Nick Duren is the founder and President of Crescent Securities Group, Inc., a FINRA member firm established in 2001. Nick is the Senior Compliance and Chief Investment Officer for the firm. Nick is also President of Crescent Advisor Group, Inc. (CAG), an SEC Registered Investment Advisor.

Nick has served as both a moderator and panelist for The Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association (ADISA) on such topics as Errors & Omissions (E&O), Credit Stack and other industry topics. Before entering the securities business, Nick spent 20 years in the family-owned real estate business in Northeast, Texas specializing in commercial and farm & ranch real estate.

J. Carlos Martinez works in the Investment Banking division of Crescent Securities Group, Inc in Dallas. His area of focus is capital markets. Prior to CSG, Carlos worked in the retail division for Merrill Lynch and FlexVest Securities Group, Inc. in Dallas, Texas.

In addition to working with CSG Carlos is on the Economics faculty at Dallas College. Carlos has served as President of the Faculty Association for Dallas College. He has also taught international corporate finance as an adjunct at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Carlos received his undergraduate degree in Economic/Finance from the University of Texas at Dallas as well as a Master’s in Applied Economics. He holds a series 7, 63 and is a Registered Advisor Representative and holds a Health and Life Insurance License.

As Director-Investments, Mr. Chess is focused on analysis of real estate focused securities and assisting in the retail and wholesale distribution of Crescent approved offerings.

Rick has helped three firms each raise over $100,000,000 of equity. He served as Director – 1031 Transaction (Triple Net), National Sales Director (Capital Square), and Director of Acquisitions (UDR) where he acquired over 50,000 apartments and 10 retail centers).  Rick was President of American Realty Capital Markets, a FINRA Managing Broker Dealer. Rick was a founding trustee (and Audit Committee Chair) of First Potomac Realty ("FPO"), a NYSE REIT which he helped grow from one property to a $1.5 billion portfolio of office and industrial properties.

Rick is an attorney and has served as a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, as a Sergeant in the US Marine Corps Reserve, and as President of ADISA. Rick received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh (Social Psychology) and his Juris Doctor from University of Richmond.

Kurt J. Tesh, CFA, works in the Investment Banking division of Crescent Securities Group, Inc (CSG). Kurt’s primary responsibilities with CSG include strategic planning, due diligence, client services and business development. In Kurt’s 35 plus years in the industry, he has held many positions including analyst, investment officer and portfolio manager for broker-dealers, registered investment advisors, institutional consulting firms, and bank trust companies.

Mr. Tesh is a Charter holder member of the CFA Institute and has served as an officer and director of two of its constituent chapters. Kurt has served in leadership roles in industry organizations and been recognized as one of the top Due Diligence Officers in the country by industry publications. Kurt also participates in FINRA’s dispute resolution program.

Kurt is a graduate of Stetson University where he was recognized as an Outstanding Scholar and has been a guest lecturer in the nationally recognized Roland George Investment Program which is a student-directed investment program with 6 million in assets.

Mrs. Duren has been an integral part of Crescent Securities since its inception in 2001. As Business Manager and Corporate Secretary, she is responsible for all administrative functions of the firm, including accounts payable and accounts receivable.

Prior to Crescent Securities, Mrs. Duren held the role of Corporate Secretary in the financial industry and was employed for 13 years by an international oil and gas exploration firm. She started there as an Executive Secretary and soon advanced to Regional Administrator, where she was responsible for all administrative functions for the region including supervision of a secretarial and technical staff.

Mrs. Gonzalez is the Operations Manager for Crescent Securities Group, Inc. She joined Crescent in the fall of 2020 after having relocated to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area from San Antonio, Texas.

Michelle brings over twenty years’ experience in a myriad of positions in the financial services industry, most recently with Ameriprise Financial Services.  In that time, she has worked directly with advisors, banks, clearing partners, and clients. In addition to her years of experience she holds a series 11 registration from FINRA.

Michelle is passionate about helping people and simplifying processes. She believes that joy is contagious, and strives to make sure you can hear her smiling each time she answers the phone. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother, and loves music, yoga, nature, and learning new things.

Michelle is responsible for all things operations related. She is located in our main office.