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Adam Lipkin
Greystone
Adam Lipkin is with Greystone and is known as “The C-PACE Guy™”.
Greystone is a leading national finance company, originating over $19 billion last year, annually a top 10 agency lender by volume, and the country’s top FHA-HUD lender. Adam is part of the Greystone Capital Advisors (GCA) team which structures equity and debt and originates construction, bridge and permanent loans. In 2021, the GCA team originated senior debt of $900 million, advised on equity placements of $300 million and arranged $700 million of debt, primarily on construction and development projects around the country. GCA also focuses on large loan mortgage origination across Greystone’s Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, CMBS, Bridge, balance-sheet and special situation lending platforms. Within Greystone, Adam is the go-to guy for C-PACE + Senior debt financing nationwide.
Adam has two decades of commercial real estate experience, having been involved in more than $3 billion of financing transactions. Before Greystone, Adam was a top originator for nearly four years with a Commercial PACE Lender where he closed hundreds of millions of C-PACE plus senior debt financing.
Adam graduated from the University of Florida with a combined Bachelor and Master’s degree in Accounting. He is a former Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Angelo Cristofaro
Coldwell Banker
With a wealth of international experience and multilingual fluency, Angelo Cristofaro brings a unique perspective to the commercial real estate industry. Born and raised in Italy, he has lived in several European capitals before making the move to the United States. In addition to being fluent in Italian, English and French, Angelo is also a dog lover and enjoys traveling and giving back through charity work. Real estate has always been a passion for him and prior to becoming an agent, he had experience as an investor. As a skilled negotiator, his top priority is always the best interests of his clients. Angelo and his team employ a proven sales approach and aggressive marketing strategies to ensure the best results for their clients. Utilizing cutting-edge technology and market knowledge, they strive for successful transactions and long-lasting client relationships.
Angelo has a degree in law from the University of Parma, but his true passion has always been design. He started his own furniture business and helped people transform their homes into their dream spaces through remodels and fix-and-flips. It was through this work that he discovered his true calling in real estate and the art of selling a lifestyle.
Asi Cymbal
Cymbal DLT Companies
Asi Cymbal is the Chairman of Cymbal DLT Companies. Mr. Cymbal has over 30 years of experience in real estate development, construction, finance, and law. He is driven by his passion for great architecture and design, his focus on transforming communities, and his commitment to creating great wealth for his investors.
Mr. Cymbal raised his first fund in 2010. That $3 million investment is now worth over $180 million. He is focused on increasing that to $700 million by 2026. After experimenting with retirement in 2014, he came back to create a second fund during the 2020 Pandemic. He turned that $15 million investment into $90 million in 20 months Mr. Cymbal has been named by the South Florida Business Journal as a Heavy Hitter in Construction and Real Estate Development, a Top 100 Power Leader, and as one of 2013’s People to Watch. He has also appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Cymbal is a graduate of Vassar College and UCLA School of Law. He is an experienced real estate and business attorney licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Washington D.C., and is a licensed general contractor in Florida.
Bob Sonnenblick
Sonnenblick Development
Mr. Robert Sonnenblick, Principal of Sonnenblick Development, LLC, is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance of the University of Pennsylvania with more than 30 years of experience in various aspects of real estate development and real estate finance. From 1981 to 1991, Mr. Sonnenblick was the driving force and power behind Sonnenblick-Goldman Corporation of California. Mr. Sonnenblick completed over $1.5 Billion of commercial real estate transactions on the West Coast, and as a result is regarded as one of the West Coast’s leaders in the field of commercial real estate finance. Among the more notable projects for which Mr. Sonnenblick personally structured the financing for are The Beaudry Center, Los Angeles, California ($197 million), the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Pasadena, California ($97 million), One Waterfront Plaza, Honolulu, Hawaii ($100 million), and the Los Angeles World Trade Center, Los Angeles, California ($55 million).
