Grand Rapids, MI – February 1, 2021 – Red Oak Financial, a Michigan-based commercial real estate finance company, added Nicolas “Nick” Jans to the firm’s growing team. He was named Regional Manager and will be based in Texas. 

Jans contributes more than 36 years of industry experience encompassing the origination and closing of in excess of $2.5 billion in commercial real estate financings. He will hold responsibility for originating and processing commercial real estate bridge loans on income producing property across several asset classes. Additional responsibilities involve cultivating and building deal relationships within the mortgage banking and broker community across a multi-state region in the U.S.’s Central Region. 

Red Oak’s Gary Bechtel said, “The toolsets and skills Nick has amassed over the years will serve him well in this new position at Red Oak as we continue to expand our footprint across the country. His skills in cultivating internal and external relationships, resolving complex negotiations, and ability to communicate with his team make him a force on our team.”

Prior to joining Red Oak, Jans served as the Southwest Regional Director for Money360, where he sourced and closed in excess of $140 million in new bridge loans over 30 months. Prior to that, Jans served in leadership positions at Willow Bend Commercial Capital, New York Life Investment Management, and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co (now Barings Real Estate Advisers), with all positions based in Dallas.  

Jans said, “This is the perfect time to join Red Oak because the company’s institutional approach to small balance lending aligns well with my background and skill set. I plan to apply a deep knowledge of commercial real estate financing products and markets to the process of loan origination, underwriting, portfolio management, asset/loan workouts and valuation for the benefit of Red Oak borrowers. Much of this is a result of the longstanding loan broker relationships I am fortunate to have built over the years.”

Jans earned the CCIM designation, is a former Chairman of the Dallas Mortgage Bankers Association’s Commercial Lending Committee, and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Saint Louis University.

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Grand Rapids, MI – January 26, 2021 – Red Oak Capital, a Michigan-based commercial real estate finance company, added Omar Limon to the firm’s growing team. Limon, who brings more than 18 years of wholesale, national account management, and sales experience, will serve as Vice President of Internal Sales. 

Limon will be based in the firm’s Orange County, California office and be responsible Red Oak Capital’s internal sales operations. That includes involvement in marketing the Red Oak Capital Fund V, a Regulation A+, Type II Bond Offering that will target real assets in strong growth markets throughout the U.S. and its territories, as well as other future Red Oak Capital investment vehicles. 

Raymond Davis, Chief Business Development Officer of Red Oak Capital, said, “Red Oak Capital continues to expand our capital raising team to support our national family of funds. It is imperative that we add experienced sales leaders like Omar, who brings a strong background managing alternative investment strategies involving private equity, real estate, Opportunity Zones, 1031 exchanges and non-traded REITs. Omar’s extensive experience working within the Independent Broker/Dealer (IBD) and Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) communities, as well as his expertise managing key accounts in commercial real estate and finance, are expected to contribute to the continued growth of Red Oak Capital.” 

Prior to joining the Red Oak Capital team, Limon served as Vice President of Sales at CM Pacific Capital, where he structured alternative investment strategies, and defined strategic marketing campaigns for the firm, as well as identified key selling partners in the IBD and RIA channels. 

Limon said, “My background collaborating with the broker-dealer community to bring strategic alternative investment opportunities to their clients is matched well with Red Oak Capital’s investment thesis. That approach is anchored on delivering institutional quality underwriting to secure commercial real estate assets in key U.S. markets with top quality and highly experienced sponsors.”

Limon started in commercial real estate and sales in 2003. His experience in the industry includes past roles at Participant Capital, Shopoff Realty Investments, Griffin Capital Securities, and Grubb & Ellis Capital Corporation. A few of Limon’s career highlights include establishing new and current advisor relationships across the Southwest region, as well as working with external wholesalers to cultivate, support, and build relationships with investment advisors who specialize in private placements nationally. 

Limon received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in business finance from California State University Long Beach.

