Pacific Private Money: Seriously Committed to Work & Fun

At Pacific Private Money, Inc., a real estate lender based in Novato, Calif., what you see is what you get, and that’s a good thing. Its cultural DNA is built on internal values of respect, reliability, transparency, authenticity, resourcefulness, and drive — values that also define the way Pacific Private Money has done business since Day One.

Pacific Private Money was founded in 2008 on the heels of the financial crisis. The lender built a reputation as a leader in the private capital space by providing fast, reliable alternative financing options for borrowers and short-term loans. Pacific Private Money finances loans with private capital raised by discretionary debt fund structures. Now, 12 years later, the entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well at Pacific Private Money. The firm’s founding ethos — to improve people’s futures — continues to distinguish its relationships with investors, borrowers, referral sources, and its own employees.

This entrepreneurial spirit shows up in the work ethic of the Pacific Private Money team. The team is future-oriented, sets big goals and commits to clients and each other. Employees come to work ready to grind and put in the hours, even if it means working on a weekend. Most recently, the team completed a large securitization, accomplishing a year’s worth of work in 2 months. Even though the process was taxing, the team rolled up their sleeves to make it a success.

While Pacific Private Money employees are seriously committed to their work, they’re not overly serious. The culture at Pacific Private Money is friendly, informal, and fun. Only the office dogs wear ties, and new hires are welcomed with open arms and often a new nickname — welcome, Captain Morgan, and Crash — so long as they can keep up with the office snark. The team is working remotely through the pandemic but continues to laugh with each other, check in on work and provide emotional support through the internal team chat, daily Zoom meetings, and RingCentral platform, which it also uses with clients.

The leadership at Pacific Private Money knows the hard-working, fun-loving, and genuine culture of its team is a huge part of what attracts business. Good communication and appreciation go a long way toward maintaining this culture and ensuring employees are happy at work. Long hours are recognized with flexible schedules and time off. Work is balanced with biannual pool parties, holiday parties, potlucks, and birthday celebrations. At Pacific Private Money, culture trumps strategy, and it’s inextricable from the core values of respect, reliability, transparency, authenticity, resourcefulness, and drive.