Brett D. Forman
Forman Capital
Brett founded Forman Capital, LLC in 2004 and has closed over $2.6 billion in commercial real estate transactions, including $2.2 billion from 2016-2022 in partnership with a Canadian asset manager. Brett was previously a Principal at Sylvan Ventures, LP (a joint venture between Apollo Advisors and Sylvan Learning Systems), a $350 million venture capital firm.
Brett spent five years in the retail business as President & COO of FEI, Inc. and County Seat Stores, where he concentrated on real estate and retail transactions when he worked in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions at Bear Stearns & Co.
Brett graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in economics and a concentration in real estate finance. Brett served as Chairman on the Foundation Board of the Achievement Centers for Children & Families in Delray Beach, Florida.
Carl Evenstad
Capital One
Carl Evenstad is Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Syndications for Capital One.
He is responsible for managing all multi-bank transactions for Capital One’s Commercial Real Estate, Healthcare Real Estate, and Data Center Real Estate groups. At Capital One, these transactions include secured and unsecured transactions; construction loans and entity level financings.
Prior to joining Capital One in 2016, Carl worked in similar roles at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (now Truist Securities) and US Bank.
Carl earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from The University of South Dakota.
Chris Albano
Citi
Chris Albano is a Managing Director in Citi’s Institutional Clients Group leading Citi’s syndication and distribution efforts with the firm’s commercial real estate finance group in the Americas. Mr. Albano spends his time working with the firm’s Institutional clients (REITs, Private Equity firms, large CRE Developers), Senior Loan investors as well as other industry participants from around the world connecting capital needs with capital providers. Mr. Albano has placed over $200 billion in CRE loan products to investors from around the globe. Since joining Citi in 2000, Mr. Albano has held several positions ranging from the origination of new debt and equity investments, advisory work on M&A and other strategic opportunities, working out real estate owned, executing investment strategies for real estate investment vehicles as well as the sale of investments at the end of their hold period. Working across a wide range of financing alternatives including corporate credit facilities, bridge financing, M&A, LBO and IPO related financing, CMBS financing and property-level fixed and floating rate financing, Mr. Albano is well versed in nearly all capital alternatives. Mr. Albano covers all commercial real estate subsectors including the office, industrial/logistics, lodging, retail, healthcare, life science, datacenter, self-storage, manufactured housing, multifamily and single-family rental sectors.
Charles Krawitz
Alliant Credit Union
A 30+ year financing industry veteran, Mr. Krawitz’s career commenced in 1987 and includes leadership positions with highly regarded financial institutions including ABN AMRO, KeyBank and Fifth Third Bank.
In January of 2017, Mr. Krawitz joined Alliant Credit Union in charge of commercial lending. Subsequently, Mr. Krawitz was selected to additionally oversee Alliant’s loan trading operation, its FinTech partnership development activities, and its Select Employee Group relationship channels as Alliant’s Senior Vice President, Chief Capital Markets Officer and Head of Commercial Lending.
Mr. Krawitz served on the board of a large CDC, where he was named Director of the Year in 2011. In 2020, Mr. Krawitz was inducted into the Midwest Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame, and in in 2021 was selected as a Manager of the Year finalist by Gallup. In addition, Mr. Krawitz headed a team that won CUNA’s Excellence in Lending Award in 2018, was selected as a Lender Influencer by GlobeSt.com in 2020, Lender of the Year by the Illinois Real Estate Journal in 2023, and a Top Mortgage Lender in both 2021 and 2023 by Connect Media.
Mr. Krawitz earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and a Master of Science in regional and urban planning from the London School of Economics. Ever the learner, Mr. Krawitz obtained an Executive Scholar designation from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2019.
Clemente Beda
Kawa Capital
Clemente Beda joined Kawa Capital in December 2015 and is currently a Director in the Investment & Originations department. Prior to joining Kawa Capital, Clemente worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in JPMorgan’s Multinational Group in New York as well as on a number of entrepreneurial projects in Brazil.
Clemente graduated from Tufts University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations, with a focus in International Economics and Entrepreneurship.
Daniel Sobelman
CRE Bridge Capital
Daniel Sobelman is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of CRE Bridge Capital, bringing over two decades of experience in commercial real estate investment. With a proven track record, Daniel has led his team in originating, closing, and servicing more than $300 million in bridge loans.
