JENA THORNTON
Jena Thornton co-founded Sea Pine Partners in 2010, which targets investment opportunities and strategic advisory relationships in the hospitality sector. Jena’s love for hotels was fostered by two wanderlust parents at a very young age. Exposed to many cultures as a child, Jena sought a degree in international business in college and ultimately landed in the hotel industry.
For two decades, Jena had the pleasure of working alongside several incredibly savvy and creative deal makers in the industry while working at IHA, PKF Consulting, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Noble House Hotels & Resorts and the investment management firm Bentall Kennedy. These teams created some highly successful hotel projects throughout the U.S. in which Jena was involved, including the Grand Wailea in Maui, Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys, the Liberty Hotel in Boston, the W Union Square in NYC and the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle, just to name a few.
Over the past 20 years, Seattle erupted in growth, transformed into a dynamic city and became an incubator for innovation. Fueled by the desire to take a more entrepreneurial path, in 2010, Jena left the institutional real estate investment world and created Sea Pine Partners and Magnetic ERV. She founded Sea Pine Partners in 2010, which targets investment opportunities and strategic advisory relationships in the hospitality sector, which has enabled her to stay connected to the institutional real estate investment sector and add value for institutional clients. Magnetic ERV, as an owner, operator and developer of hotels in the Pacific Northwest, strives to create unique places in the Pacific NW that highlight the region, reflect the spirit of our age and provide an environment where visitors and locals meet, share a story and connect.
Jena is a member of Urban Land Institute and sits on its hotel development council. She received her BSBA in International Business & Marketing from American University. She is also a LEED AP, which is a U.S Green Building Counsel Accredited Professional.
Jena lives in Seattle with her husband, Scott Shapiro and their two children, Steele and Sloane.