Latest Episode
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.
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, 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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Private Lending OG | Beth O’Brien, CoreVest Finance
A “Burgers, Fries, and Shakes” mentality has been the key to scaling national private lender CoreVest Finance to great heights. Beth O’Brien, Founder of CoreVest, has been obsessed with offering true cradle-to-grave lending since the company’s founding in 2011 to catapult it through periods of significant growth. In this episode, Beth discusses this consistent focus and how it continues to help the business grow.
Facilitating Deal Flow | Eric Abramovich, Roc360
Eric Abramovich, Co-Founder and CCO of Roc360, takes a trip down memory lane with Kevin, discussing the private lending industry’s evolution from Eric’s perspective and how Roc has grown right alongside it. oc’s holistic approach and drive to be a full-service capital provider to the space has led them to become one of the top lenders in the industry. Kevin and Eric also discussed the challenges in operating a business during COVID in New York.
See a Need, Fill a Need | Steven Trowern, Temple View Capital
Maintaining a startup mentality can work wonders for business growth. Steven Trowern, CEO and Founder of Temple View Capital and MCM Capital, discussed Temple View’s focus on just that, including their history and growth over the years. Kevin and Steve also spent some time comparing the pandemic crisis to the global financial crisis of 2008 – and had some laughs around the TARP program of 2009.
Filling a Void in Private Lending | Rocky Butani, PrivateLenderLink.com
If you’re in the private lending industry, you probably know Rocky Butani with Private Lender Link! Rocky visited Kevin in his office before the California Mortgage Association summer seminar where they discussed the evolution of PLL and where it’s headed. Rocky lives and breathes the private lending space and, in this episode, gives a glimpse into his deep understanding of its dynamics.
True Independent Lender | Renee Lewis, Bloomfield Capital
Renee Lewis, a three-time “Women of Influence” awardee by Real Estate New York, has a wealth of knowledge about private lending. A disciplined partner at Bloomfield Capital, she discusses their view on real estate finance and how they grew their business. Learn about Bloomfield Capital’s strong underwriting, utilization of data, and focused approach to capital used to build their national lending business.
Ahead of the Curve | Chris Hanson, Hanson Capital Group
Chris Hanson’s inspiring 2008 bootstrap story is a true testament to adapting to the market. He shares how he built Hanson Capital’s real estate investment business, the data that drives his decision-making, and how the company built their flat, attitude-focused culture.
Adapting to Industry Changes | Michael Ramin, Sharestates
What’s better than a podcast on the fly? Kevin enjoyed catching up with Michael Ramin – a long-time friend and much-loved industry leader – when they sat down for an impromptu interview during sponsor set-up at Geraci’s Captivate event. Learn about Michael’s journey in private lending as well as Sharestates’ history as a crowdfunding business and multi-disciplined lender.
Act with Honor | William Tessar and Whit McCarthy, CIVIC Financial Services
“Act with Honor” is more than a catchphrase for the team at Civic Financial Services. In this episode, William Tessar and Whit McCarthy discuss the lending giant’s history, the backstory behind their recent merger, and how their unwavering dedication to company culture positively impacts their business.