Before launching CRE Bridge Capital, Daniel held key leadership roles, including Director of Investments for a private REIT with approximately 13,000 apartments and $150 million in bridge debt, and Managing Partner of a Chicago based Family Office.
Daniel holds a BBA from the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.
David Eyzenberg
Eyzenberg & Company
David Eyzenberg is president of Eyzenberg & Company, the industry’s leading ground lease & capital advisory firm delivering full capital stack solutions for existing, transitional, and to-be-built commercial real estate projects. With offices in Miami, New York, LA, and Philadelphia, Eyzenberg & Company is one of the fastest-growing real estate capital advisory firms in the U.S.
Complementing his professional endeavors, he teaches graduate real estate finance studies in the New York University Schack Institute’s Master of Science in Real Estate program as well as University of Miami’s MBA programs.
Previously, Mr. Eyzenberg was a principal and U.S. lead for the capital advisory practice of Avison Young. Prior to AY, Mr. Eyzenberg ran and merged Prodigious Capital Group into an institutional advisory firm. He began his real estate career on the buy side working for Merrill Lynch, Ramius Capital Group and Greenstreet Partners.
Mr. Eyzenberg graduated from New York University with a Bachelor’s degree in communications and a Master’s degree in real estate finance and investment. Mr. Eyzenberg is an active member of multiple industry associations and a frequent speaker at real estate events. He also sits on multiple advisory and corporate boards including those of REZI and Reeds-Bay Investment Group.
David A. Cohen
Ready Capital Corporation
David A. Cohen is a Managing Director at Ready Capital, and serves in such capacity as the Chief Production Officer and Co-Head of Bridge Lending.
Prior to joining Ready Capital, Mr. Cohen held positions as a Managing Director and National Production Manager (Head of Originations) at Doral Property Finance, a Regional Director at GE Real Estate, a Managing Director at CIBC World Markets Commercial Real Estate Finance Group, a First Vice President at Paine Webber Real Estate Securities, and as a Managing Director at Furman Selz LLC. Mr. Cohen began his career as an attorney at the national law firm of Kelley Drye & Warren. Mr. Cohen earned a B.A. from SUNY-Albany, and his graduate degrees with a M.B.A. from Syracuse University School of Management and a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law. He had also attended New York University’s Masters of Laws (L.L.M.) program.
Domenico Manago
UC Funds
Domenico has led the sales and origination platforms and partnerships at UC Funds for more than a decade and has been part of more than $4 billion in closings over the life of UC Funds’ capital solutions. He is the primary liaison between sponsors and UC Funds’ internal production, underwriting, and capital markets teams for customer service and success.
He is dedicated to the continual improvement of processes to facilitate the creative capital solutions for customers. UC Funds is a one-stop shop for commercial real estate lending solutions and has earned a national reputation for being one of the most sophisticated financial ally for sponsors and partners, nationwide.
UC Funds is headquartered in Boston with offices in New York, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, and Denver.
Eli Smith
Lument
Eli Smith is a director of agency lending at Lument. He joined Lument after spending 20 years at WAMU, JP Morgan Chase, Fannie Mae, and Ready Capital. As an experienced small balance loan (SBL) originator with long-term Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac relationships, Eli is responsible for helping further grow Lument’s SBL platform and offerings.
Over the course of his career, Eli has personally originated more than $1 billion in bank, agency, bridge, and securitized SBL loans. At Lument, he’s focused on originating small balance, conventional, and balance sheet financing for multifamily sponsors around the country.
Eli has consistently remained a top producer for agency loan products and in his previous role was instrumental in negotiating partnership agreements with national firms for their qualifying Freddie Mac SBL loans. Those agreements paved the way for the production of roughly $3 billion in SBL transactions during his tenure there. Eli earned his Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences from the University of North Texas in 2003.
