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Justin Udelhofen

Director at DFH
Board

About Justin W. Udelhofen

Independent director of Dream Finders Homes (DFH) since January 2021; age 45. Former principal/fund founder with deep public‑markets investment experience; designated audit committee financial expert. Currently serves on the Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Governance Committees; independent under NYSE standards. DFH is a “controlled company,” but the Board has elected not to use available governance exemptions.

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
Private InvestorPrivate investorJul 2020–presentBrings public‑market perspective to DFH board deliberations
Durant Partners LLCFounder and PrincipalOct 2016–Jun 2020Small/mid‑cap equities focus; board notes capital markets expertise
Water Street CapitalInvestment professional2006–Apr 2016Multi‑billion AUM; long‑tenured fundamental investing background
Fred Alger ManagementResearch (growth mutual fund)Prior to Needham; dates not specifiedResearch coverage of public companies
Needham & CompanyInvestment banking/researchPrior to Alger; dates not specifiedStrategic insights to issuers, IPOs/secondaries exposure

External Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureNotes
No other public company directorships disclosed for Udelhofen in DFH 2025 proxy

Board Governance

  • Independence and roles: Independent director; member of Audit (financial expert), Compensation, and Nominating & Governance Committees. Not a committee chair.
  • Meeting cadence and engagement: Board met 6x in 2024; Audit 5x; Compensation 6x; Nominating & Governance 5x. All directors attended the 2024 shareholder meeting (in person or virtually).
  • Controlled company posture: DFH is a controlled company under NYSE rules but is not using exemptions (e.g., maintains majority independent board and fully independent key committees).
  • Lead director: No lead independent director; the board relies on independent committees and experienced members.
  • Committee remits: Audit oversees financial reporting, internal controls, auditor oversight, and related‑party transactions; Compensation sets executive and director pay and monitors aircraft usage policy; Nominating & Governance manages board evaluations, succession planning oversight, governance documents, and cybersecurity oversight.

Fixed Compensation (Director Pay)

Component (2024)Amount (USD)Notes
Annual cash retainer$50,000Standard for non‑employee directors
Committee member fees$30,000Three committees at $10,000 each (non‑chair)
Fees earned (cash, reported)$80,000Matches schedule for 2024
Annual RSU grant (time‑vest)$100,019One‑year vesting; grant‑date fair value
Total director compensation (2024)$180,019Sum of cash and equity

Notes on 2025 structure: Audit Chair retainer increased to $50,000; other committee chairs to $20,000; annual restricted stock award increased to $125,000; option to take restricted stock (1‑year vest) in lieu of cash retainers.

Performance Compensation

FeatureDetail
Performance-based elementsNone disclosed for directors; director equity is time‑based RSUs (no performance metrics)
VestingDirector RSUs vest over one year of service

Other Directorships & Interlocks

ItemStatus
Current public company boardsNone disclosed for Udelhofen
Compensation Committee interlocksNone; no DFH executive serves on boards/committees of entities with DFH executives; committee members (incl. Udelhofen) have never been DFH officers/employees

Expertise & Qualifications

  • Capital markets and public‑company investing; IPO/secondary transaction exposure; multi‑billion AUM institutional experience. Designated audit committee financial expert under SEC rules.
  • Skills aligned with DFH board matrix (finance, capital markets, risk, governance).

Equity Ownership

CategoryDetail
Beneficial ownership (Class A)27,919 shares (<1%)
Unvested RSUs (director grants)2,457 RSUs vest Mar 8, 2026; 4,665 RSUs vest Mar 5, 2026 (time‑based; subject to continued service)
Pledging/hedgingNo pledging/hedging disclosed for Udelhofen; DFH policy permits pledging/hedging only with pre‑clearance and limits (company‑wide)
Director stock ownership guideline5x annual cash retainer; all non‑employee directors were in compliance as of Apr 11, 2025

Governance Assessment

  • Positives

    • Independent, financially sophisticated director serving on all three key committees; designated audit committee financial expert, strengthening oversight of reporting and RPTs.
    • Compensation and governance structures are independent; say‑on‑pay support exceeded 99% in 2024, signaling strong shareholder alignment.
    • Director ownership guideline (5x retainer) with confirmed compliance; ability to elect equity in lieu of cash in 2025 further aligns incentives.
    • Although a controlled company, DFH voluntarily forgoes NYSE exemptions, maintaining majority independent board and independent committees.
  • Watch items / potential red flags (company‑level context)

    • Controlled company structure concentrates voting power with CEO; continued independent oversight remains critical.
    • Significant related‑party ecosystem (DF Capital lot banking; CEO aircraft lease) requires rigorous Audit Committee oversight; no related‑party transactions disclosed involving Udelhofen.
    • Insider trading policy permits pledging/hedging with pre‑clearance and limits (company‑wide), which some investors view as an alignment risk; no such activity disclosed for Udelhofen.
  • Attendance/engagement signals

    • Board/committee meeting cadence was regular in 2024; all directors attended the 2024 shareholder meeting. Continued disclosure of per‑director attendance would further enhance confidence.

Appendix: Committee Assignments and Meeting Frequency (2024)

CommitteeUdelhofen RoleChair2024 Meetings
AuditMember; Financial ExpertLeonard M. Sturm5
CompensationMemberW. Radford Lovett II6
Nominating & GovernanceMemberMegha H. Parekh5
Board of DirectorsDirectorChair: CEO (combined role)6

All citations:

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Best AI for Equity Research

Performance on expert-authored financial analysis tasks

Fintool-v490%
Claude Sonnet 4.555.3%
o348.3%
GPT 546.9%
Grok 440.3%
Qwen 3 Max32.7%