Grand Rapids, MI – January 14, 2021 – Red Oak Financial, a Michigan-based commercial real estate finance company, added David K. Christensen to the firm’s growing team. Christensen, who brings more than 35 years of commercial mortgage experience encompassing a range of refinance, construction, acquisition, mezzanine debt and joint venture equity activity, will serve as Regional Manager, Northwest. He will be based in San Francisco.

Red Oak’s Gary Bechtel said, “David is a perfect fit for the Red Oak team as we expand our platform nationally. His experience and skill sets align well with our strategy of uncovering quality lending opportunities that deliver attractive yields due to the dislocation the marketplace is experiencing today. He brings over three decades of commercial real estate industry knowledge and deal making that spans market expansions, as well as contractions, such as the one we’re currently experiencing.”

Christensen’s deep experience as a lender, as well as his broad-based commercial finance industry contacts and insights will contribute to the continued growth of Red Oak’s capital markets team, while providing critical intelligence to complex transactions. An example of his deal making capability in challenging times was the recent closing of a $21.7-million, two-year bridge loan that was executed in three weeks.

Prior to joining Red Oak, Christensen most recently served as the Northwest Regional Director for Money360, where he expanded mortgage broker relationships and originated loans across the U.S. for the company. Prior to that, Christensen served at Berkadia as Vice President, Mortgage Banking for the firm in its San Francisco office. 

Christensen said, “Under Gary Bechtel’s leadership, Red Oak is positioned to become a market leader in the bridge lending space. Gary has been successful in all of his past endeavors and I look forward to helping in the growing of this platform “

Christensen started in the commercial real estate industry in the 1980’s with Alison Company. After establishing himself, he served 10 years at MassMutual as a lender, expanding the company’s platform in the Western U.S and overseeing its loan syndication group. Christensen’s experience in the industry also includes roles at companies such as Jones Lang Lasalle, Grubb & Ellis Company, and HSH Nordbank. 

His responsibilities at Red Oak will include leading commercial real estate loan origination efforts for the firm’s bridge lending programs, encompassing deal analysis, underwriting, as well as structured financing. Christensen will also serve as a valuable resource for note sales, acquisitions and syndications, as well as strategic marketing to other capital providers. 

He earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing at Chapman University and also earned the CCIM designation.

Grand Rapids, MI – January 12, 2021 – Red Oak Financial, a Michigan-based commercial real estate finance company, funded a $2,812,500 loan for Hunt Manor, a 15-unit apartment community in Washington, D.C.’s Deanwood community. The financing was used to acquire the asset and provide capital improvements that encompassed the conversion of market-rate apartments to affordable housing as part of the District of Columbia Housing Authority’s (DCHA) Housing Voucher Program.

Red Oak’s Gary Bechtel said, “The financing allowed renovations to be completed as part of the government-paid and guaranteed Housing Voucher program that currently has a waiting list exceeding 10,500 people. Deploying capital into deals that deliver a benefit to the overall community is an easy decision for us to make, since this loan involved a conversion of apartments into affordable housing.”

The financing was structured as a 12-month term, with a full return of capital expected within 6-12 months based on the borrower’s previous projects. The sponsor is a repeat borrower and already owns more than 20 multifamily properties in and around the D.C. area. This financing is part of Red Oak’s ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) initiatives that seek to support real estate opportunities that fit ESG guidelines.

Renovations to the property included a full interior rehab, exterior paint and landscaping and each unit receiving its own washer/dryer, water tank and HVAC systems. The revitalization helped bring the property to 100% leased in four months.

The property was constructed in 1951 and consists of a building on a half-acre site at 4400 Hunt Place NE, Washington, D.C. The unit mix includes floorplans of just three-bedrooms/one-baths, with residences averaging 660 square feet in size. The community is located near transportation, job centers, parks, schools and shopping.

Bechtel added, “Red Oak was attracted to this opportunity because the sponsor already has a sizeable portfolio in the area and brought a demonstrated expertise for revitalizing multifamily assets in the area.”