Gary Bechtel
Red Oak Capital Holdings
Gary Bechtel serves as Chief Executive Officer of Red Oak Capital Holdings and Oak Real Estate Partners (the Companies), where he leads the investment management leadership teams with direct oversight of all portfolios and lending strategies. He sits on the Company’s Board of Managers, as well as its Credit and Investment Committees.
Prior to joining the Companies in 2020, Bechtel served as President of Money360 and was instrumental in helping to grow it to over $1.8B in closed loans and $850 of AUM in under five years, as well as serving on its Credit Committee and Board of Directors. Prior to joining Money360, he was Chief Lending/Originations Officer at CU Business Partners. Previously, Gary held management or production positions with Pacific Southwest Realty Services, FINOVA Realty Capital, Johnson Capital, Meridian Capital, Grubb & Ellis Company, and Hometown Commercial Capital.
Bechtel began his career with the Alison Company in 1986 and over the past thirty-six years has been involved in all aspects of the commercial real estate finance industry, as a lender and an intermediary, including the origination, underwriting, structuring, placement and closing of more than $10 billion in commercial debt transactions ranging in size from $1 million to $250 million.
Jack Miller
Royal Palm Funding
H. Jack Miller has been a commercial real estate investor and private lender for more than 33 years and built a real estate and mortgage portfolio, overseeing over $1 billion in lending with over 10,000 transactions. In 1989 he founded Gelt Financial which has been a leader in the private lending space since then. Gelt also purchases and services sub and nonperforming debt for themselves as well as others.
Mr. Miller has been heavily involved with forming, managing, and investing and managing in commercial real estate partnerships, including actively buying minority interest positions in commercial real estate partnerships. Gelt has also been an opportunistic investors and provider of JV equity and Rescue capital to CRE Investors/
James Armstrong
Raymond James
James leads Raymond James Bank’s Commercial Real Estate Lending business, which is composed of traditional single-asset and portfolio financings for institutional real estate owners, as well as operating lines, term loans and M&A financings for public and private REITs. Since joining Raymond James in 2003, James has financed in excess of $15.0 billion of corporate and commercial real estate transactions.
Prior to his current role, James served in a number of different capacities within Corporate & Real Estate Banking, including Head of REIT lending, Head of Par and Distressed Loan Trading, Vice President in Leverage Finance, and other positions.
Jon Gitman
BridgeInvest
Partner of BridgeInvest since 2013. Jon oversees loan origination and underwriting at BridgeInvest. In his role as Partner of BridgeInvest, Jon has expanded the company’s presence in new markets, including Texas, Georgia, and the Carolinas. While at BridgeInvest, Jon has closed over $1 billion of commercial real estate loans. Prior to BridgeInvest, Jon was an Acquisitions Associate with Resource Real Estate, where he was charged with the deployment of a $1 billion private REIT focused on the acquisition and work-out of non-performing commercial real estate and real estate related debt throughout the United States.
Jon is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in both finance and real estate.
Kevin O'Grady
Concord Summit Capital
With over 40 years of commercial real estate finance and related industry experience, Kevin O’Grady provides solutions for commercial real estate transactions of all types of asset classes, including office, retail, multi-family, for-sale residential condominiums, hospitality, industrial and mixed-use developments both urban and suburban. In his combined experience, O’Grady has been responsible for the development of over 10 million square feet of commercial projects, 23 master planned housing communities, 6 million square feet of commercial leasing and over $25 billion in structured finance closings.
Prior to founding Concord Summit, O’Grady was SVP and Managing Director with Walker and Dunlop. He also served as a founding member of the National Equity Practice Group of Cohen Financial, a partnership with Guggenheim, a Director at LJ Melody and was a senior officer at various recognized development companies, including Atlantic Gulf Communities, HF Ahmanson, Robert Trent Jones Development, Turner Development, and CSX Development. He has three children and two grandchildren and attended the University of Maryland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Larry Baum
Stellar Communities
Larry Baum co-founded Stellar Communities in 2009, and the company has delivered over 3,000 homes in Florida. Stellar Communities focuses on developing both for multifamily and build for rent Communities in Florida with a strong emphasis on sustainability and eco-friendliness.
