# Municipal Employees' Retirement System of Michigan (MERS)

Municipal Employees' Retirement System of Michigan (MERS) is a Pension Fund based in Lansing, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Pension Fund
- **Headquarters:** Lansing, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 1134 Municipal Way, Lansing, MI, United States
- **Founded:** 1945
- **Assets under management:** 15054 (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** mersofmich.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/mersofmichigan

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Municipal Employees' Retirement System of Michigan was established in 1945 to administer retirement plans for Michigan municipalities. It operates as an independent professional services company serving local government employees. MERS allocates across private equity, infrastructure, timberland, agriculture, and public equities. Confirmed holdings include a 45 percent stake in Olam Australia Almond Farms acquired with Adveq Real Assets, Danica Pension, plus positions through 10T Holdings in Kraken and eToro. The portfolio spans North America, Australia, Latin America, and Europe. The firm employs 133 professionals at its Lansing headquarters. It maintains a wholly owned real estate subsidiary, Municipal Real Estate Company. In October 2024 MERS sponsored its annual conference in Grand Rapids focused on retirement plan governance. MERS invests through a mix of direct holdings via its real estate corporation and limited partner commitments to external managers. Governance rests with a retirement board chaired by a sitting municipal official.

## Sectors

- Infrastructure
- Agribusiness
- Private Equity

## People

- Jeb Burns — Chief Investment Officer
- Keith Van Beek — Board Chair

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at MERS?

Jeb Burns serves as Chief Investment Officer and has directed the investment program since 2001.

### Does MERS participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

MERS makes both limited partner commitments to external funds and direct investments through its real estate subsidiary.

### What asset classes does MERS target?

Allocations include private equity at 7 percent, infrastructure, timberland, agriculture, and public equities and fixed income.

### Where does MERS invest geographically?

The portfolio includes holdings in North America, Australia, Latin America, and Europe.

### How is MERS structured relative to its participants?

MERS operates as an independent not-for-profit entity created to administer plans for Michigan municipalities.

## Related profiles

- [Hanwha Solutions](https://altss.com/profile/hanwha-solutions)
- [Capital Dynamics](https://altss.com/profile/capital-dynamics)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/municipal-employees-retirement-system-of-michigan-mers

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