Latest Episode
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First to Market: A Conversation with John Beacham
John Beacham, CEO of Toorak Capital Partners, joins Kevin Kim for a special episode of Lender Lounge, produced in collaboration with the American Association of Private Lenders. John shares his extensive journey in the finance industry, detailing his transition from investment banking to leading one of the most recognized firms in the private lending sector. The discussion covers the evolution of real estate finance, the impact of market crises, and the strategic maneuvers that have shaped Toorak’s success. John is an experienced entrepreneur who has completed more than $50 billion in transactions over his 25-year career and has structured CMBS or financings that were honored with multiple “Deal of the Year” awards. Prior to Toorak, Mr. Beacham was the founder and President of B2R Finance, the leading mortgage origination company focused on the single-family rental (SFR) and residential bridge loan markets. B2R Finance (now Finance of America Commercial) is a Blackstone portfolio company. Before founding B2R SFR platform, Mr. Beacham originated large balance commercial real estate loans in the CMBS group at Deutsche Bank and worked in the financial institution’s investment banking groups at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse First Boston.
![](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/John_Beacham_COVER_ART-768x768.png)
First to Market: A Conversation with John Beacham
John Beacham, CEO of Toorak Capital Partners, joins Kevin Kim for a special episode of Lender Lounge, produced in collaboration with the American Association of Private Lenders. John shares his extensive journey in the finance industry, detailing his transition from investment banking to leading one of the most recognized firms in the private lending sector. The discussion covers the evolution of real estate finance, the impact of market crises, and the strategic maneuvers that have shaped Toorak’s success. John is an experienced entrepreneur who has completed more than $50 billion in transactions over his 25-year career and has structured CMBS or financings that were honored with multiple “Deal of the Year” awards. Prior to Toorak, Mr. Beacham was the founder and President of B2R Finance, the leading mortgage origination company focused on the single-family rental (SFR) and residential bridge loan markets. B2R Finance (now Finance of America Commercial) is a Blackstone portfolio company. Before founding B2R SFR platform, Mr. Beacham originated large balance commercial real estate loans in the CMBS group at Deutsche Bank and worked in the financial institution’s investment banking groups at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse First Boston.
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Meet the Host
![Kevin Kim](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ll-1.jpg)
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's 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
![lender-lounge-with-kevin-kim-zach-lofton](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Season-1-Ep-14-768x768.png)
What’s in a Name? I Zack Lofton, Loan Ranger Capital
On the road in Texas, Kevin visited with Zack Lofton with Loan Ranger Capital. He got to learn about their “garage band debt fund” and how Loan Ranger has grown rapidly in a short period of time in the central Texas market. Kevin and Zack also talked about building the brand, staying lean and mean, and growing a great company culture. He also got to learn about Zack’s background as a Chartered Financial Analyst and learn how he grew the business from a solo operation.
![lender-lounge-with-kevin-kim-vincent-balagia](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Season-1-Ep-13-768x768.png)
Entrepreneur at Heart | Vincent Balagia, Stallion Capital Management
For this episode, Kevin took a trip to visit with Vincent Balagia at Stallion Capital’s headquarters in Austin, Texas. Vincent shared more about the history of Stallion Capital and discussed his perspective on leadership and culture. They also had a lively discussion about the local market conditions in central Texas. Listen in to learn more.
![lender-lounge-with-kevin-kim-peter-steigleder](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Season-1-Ep-12-768x768.png)
Candid Chat with the Best Dressed Man in Lending | Peter Steigleder, Fidelity Mortgage Lenders
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Peter Steigedler, the best-dressed man in Hard Money! Listen in to learn more about Peter’s career path at the German consulate, to real estate broker, to principal at Fidelity Mortgage Lenders – one of the oldest shops in private lending. Kevin got know Peter as a person as well as they discussed his work with the Guardians of Los Angeles Jewish Home.
![lender-lounge-with-kevin-kim-innovate-edition](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Season-1-Ep-11-768x768.png)
Innovate Special Edition | Kristina Sawyer, Arixa Capital; Ruben Izgelov, WeLend LLC; Vincent Balagia, Stallion Capital
Geraci’s Innovate Conference for 2021 was a massive success. While we were there with all of our wonderful clients and friends, Kevin had the opportunity to interview Kristina Sawyer with Arixa Capital, Ruben Izgelov with WeLend, and Vincent Balagia with Stallion Capital. The purpose of this episode was to get a better understanding of their local markets. All three individuals have immense expertise of their local and surrounding geographies and shared their insights on where the market was headed. One interesting point was how popular ADUs are in all three markets. Listen in and learn more!
![lender-lounge-with-kevin-kim-kevin-werner](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Season-1-Ep-10-768x768.png)
Champion of Culture and Customer Service | Kevin Werner, Renovo Financial
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Kevin Werner with Renovo Financial. The Kevin’s discussed the history of Renovo, its values, and its steady growth over its 10-year life cycle. They went into a pretty deep discussion on this episode, talking about their expansion philosophy, their internal culture, and their obsession with customer service. Listen in to learn more.
![lender-lounge-with-kevin-kim-scott-rerucha](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Season-1-Ep-9-768x768.png)
Keeping It In-House | Scott Rerucha, Legacy Group Capital
For this episode, Scott Rerucha, CEO and founder of Legacy Group Capital in Washington state, joined Kevin to discuss the unique way the firm built their business and avoided a single foreclosure in their 10-year history. Scott discussed his background as a banker, investor, and private lender and how that has affected his ideas about the firm’s growth, the Legacy team, and values as a company.
