Keelbase/ˈkēl-ˌbās/

Our name — evoking the keel of a ship — is grounded in the principles of balance, dependability, and resilience: a base that provides stability in the face of uncertainty and keeps every investment firmly on course.

Team

Keelbase is led by a team with deep experience across the institutional real estate landscape — as principals and advisors, owners and operators — representing 50 years of combined experience across acquisitions, capital markets, development, and asset management. That breadth of perspective informs a disciplined approach to investing, grounded in rigorous underwriting, thoughtful execution, and diligent asset management.

  • Cooper Engst

    Principal and Co-Founder

    Cooper brings 20 years of institutional capital markets and development experience spanning multifamily, office, industrial, and retail sectors, with a transaction and development track record exceeding $12 billion in value.

    Prior to co-founding Keelbase, Cooper led the Pacific Northwest multifamily practice for Eastdil Secured and held prior roles at Wright Runstad & Company and Opus Development Corporation — where he developed more than 3 million SF across the U.S. & Canada. His expertise also includes over a decade of concurrent experience in sub-institutional asset management, providing a complementary perspective to his large-scale investment background.

    Cooper holds an MBA in Finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BA in Economics from the University of Washington.

    Cooper and his wife are raising their three daughters in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, where they remain actively connected to the Pacific Northwest community they’ve long called home.

  • Paul Roeter

    Principal and Co-Founder

    Paul brings 18 years of institutional real estate experience spanning capital markets, acquisitions, asset management, and construction.

    Prior to co-founding Keelbase, he co-led the Pacific Northwest Equity, Debt & Structured Finance practice at Cushman & Wakefield, where he executed over $2.7 billion in capitalizations between 2022 and 2025. Earlier in his career, Paul served as Investment Director at Urban Renaissance Group, structuring $3.3 billion in acquisitions and leading asset management for the firm’s portfolio.

    Paul earned an MBA from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business and a BS in Chemical Engineering, also from the University of Washington.

    A lifelong Pacific Northwest resident, Paul lives in Bellevue with his wife and two daughters. He’s actively involved in the region’s business and real estate communities, including serving on the boards of the Bellevue Downtown Association and the Bellevue Kid’s Quest Museum.

  • Nick Burrin

    Senior Associate

    Nick’s real estate experience spans acquisitions, development, and asset management, with a focus on multifamily and mixed-use projects. Throughout his career, he has led complex, institutional-scale projects—navigating entitlement processes, structuring joint ventures, and coordinating multidisciplinary teams.

    Prior to joining Keelbase, Nick was at MainStreet Property Group, where he led capitalization, entitlement, and underwriting for over one thousand residential units across the Pacific Northwest. Nick began his career in investments and asset management at Unico Properties, where he managed a national portfolio totaling more than 3.8 million square feet and approximately $1.0 billion in asset value.

    Nick earned a BS in Electrical & Computer Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

    Nick is active in several professional and community organizations including ULI’s Young Leaders Group and as a volunteer leader at Trinity Church Seattle.