Larry’s leadership has played a significant role in instilling a culture of sustainability within the company, making Stellar Communities a pioneer in green development. Before his involvement with Stellar Communities, Larry worked as a Development Officer for Centrecorp Realty, Inc., a Canadian REIT that specialized in developing grocery-anchored shopping centers in the United States and Canada.
He then joined Prestige Builders Partners, where he quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a partner in the firm. During his tenure at Prestige, the company became one of Florida’s largest condominium developers, with over $2 billion in transactions.
Matthew E Fantuzzi
Emerald Creek Capital
Matt Fantuzzi joined the Emerald Creek Capital origination team in March 2014. As a Vice President, he specializes in new business development, loan origination, and underwriting. Mr. Fantuzzi has executed on transactions for 1031 exchanges, partnership buyouts, and renovation loans. He has structured and facilitated the closing of more than 150 transactions totaling more than 750MM in short-term bridge loans nationwide.
Previously, Mr. Fantuzzi was an Analyst in the corporate finance department at Hertz. He graduated with a BSBA in Finance from Rider University. Mr. Fantuzzi was honored on Commercial Observer’s 25 Under 35: The Lenders and Debt Brokers to Watch in 2017 and he currently serves as a Board Member of the Young Mortgage Bankers Association (YMBA).
Maxx Carney
Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital
Maxx is a Senior Vice President in the Miami office of BWE with more than 10 years in commercial real estate finance. He is responsible for the origination and execution of debt and equity capital for commercial real estate assets throughout the United States. His clients consist of private equity funds, UHNW family offices, and regional operators and developers. Maxx has extensive experience advising through complex capital markets dynamics and working with derivative advisors to advise on creative hedging strategies
Prior to joining BWE in 2023 to aid in the firm’s expansion into Florida, Maxx spent nearly 10 years with JLL Capital Markets and was involved in more than $4 Billion of real estate transactions throughout the United States
Maxx holds a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is a NAIOP Developing Leader and member of NAIOPs National Forum Program, a south Florida Make-A-Wish “Champion,” and a supporter of the Dachshund Rescue of South Florida.
Melissa Rose
JLL Capital Markets, Americas
Melissa is a Managing Director in the Miami office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. She has over 15 years of experience in the real estate industry, securing debt and joint venture equity financing for a broad range of property types with a focus on Office and Industrial. Over the course of her career, she has closed more than $5 billion in capital through first mortgages, mezzanine loans, bridge loans, acquisitions, and joint venture equity for a variety of asset types throughout the U.S.
Prior to joining JLL, Melissa spent three years as a Managing Director at Ackman-Ziff. Before that, she held acquisitions and in-house capital markets roles at Maxwelle Real Estate Group in Aventura, Florida, and Eretz Group in New York City.
Melissa also serves on the small-scale development National Product Council at the Urban Land Institute, and has a seat on the Real Property Development Advisory Board at the University of Miami School of Law. She earned a B.S. from University of Miami.
Michael Fleischer
3650 REIT
Mr. Fleischer has 20 years of commercial real estate experience and leads the 3650 REIT Bridge and Event Driven lending platform. Previously, Mr. Fleischer was a Managing Director with RHRECS, a debt fund co-managed by Related Fund Management and HPS Investment Partners where he focused on transaction origination, structuring, asset management and portfolio finance.
Prior to Related, Mr. Fleischer was principal investor/lender with Canyon Capital and Links Capital Partners. Mr. Fleischer’s experience includes more than 8 years as legal counsel at the law firms of Sullivan & Cromwell and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
Mr. Fleischer holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, a JD from Columbia Law School and a BA in Economics from Columbia College. Mr. Fleischer also studies economics at Cambridge University.
Mike Boggiano
A10 Company
Mr. Boggiano has more than 30 years of experience in commercial real estate and finance and has originated over $5 billion of bridge and permanent loans for multifamily and CRE properties. During his career, Mr. Boggiano has been instrumental in the successful launch of several CRE lending platforms that included small balance, bridge, agency, and permanent loans.
