happen overnight (14 years).