Aaron Valencia

Aaron Valencia’s life has been shaped by curiosity, persistence and a belief that success creates an opportunity to contribute. Based in Modesto, California, he is the founder of Royal Equity Group and Royal Equity Fund, and the owner and developer behind Modesto Silos—a project that brings his business interests, personal passions and community commitments together.

From Morelia to engineering

Born in Morelia, Mexico, Aaron moved to Anaheim, California, at age 13. His early years included dumpster diving and selling watches on the street. He went on to become a first-generation college graduate, earning a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.

His engineering career began at Varian Associates, where he worked in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, before moving to Cisco Systems and collaborating with manufacturers and engineering teams around the world. That chapter gave him experience working across cultures, solving complex problems and bringing people with different expertise together.

Building businesses. Seeing possibility.

Aaron later applied that experience to real estate and entrepreneurship. Over more than 25 years of real estate involvement, his work has included acquiring, financing, renovating, redeveloping and operating residential and commercial properties. Through Royal Equity Group and Royal Equity Fund, he has expanded from direct property ownership into private capital and real estate credit.

He is particularly drawn to projects that require imagination as well as discipline: recognizing what a property could become, understanding the work involved, and assembling the people who can help make it happen.

A personal vision for Modesto Silos

Modesto Silos is the most personal expression of that approach.

Aaron undertook the transformation of the historic grain-storage landmark with a vision that extended beyond its physical renovation. He wanted to preserve its industrial character while creating a place where business, hospitality, architecture, art and community could share a home.

Today, Royal Equity Fund’s private headquarters occupies the upper levels, while the restaurant, bar, cafecito, patios and event spaces welcome the public below. For Aaron, the Silos is both a place to work and a place to connect—with friends, neighbors, entrepreneurs, artists, students and people discovering Modesto for the first time.

The work continues through the experience being built there every day: developing the team, welcoming guests, hosting celebrations, supporting charitable causes and creating reasons for people to spend time together. Aaron sees the building as the setting for that work, with its lasting value shaped by the people who bring it to life.

His approach to leadership is captured in a principle he has helped establish at the Silos:

“Build better people. Everything else will follow. And when success comes, share it with the people who helped build it.”

Service, philanthropy and community

That philosophy also informs his community involvement. Aaron serves in the following roles:

• California State University, Stanislaus FoundationBoard of Directors
• Modesto Junior College FoundationBoard of Directors
• United Way of Stanislaus CountyBoard of Directors
• Gallo Center for the ArtsBoard of Trustees
• Modesto Artists MovementBoard member
• Stanislaus Community Foundation’s Latino Leadership FundAdvisory Committee

His philanthropic support includes first-generation college scholarships, Cricket’s Hope, Prospect Theater Project, and other educational, artistic and charitable initiatives. As a first-generation graduate himself, he brings a personal connection to efforts that help students pursue opportunities beyond those they may have initially imagined.

A purpose beyond ourselves

Across his business and community work, Aaron’s purpose is to keep learning, build thoughtfully and create opportunities that extend beyond himself. His journey has taken him from modest beginnings to international engineering work, real estate investment and the restoration of a Modesto landmark. What connects those chapters is a willingness to see possibility—and take responsibility for turning it into something useful.

At Modesto Silos, that purpose has a daily expression: improve someone’s day, give people a place to belong, and build something the community can share.

“The building is our history. The hospitality is our promise. The community is our heart. And our guests are the art and soul of the Modesto Silos.”