Michael Boggiano joined A10 in 2023 and holds the position of Executive Vice President within the A10 Origination Team.
Mitchel Paskover
Trion Properties
Mitch Paskover, co-founder of Trion Properties, has responsibility for the financial activities of the firm, including work on acquisitions, dispositions, asset management and expansion planning. Paskover brings his 18 years of experience in the multifamily industry to bear on this role. Since co-founding Trion in 2006, he has helped direct the acquisitions of 42 properties consisting of over 2,050 units valued at $350 million. He was also instrumental in the raising of Trion’s first fund, Trion Opportunity Fund I.
During the course of his career in commercial real estate, Paskover has been involved in over $2 billion in commercial real estate transactions. Prior to co-founding Trion Properties, Paskover was a Managing Director in the Los Angeles office of HFF. His primary focus was on debt and equity transactions including multifamily, office, retail and hospitality properties, with an emphasis on multifamily.
Paskover is a recognized industry expert, serving as a panelist and moderator at high-level commercial real estate conferences, as well as an industry spokesperson in major national media. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a Finance concentration, and is a licensed California Real Estate Broker.
Nitin Shah
Embassy National Bank
Nitin Shah has the distinction of simultaneously being a successful hotelier and a successful banker. He is president and owner of Imperial Investments Group, Inc., a Georgia-based hospitality company he founded in 1984 whose assets include numerous hotels plus various commercial real estate properties.
He is also chairman and CEO of Embassy National Bank, an Atlanta-based community bank he helped establish in 2007 which is a leading SBA lender in the southeastern U.S. In 1999, he collaborated with a colleague to develop the URL “www.hotel.com” which was eventually sold to the Hotel Reservations Network (HRN). In 1989, he was among the founders of AAHOA. As chairman in 1993, he was instrumental in increasing membership and revenue. Today, Nitin continues to be active in AAHOA, serving on such committees as Governance and Strategic Planning. He serves on two advisory boards – for the College of Business at Georgia College and for Asian Studies at Kennesaw State University. He is also co-chair of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Chamber of Commerce.
Born in Mumbai, Nitin earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Bombay and his Masters in Business Administration at Georgia College and State University.
Rahul V. Shah
Sherpa Capital Group, LLC
Rahul V. Shah is a Co-Founder and Managing Principal at Sherpa Capital Group, LLC (Sherpa), a boutique private equity real estate firm specializing in direct lending for bridge debt and equity investments secured by real estate. Founded in 2010, Sherpa is known for its entrepreneurial lending solutions, diverse product offerings, and commitment to service. The firm’s track record includes funding over 350 transactions with its own proprietary capital, all while making credit decisions and handling servicing in-house through its dedicated principals.
Before co-founding Sherpa, Rahul successfully established a mortgage banking company, originating more than $500 million in residential and small balance commercial loans. His extensive background in business development and strategic alliances features a tenure as a Manager at Encyclopedia Britannica, where he managed strategic internet initiatives. Rahul’s professional journey also includes valuable experience as a Senior Consultant at Arthur Andersen’s Transaction Advisory Group, specializing in due diligence for corporate finance transactions involving financial institutions, private equity firms, and mid-sized corporations. His consulting expertise spans over 50 transactions across diverse industries, with deal sizes ranging from $50 million to $1 billion.
A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Rahul holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy with a Concentration in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Rasool Mutawakkil
Disrupt Equity
Rasool Mutawakkil specializes in financial analysis and underwriting to determine an investment’s potential. As a U.S. Army veteran intelligence operative, his attention to detail, work ethic, and desire to serve others with pertinent information are his primary drivers.
Rasool has a bachelor’s degree in computer programming and is certified with numerous financial licenses in the state of Florida. He was an owner-operator of a multiple six-figure Airbnb business in Miami and currently has grown his multifamily investment portfolio by over $10MM in the past year.
As a husband, father, and ambitious entrepreneur, his long-term goals include 1) establishing generational wealth for his family as well as 2) the continuous development of his education platform to show others how they, too, can reach any financial goal faster than they ever thought possible.
