Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
The podcast that gives an exclusive look beyond the title of private lending industry leaders.
Latest Episode
Passionate Visionary | Trixy Castro, Aureus Finance Group
*NOTE: This episode was recorded in May 2022.*
We are kicking off Season 3 with none other than Trixy Castro, founder and CEO of Aureus Finance Group. We were honored to sit down with this industry legend in person and learn more about Trixy and her history as an entrepreneur founding Genesis Capital and Hudson Marshall in the early days of private lending. We learned all about her new vision for Aureus, including how she approached her re-entry into the market after taking a few years off. Trixy has achieved so much in the industry yet maintains a level of entrepreneurialism and excitement about private lending and what it stands for.
Passionate Visionary | Trixy Castro, Aureus Finance Group
*NOTE: This episode was recorded in May 2022.*
We are kicking off Season 3 with none other than Trixy Castro, founder and CEO of Aureus Finance Group. We were honored to sit down with this industry legend in person and learn more about Trixy and her history as an entrepreneur founding Genesis Capital and Hudson Marshall in the early days of private lending. We learned all about her new vision for Aureus, including how she approached her re-entry into the market after taking a few years off. Trixy has achieved so much in the industry yet maintains a level of entrepreneurialism and excitement about private lending and what it stands for.
Stay Updated
We send emails on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month to alert you of new episodes. Get links, behind-the-scenes content, and messages from Kevin himself.
Meet the Host
Kevin Kim, Esq.
Kevin Kim is a Partner with Geraci LLP and leads the firm's corporate & securities practice. His expertise lies in fund formation, private placements, and other securities offerings for private lenders, real estate developers and investors of all sizes. Kevin and his team have advised and prepared hundreds of securities offerings including mortgage funds, structured debt offerings, real estate syndications, crowdfunding offerings, EB-5 projects, and Qualified Opportunity Funds. Kevin passion lies in serving his clients as a pragmatic advisor focusing on real world solutions.
Kevin is also a nationally recognized expert in mortgage fund formation. Kevin is the lead instructor for the American Association of Private Lender’s Certified Fund Manager courses, where he teaches mortgage fund managers throughout the United States on fund management and securities laws.
Kevin hosts the podcast Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim, where he interviews industry leaders, friends, and colleagues in the private lending space to learn what makes them tick.
Previous Episodes
Special Episode: Mid-Year Outlook
The Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim podcast hosted a special livestream featuring industry legends Daren Blomquist, VP of Market Economics at Auction.com and Rick Sharga, Executive Vice President at ATTOM.
Watch the recording of May 18th LIVE episode and hear these industry leaders’ thoughts on housing demand, build to rent, interest rates, inflation, and everyone’s favorite doomsday question: is a recession coming?
Renaissance Man | Dennis Baranowski, Geraci LLP
In this season’s final episode, Kevin sits down with his partner Dennis Baranowski, aka The Beard, aka The Wise One. Although he’s a partner in the Banking & Finance division of Geraci, Dennis’ skills extend to litigation, foreclosure, TCPA, and even bankruptcy. Dennis ultimately led Kevin through his career journey that resulted in his partnership at the firm. They discussed his working at big law, in-house, and then with Geraci. As a bonus, Kevin asked Dennis questions sent in from some of Dennis’ favorite clients. Please join us for another great episode to close out Season 2!
The Importance of Data | Sharon Koh, 1839 Asset Management LLC
In this episode, Kevin sits down with Sharon Koh with 1839 Asset Management. We learned about the evolution of 1839’s history in the space and Sharon’s views on the industry’s trend toward DSCR. We also learned about their long history in the industry working with lenders since before the “boom” in 2016. As an asset manager for life companies, Sharon’s perspective on the industry is unique. Finally, we got to know Sharon’s backstory coming from Singapore and transitioning from senior executive in Fortune 500 companies to RIA / Entrepreneur.
Deliberate Decisions | Michael Schumacher and Chris Meinhardt, Enact Partners
In this episode filmed at Geraci’s Irvine office, Kevin interviews Michael Schumacher and Chris Meinhardt from longtime client Enact Partners. He learned about Michael’s unique perspective as a construction lender and how he utilizes his experience as a developer, city councilman, and lender to evaluate trends in the market and underwrite quality loans for his investors. Kevin also enjoyed getting to know Michael’s newest partner, Chris, who is a former banker and U.S. Marine. This was a fun one, so be sure to listen in!
A True Family Office | Huy Do, PrideCo Capital
For this episode, Kevin sat down with Huy Do, managing partner at PrideCo Capital, during the California Mortgage Association Fall Seminar. Everybody in the industry knows Huy, but very few know the story behind PrideCo or Huy’s background. They talked about PrideCo’s decision to jump into the private lending sector, Huy’s excitement about the industry, and Huy’s philosophy regarding networking, family, and business.
Competitive Advantage | Dalton Elliott, Lima One Capital
For this episode, Kevin sat down with Dalton Elliott at Lima One Capital. Dalton shared the tale of the founding of Lima One, discussed its growth, and discussed its recent acquisition by MFA. This was a very informative episode on learning how to grow and scale quickly. Their focus on training and culture combined with their obsession with growth has really taken them very far in such a short time. Another great part of this episode was hearing about how Dalton, like many of his colleagues, joined the firm fresh out of college, and remained loyal to the company thanks to these values and focus points. Tune in to learn more!