![lender-lounge-with-kevin-kim-jason-gilbert](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Season-1-Ep-8-768x768.png)
From Soup to Nuts, Industry Passion from the Ground Up | Jason Gilbert at Armanino LLP
A partner at Armanino who leads the Real Estate Investment Fund practice, Jason Gilbert and Kevin go way back. Listen in to learn more about Jason’s story coming up at Armanino, serving the private lending industry, and becoming partner.
![lender-lounge-with-kevin-kim-melissa-martorella](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Season-1-Ep-7-768x768.png)
Journey to the Top | Melissa Martorella, Geraci LLP
In this episode, Kevin sat down with Melissa Martorella, Geraci LLP’s newest partner. As the department head for Geraci’s banking & finance team, Melissa shared the journey that brought her to embrace her new role. Listen in to learn more about Melissa as a person and her role at the firm.
![lender-lounge-with-kevin-kim-curt-altig](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Season-1-Ep-6-768x768.png)
The Sleeping Giant | Curt Altig, Builders Capital
For episode 6, Kevin interviewed Curt Altig, founding principal of Builders Capital, a national private lender focused on construction lending. Listen in to learn how Curt started Builders Capital and grew the company with the help of his world-class leadership team.
![lender-lounge-with-kevin-kim-greg-hebner](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Season-1-Ep-5-768x768.png)
Blazing into 2021 with Lessons from the Past | Greg Hebner, Arixa Capital
In this episode, Kevin sat down with Greg Hebner, the managing director and portfolio manager at Arixa Capital. With over 20 years of experience in real estate, Greg has been on all sides of the private lending business from origination, loss mitigation, accounting, and asset management. Listen in to learn more about Greg as a person, professional, and industry leader.
![](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/LL-season3-v2_S3E9-09-768x768.png)
Game Changer | Paul Rahimian, Parkview Financial
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Paul Rahimian, who has become a household name in the construction business, at Parkview Financials’ headquarters in West Los Angeles. Paul emphasized how he has remained true to his original thesis of creativity and capital preservation, even as he now competes with institutional lenders across the U.S.
![](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/LL-season3-v2_S3E9-08-768x768.png)
Lend to Live | Beth Johnson & Alex Breshears, Flynn Family Lending / Lend2Live
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Beth Johnson and Alex Breshears to talk about their newest book, Lend2Live, and the story behind the book. The three discussed the industry’s dislocation, the importance of small, local lenders, and the difference between “private money lending” and “hard money lending / private lending.”
![Lender Lounge Season 3 Episode 7](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Instagran-Lender-Lounge-Season-3-Episode-7-768x768.png)
Altruistic Entrepreneur | Eddie Wilson, American Association of Private Lenders
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Eddie Wilson, CEO of AAPL and Think Realty. Kevin learned more about Eddie’s personal life, such as his passion for operations, turning businesses around, and choosing businesses that serve a higher purpose. Eddie discussed what he has done to grow AAPL’s footprint and how he installed the grassroots advocacy that allowed AAPL to defeat legislation such as the Florida licensing bill.
![](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LL-season3-v2_S3E6-768x768.png)
Investing in “Personnel” Assets | Justin Ehrlich, Churchill Real Estate
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Justin Ehrlich, founding partner at Churchill Real Estate. Kevin learned more about Churchill’s history as an NPL buyer and how they came to be an asset manager and capital provider to the private lending industry. Justin also dove into the story behind Churchill’s meteoric rise.
![](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LL-season3-E5_S3E5-768x768.png)
Pragmatic Mindset | Jennifer McGuinness, Invigorate Finance
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Jennifer McGuinness, President of Invigorate Finance. Kevin had a great time learning about Jennifer and how her mortgage career was actually a series of “accidents.” Invigorate Finance is a unique private lending business that serves both the consumer and business purpose lending arenas; Jennifer discusses the reasons for this strategy and her philosophy of diversification and pragmatism in approaching her business.
![](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/LL-season3_S3E4v2-768x768.png)
Operational Efficiency | Lisa Alberti and Mark Roberts, Western Alliance Bank
*NOTE: This episode was recorded in June 2022.*
Kevin was delighted to finally interview Mark Roberts and Lisa Alberti from Western Alliance Bank, a company that has become an integral part of the private lending industry. In this episode, Kevin talks to Mark and Lisa about the bank’s history, their backgrounds, and their bank’s philosophy on lender finance and line of credit. Lisa also discusses the new networking group, Women in Private Lending, and the impact a group like this will have on women in this space.
![](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/LL_S3E3-768x768.png)
Reliable Capital | Ray Sturm, AlphaFlow
For this episode, which was recorded during the market volatility of May 2022, Ray Sturm and Kevin sat down and discussed AlphaFlow’s thesis from a technology standpoint, their philosophy when it comes to solving their customer’s challenges, and having discipline when it comes to an ever-changing market.
![engaging speaker](https://geracilawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/thumbnail11-768x432.png)
Special Mini Episode | Ruby Keys, Geraci LLP
We’re dropping this mini episode in your feed to give some insight into Captivate, Geracicon’s upcoming private lending event. Kevin is joined by Ruby Keys, Geraci’s event extraordinaire, to discuss why it is a perfect opportunity for our listeners. Listen in to learn about the event’s capital-raising theme, nationwide attendee presence, and success stories from past years (including Kevin’s!).
Captivate will take place August 21-23, 2022 at the Encore at Wynn in Las Vegas, NV.
More info and registration can be found at our website: https://geracicon.com/captivate