Ray Cleeman
Pensam Capital
Ray Cleeman is a Principal and Head of Lending at Pensam Capital a multi-faceted private real estate fund focused on investments within the multifamily sector. As a direct real estate lender, Pensam provides flexible capital solutions to real estate sponsors including high leverage bridge loans as well as mezzanine debt, subordinate debt and preferred equity.
Ray spent the formative years of his career on Wall Street having worked as an investment banker at Credit Suisse, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenerette, and Raymond James. He has been involved in the issuance of over $6 billion of high yield securities, the issuance of over $3 billion of private and public equities, and advised on over $7 billion of global M&A transactions. Previously, Ray was an SVP Finance & Treasurer of a publicly traded company and a lawyer at Shearman & Sterling.
Ryan Howard
Safehold
Ryan Howard currently serves as a Senior Vice President on Safehold’s Investments Team. Safehold’s ground lease structured investments help owners and developers of commercial real estate unlock value, solve capital stack gaps, and increase returns. Safehold is the leader in the modern ground lease space and maintains an investment grade corporate rating, which translates into market leading cost of capital for its clients. To date, Safehold has closed over $6Bn of ground lease investments across more than 130 transactions.
Prior to Safehold, Ryan was a Director within Centennial Bank’s large loan structured finance group. Prior to Centennial, Ryan was a Principal at Barlington Group, a Miami based owner/operator of value-add real estate assets. Ryan spent nearly a decade earlier in his career at Torchlight Investors in New York where he invested institutional capital focusing on CRE debt, equity, and fixed income structured products. Ryan holds a BS in Finance and a BS in Accounting from Syracuse University.
Stephen Franano
Franano MultiFamily Group
Franano MultiFamily Group is an off market multifamily real estate acquisition team located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri
Steven Franano developed a discrete platform where apartment owners can sell their assets directly to accredited investors without having to sign an exclusive listing agreement.
Scott Lamontagne
North Marq
Scott joined Northmarq in May 2020 to expand the company’s investment sales platform across Texas. He is responsible for both the Austin and San Antonio Offices and serves as the National Director of Northmarq’s National Development Services Group. He focuses on establishing and maintaining client relationships, and providing advisory, transactional, debt structures and equity sourcing services to multifamily owners and developers.
Prior to joining Northmarq. Scott was a Managing Director and Team Lead at JLL for 6 years, and a Senior Director and Senior Executive over Central Texas for Institutional Property Advisors, a Marcus and Millichap company for 12 years. During the last 21 years, Scott’s direct transitional and oversight experience exceeds $12 billion. With the sale of over 100,000 apartment units and some of the region’s most iconic land sales!
Scott is recognized as a market expert and is frequently called upon to speak or provide commentary at real estate conferences and media outlets. In addition, Scott serves as an advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Beige Book Publication.
Shelah Wallace
Nuveen Green Capital
Shelah Wallace is Senior Director, Originations (NJ, PA, DE). Shelah brings extensive commercial real estate experience to Nuveen Green Capital, and she is passionate about finding creative solutions to fund sustainability measures as a way to reduce carbon emissions in the built space. As the leader of one of NGC’s top producing originations teams, Shelah oversaw Pennsylvania’s first C-PACE financed multifamily deal, followed by the largest C-PACE financed deal in in the state. Shelah was the winner of NGC’s 2022 “Grit and Sparkle” Award, and she is a charismatic team member, who is also a frequent speaker at events and on panels.
Shelah has over fifteen years of experience in commercial real estate. Prior to joining Nuveen Green Capital, Shelah had various lending roles including Commercial Real Estate Lending Specialist for Capitol Bank, VP Commercial Real Estate Loan Officer for Bancorp Bank, and Senior Investment Analyst for PGIM Real Estate Finance. Additionally, Shelah spent many years working as an advisor to commercial real estate developers, aiding in structuring their JV partnerships, and helping raise debt and equity.
Shelah received a BS in Economics from the Wharton Undergraduate program at the University of Pennsylvania.