Our Story
The leadership team at MZ Capital Partners brings deep industry expertise, a history of entrepreneurial success, and a shared commitment to excellence. With more than five decades of combined real estate investment experience, our principals have led the acquisition, development, and management of multifamily properties across multiple market cycles, spanning 16 submarkets in seven states.
Our collaborative and transparent approach has helped us build lasting relationships with investors, team members, residents, and business partners alike. We pride ourselves on being responsive, strategic, and results-driven, while maintaining the highest standards of integrity.
We believe great investments start with great people. At MZ Capital Partners, we lead with experience, passion, and purpose, bringing a hands-on approach and long-term perspective to everything we do.
Michael H. Zaransky
Founder and Managing Principal
Michael H. Zaransky is the Founder and Managing Principal of MZ Capital Partners, a nationally recognized real estate investment and development firm. Under his leadership, the firm has been named to the Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies and recognized as a “Best Place to Work in Multifamily” by the National Apartment Association.
Michael brings decades of experience across real estate, banking, and finance. A licensed real estate broker since 1979, he has led the firm in acquiring, developing, and managing award-winning multifamily communities nationwide, including a recipient of NAIOP’s Multifamily Development of the Year award.
He is a member of the Forbes Real Estate Council, the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO Gold), the National Apartment Association (NAA), and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He previously served as Chair of the Commercial Division of the Chicago Association of Realtors and as a member of its Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
An accomplished author and speaker, Michael has written extensively on real estate investing. His best-selling books, Profit by Investing in Student Housing and Purchase, Rehab, and Reposition Commercial Investment Property, were published by Kaplan and remain widely read among real estate professionals.
Michael holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was a James Scholar, and a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
Michael is also deeply committed to civic and philanthropic service. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Crown Family Foundation and on the Board of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, one of the nation’s largest charities, where he is a former Chairman.
Brad Zaransky is a Principal at MZ Capital Partners, where he oversees the acquisition, development, repositioning, and management of institutional-quality multifamily properties nationwide. A licensed real estate broker since 2005, he is involved in every stage of the investment lifecycle — underwriting and valuation, acquisitions and dispositions, construction oversight, revenue optimization, and asset management.
A fourth-generation real estate entrepreneur, Brad began his career as an intern with CBRE’s Private Client Group. He has since been involved in the leasing, management, and development of more than 5,000 apartment units, overseeing on-site management teams and executing major construction, renovation, and value-add programs.
Brad currently serves as a Commissioner on the Zoning Board of Appeals for the City of Highland Park, Illinois. He is a member of the National Apartment Association and previously served on the board of the National Multifamily Housing Council.
Brad Zaransky
Principal, MZ Capital Partners