Private Lending OG | Beth O’Brien, CoreVest Finance
This time, Kevin sat down with the inimitable Beth O’Brien, Founder of CoreVest Finance. During this episode, Kevin learned about Beth’s “maniacal obsession” with being a true cradle-to-grave lender starting in 2011. Over the past ten years, CoreVest has achieved significant growth, $12B in origination, with multiple securitizations under their belt. Beth has ensured the firm’s ability to scale the business through focusing on standardization. Their “Burgers, Fries, and Shakes” approach to their lending business was an intentional construct from Day 1 in 2011 and remains true to this day – why? It allows their business to scale but also prepares them for securitization at the origination stage. Listen in to learn more!
Facilitating Deal Flow | Eric Abramovich, Roc360
Eric from Roc360 joined Kevin for a great interview. They took a trip down memory lane, talking about the Private Lending Industry’s evolution from Eric’s perspective and how Roc has grown right alongside it. He learned about Roc’s holistic approach and drive to be a full-service capital provider to the space. Kevin and Eric also talked about the challenges in operating a business during COVID in New York.
Special Episode: Mid-Year Outlook
The Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim podcast hosted a special livestream featuring industry legends Daren Blomquist, VP of Market Economics at Auction.com and Rick Sharga, Executive Vice President at ATTOM.
Watch the recording of May 18th LIVE episode and hear these industry leaders’ thoughts on housing demand, build to rent, interest rates, inflation, and everyone’s favorite doomsday question: is a recession coming?
Renaissance Man | Dennis Baranowski, Geraci LLP
In this season’s final episode, Kevin sits down with his partner Dennis Baranowski, aka The Beard, aka The Wise One. Although he’s a partner in the Banking & Finance division of Geraci, Dennis’ skills extend to litigation, foreclosure, TCPA, and even bankruptcy. Dennis ultimately led Kevin through his career journey that resulted in his partnership at the firm. They discussed his working at big law, in-house, and then with Geraci. As a bonus, Kevin asked Dennis questions sent in from some of Dennis’ favorite clients. Please join us for another great episode to close out Season 2!
The Importance of Data | Sharon Koh, 1839 Asset Management LLC
In this episode, Kevin sits down with Sharon Koh with 1839 Asset Management. We learned about the evolution of 1839’s history in the space and Sharon’s views on the industry’s trend toward DSCR. We also learned about their long history in the industry working with lenders since before the “boom” in 2016. As an asset manager for life companies, Sharon’s perspective on the industry is unique. Finally, we got to know Sharon’s backstory coming from Singapore and transitioning from senior executive in Fortune 500 companies to RIA / Entrepreneur.
Deliberate Decisions | Michael Schumacher and Chris Meinhardt, Enact Partners
In this episode filmed at Geraci’s Irvine office, Kevin interviews Michael Schumacher and Chris Meinhardt from longtime client Enact Partners. He learned about Michael’s unique perspective as a construction lender and how he utilizes his experience as a developer, city councilman, and lender to evaluate trends in the market and underwrite quality loans for his investors. Kevin also enjoyed getting to know Michael’s newest partner, Chris, who is a former banker and U.S. Marine. This was a fun one, so be sure to listen in!
A True Family Office | Huy Do, PrideCo Capital
For this episode, Kevin sat down with Huy Do, managing partner at PrideCo Capital, during the California Mortgage Association Fall Seminar. Everybody in the industry knows Huy, but very few know the story behind PrideCo or Huy’s background. They talked about PrideCo’s decision to jump into the private lending sector, Huy’s excitement about the industry, and Huy’s philosophy regarding networking, family, and business.
Competitive Advantage | Dalton Elliott, Lima One Capital
For this episode, Kevin sat down with Dalton Elliott at Lima One Capital. Dalton shared the tale of the founding of Lima One, discussed its growth, and discussed its recent acquisition by MFA. This was a very informative episode on learning how to grow and scale quickly. Their focus on training and culture combined with their obsession with growth has really taken them very far in such a short time. Another great part of this episode was hearing about how Dalton, like many of his colleagues, joined the firm fresh out of college, and remained loyal to the company thanks to these values and focus points. Tune in to learn more!
Private Lending OG | Beth O’Brien, CoreVest Finance
This time, Kevin sat down with the inimitable Beth O’Brien, Founder of CoreVest Finance. During this episode, Kevin learned about Beth’s “maniacal obsession” with being a true cradle-to-grave lender starting in 2011. Over the past ten years, CoreVest has achieved significant growth, $12B in origination, with multiple securitizations under their belt. Beth has ensured the firm’s ability to scale the business through focusing on standardization. Their “Burgers, Fries, and Shakes” approach to their lending business was an intentional construct from Day 1 in 2011 and remains true to this day – why? It allows their business to scale but also prepares them for securitization at the origination stage. Listen in to learn more!
Facilitating Deal Flow | Eric Abramovich, Roc360
Eric from Roc360 joined Kevin for a great interview. They took a trip down memory lane, talking about the Private Lending Industry’s evolution from Eric’s perspective and how Roc has grown right alongside it. He learned about Roc’s holistic approach and drive to be a full-service capital provider to the space. Kevin and Eric also talked about the challenges in operating a business during COVID in New York.