John Mason co-founded his first development company, Cardiff Mason Development, in 1996. John and his prior partner Gray Cardiff developed self-storage, multifamily, and data center assets in 5 major US metros. Shane Mason started his career at Cardiff Mason Development in 2013 and rose to Director of Development overseeing design, entitlements, and leasing for two development projects in the San Francisco Bay Area.
After selling 5 Cardiff Mason assets for $170M from 2017 - 2020, including an LA Asset for a record setting $695 psf, John and Shane started Mason Equity Partners as a build-to-core development shop that leveraged institutional capital to pursue larger projects.
In February 2021 Mason Equity closed on their West LA Self Storage Development site and broke ground in May 2022. The site delivered in December 2024 and is currently in lease up.
As Managing Member, Shane leads all aspects of the business from acquisition through design, entitlement, financing, construction, and asset management. Shane has entitled over $100M of assets in California, including their West LA Self Storage and a 32 MW Data Center. Shane holds dual degrees in Business and Interdisciplinary Studies from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Shane resides in West Los Angeles with his wife and their child.
John has developed $230 million of commercial real estate across five US markets since 1996. He has led the ground-up development of three self-storage facilities and the repositioning or entitlement of seven other commercial properties, including a 373-unit apartment tower and a 32 MW Data Center.
A former ironworker, car salesman, and painter, John splits his time between San Jose and Los Angeles.
A sampling of the partners, lenders, brokers, and counterparties we have worked with over the years.
