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Published April 20th, 2016
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Historic Moraga Barn is a Community Asset for New Local Business
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| By Sophie Braccini |
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| Greg Gaskin and Simran Parhar in front of the new headquarters of Gaskin Wealth Management in the historic Moraga Barn. Photo Sophie Braccini |
The Moraga Barn is a valuable asset- at least that what Greg Gaskin is banking on.
He moved his company, Gaskin Wealth Management, into the historic space. A pragmatic capitalist with an appreciation for beauty and sustainability, the financial advisor, who had worked in Danville, had been on the look-out for a place closer to his Moraga home for some time. He wanted a place for work, but also large enough to hold events and give back to the community. He's found it with this unique building, both a historical landmark and meets the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certified structure.
Gaskin and his wife, Jenise, are both natives of the East Bay, and they have raised their two children in Moraga. Gaskin has been working as a professional wealth management and investment advisor for over 23 years, in Walnut Creek with Smith Barney, then opening his own firm in Danville in 2007.
Gaskin says that he manages market risks for his clients' investment portfolios, simply picking up the best performing investments, inside each asset class.
He easily gets into sports metaphors to explain his concept, saying that sports teams are simply ranked according to how well they perform. He says he uses the same philosophy with the performance of financial assets, utilizing the Point and Figure methodology that analyzes the performance of assets, comparing them to their peers.
This purely analytical approach has the benefit of getting away from the emotional aspect, says Gaskin, which gets in the way of sound investing. He adds that he has been able to keep his clients' assets outperforming the market for the past 10 years, whether they are invested in 401K plans, stocks or bonds.
When asked if the Barn is not a bit disproportionate to his needs, as right now only he and his assistant Simran Parhar occupy the three-story building, Gaskin says that he always wanted to own a place that would be big enough to hold events and give back to the community.
The ground floor of the Barn, with its high ceiling and immense bay windows, has always been a great place for gatherings, even after it stopped being a bar. Many remember the wonderful celebrations of the Lamorinda Winegrowers Association, of the Moraga Garden Farms, or the local art exhibits. Gaskin says that he will continue the tradition, starting Saturday May 7 with a free financial seminar. "We will have one every first Saturdays of the month," he says.
And that is only the beginning. Walking through the building, Gaskin points at spaces that will become conference rooms; he moves through the back space and paints with words how a barbecue, a fountain and new landscaping are going to extend the appeal of the building for gatherings and parties. He imagines fundraising events for the Chamber of Commerce or the Campolindo Cougars football team. His son Kyle, now a police officer, was on that team until he graduated in 2008.
The business owner says he hasn't been all work and no play. He has enjoyed raising his two children and appreciated coaching their sports teams. He says that the unique space he bought will allow him to continue the community-building he found in the youth sports.
Chris Avant, the former owner of the Barn, conceived and executed the renovation of the building with his firm, Canyon Construction. It was during a tour of the property with Avant that Gaskin realized what a special place it was, with its solar tiles, Austrian Bruckner Windows, geothermic piping that supports a radiant heat and cooling system, water catchment and storage, recycled features and green construction material. The benefits, Gaskin says, are not only the beauty of the place, but the very minimal utility bills he has to pay.
"I didn't even turn on the heat in January and February," he says. "It is that well insulated."
For more on the Barn, read the Lamorinda Weekly article "Moraga Barn: On Its Way To Platinum" (https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue0110/Moraga-Barn- On-its-Way-to-Platinum.html) in our June 27, 2007 edition.
Gaskin Wealth Management is located at 925 Country Club Drive, Moraga. Contact them at (925) 376-7335 or www.managemarketrisk.com.
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| Lamorinda Weekly business articles are intended to inform the community about local business activities, not to endorse a particular company, product or service. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA