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O'Brien International Family Office
The O'Brien International Family Office manages the private capital of the family behind R.J.
O'Brien International Family Office
The O'Brien International Family Office manages the private capital of the family behind R.J. O'Brien & Associates, one of the oldest independent futures brokerages in the United States, founded in 1914. Robert J. O'Brien Jr., who once led the brokerage firm, established the family office to steward the multi-generational wealth generated by more than a century of commodities and financial futures operations. The family's investment affairs are now interwoven with a broader ecosystem that includes O'Brien Investment Group and a residential real estate portfolio under WAG Holdings, managed by John W. O'Brien Jr. Deployment spans several distinct asset classes. The firm participates in hedge fund allocations and has a dedicated vehicle, the O'Brien Agricultural and Energy Master Fund, reflecting the family's deep roots in commodity markets. Beyond traditional alternatives, the office targets early-stage FinTech companies and maintains an active posture in digital assets, with a specific focus on Web3 and blockchain technologies. Confirmed investment staging includes early-stage direct co-investments and SPVs. The geographic mandate extends from North America into the Caribbean. The firm operates from Skokie, Illinois, where it maintains commercial real estate at 5215 Old Orchard Road. Managing Director Mike Durkin oversees daily operations of the family office, while Patricia M. and Timothy P. O'Brien direct the family's philanthropic vehicles, including The John W. O'Brien Family Foundation and the O'Brien Museum of Irish Art and Culture. The O'Brien Investment Group and R.J. O'Brien & Associates remain affiliated through membership in the National Futures Association. May 2026: The firm's focus on digital assets and Web3 was confirmed through current investment disclosures. The family office sits at the center of a rare structure — an operating commodities brokerage, a dedicated hedge fund, a real estate holding company, and a cultural foundation — all under the same family's governance. This configuration allows the office to source proprietary deal flow through the commercial relationships of R.J. O'Brien & Associates while separating patient, multi-generational capital in direct investments from the brokerage's day-to-day risk profile. The transmission of agricultural and energy market intelligence from the trading floor into the family's master fund represents a structural advantage most single-family offices cannot replicate.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Skokie
Corporate office
5215 Old Orchard Road, Suite 630, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
Principals
Robert J. O'Brien Jr.
Founder
John W. O'Brien Jr.
CEO of O'Brien Investment Group and Managing Partner of WAG Holdings
Patricia M. O'Brien
Director, The John W. O'Brien Family Foundation and O'Brien Museum of Irish Art and Culture
Timothy P. O'Brien
Director, The John W. O'Brien Family Foundation
Mike Durkin
Managing Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at O'Brien International Family Office?
Managing Director Mike Durkin is the key operational lead for the family office. Investment strategy reflects the broader O'Brien family's interests, with Robert J. O'Brien Jr. as founder and patriarch. John W. O'Brien Jr. separately manages the family's WAG Holdings residential real estate portfolio and leads O'Brien Investment Group, indicating a distributed decision-making structure across family members and trusted operators rather than a single CIO model.
How does the firm source proprietary deal flow?
The family office benefits from the commercial network of R.J. O'Brien & Associates, the Chicago-based futures brokerage Robert J. O'Brien Jr. once led. The brokerage's century-long presence in commodity and financial futures markets provides a natural intelligence network, particularly in agricultural and energy sectors where the family also operates a dedicated master fund.
Is O'Brien International Family Office structured as a single family office or does it operate more like an investment firm?
It is a single-family office managing capital exclusively for the O'Brien family. However, the broader O'Brien ecosystem blurs this line: O'Brien Investment Group operates as an affiliated entity, and the O'Brien Agricultural and Energy Master Fund functions as a pooled investment vehicle. This hybrid structure allows the family to maintain a single-family office core while participating in fund-level activities that resemble those of an asset manager.
Does the firm participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The office uses both approaches. Disclosed investment types include hedge fund allocations alongside direct co-investments and SPVs. The O'Brien Agricultural and Energy Master Fund suggests the family also runs proprietary commingled structures, likely for external investor participation or internal capital aggregation across family branches.
What investment stages does the firm typically target?
Early-stage investing dominates the direct deployment side, confirmed in the firm's FinTech focus. The hedge fund and digital assets allocations suggest a barbell approach: early-stage venture risk on one end, managed by liquid or semi-liquid fund strategies on the other, with agricultural and energy exposures sitting in between through the dedicated master fund.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The wealth originated from R.J. O'Brien & Associates, an independent futures brokerage founded in 1914. The firm cleared and executed trades in commodities and financial futures for over a century. Robert J. O'Brien Jr. held the role of president before channeling family capital into the formal single-family office structure now known as O'Brien International Family Office.
Does O'Brien maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
Yes. Patricia M. O'Brien and Timothy P. O'Brien serve as directors of The John W. O'Brien Family Foundation, which operates alongside the O'Brien Museum of Irish Art and Culture in Skokie. The foundation and museum are legally distinct from the investment entities, with separate governance by family members who are not involved in day-to-day investment management.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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