A Conversation with Bill Tessar, CV3 Financial Services
Release Date: 10/16/2023
Cultivating Success Through Connection with Kendra Rommel
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
Kendra Rommel, co-founder of Futures Financial, joins Geraci Partner Jen and Geraci Attorney Nichole for a special “She-Shed” takeover episode of Lender Lounge. Kendra shares her unconventional path from retail to mortgage lending, her early operations experience, and the strategic decisions behind launching Futures with her partner David Rosenberg. The conversation explores balancing personal life and business, building a resilient team, lessons in partnership, and the importance of remaining adaptable in an ever-changing private lending market. Kendra’s story reveals the grit,...
info_outline
Live from Renovo’s Top Gun
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
Kevin Kim hosts a special episode of Lender Lounge on location at Renovo Financial’s Top Gun Event in Los Angeles. Joined by Paul Shaughnessy, a top originator at Renovo, and Kevin Werner, CEO of Renovo Financial, the discussion delves into Renovo's culture of employee investment, relationship-driven lending, and long-term growth strategy. The guests highlight Renovo’s commitment to local market expertise, continuous learning, and a high-performance team culture that drives their success. Insights into client relationships, the importance of local market presence, and future ambitions for...
info_outline
When A Cardinal Appears
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
In this episode of Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim, Briana Hildt, CEO and Founder of Cardinal Capital Group, joins the show to share her remarkable journey in private lending. From starting in asset management to becoming one of Massachusetts' leading private lenders, Briana discusses how she transitioned from a loan broker to launching and scaling her own lending business. She provides insight into the challenges of breaking into the Northeast market, the importance of relationship-driven lending, and how strategic decision-making fueled Cardinal Capital’s success. Briana’s story highlights...
info_outline
A League of Their Own - Guimont Capital
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
In this episode of Lender Lounge, Kevin Kim interviews Daniel Guimont, CEO of Guimont Capital, and Kirsten Lundell Koester, the company's Chief Legal Officer, at their Bellevue office. Daniel and Kirsten share Guimont Capital's journey from its roots as Las Vegas Loans to becoming a diversified lender focused on high-value, diverse projects across the U.S., from real estate to business acquisitions. They discuss the company’s hands-on approach, unique underwriting process, and commitment to borrower relationships, emphasizing both operational experience and the human element in lending....
info_outline
Live At CAPTIVATE
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
Kevin Kim hosts a live episode of Lender Lounge from the Captivate Conference at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas. Joining him are industry veterans Evan Stone, CEO of Champions Funding and Chairman of Community Savings, Dustin Wells, President of Dominion Financial Services Wholesale, and Dave Orloff, CEO of American Heritage Lending. This discussion explores the evolving landscape of private lending, particularly the intersections of consumer and business-purpose lending. The panelists dive into their experiences transitioning from consumer to business-purpose lending, the distinct challenges...
info_outline
Don’t Mess with Texas, Michael Hoffman - Longhorn III
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
In this episode of Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim, Mike Hoffman, CEO and President of Longhorn Investments, joins Kevin to share his journey into private lending and the growth of Longhorn Investments. Starting from a background in law with no real estate experience, Mike stumbled into the world of hard money lending during the 2008 financial crisis. He shares the origins of Longhorn Investments, its expansion beyond Texas, and the unique challenges of building a successful private lending business. Mike also discusses how the company adapted to market changes, including the decision to start a...
info_outline
“Constructive Conversation”- with Ben Fertig, President of Constructive Capital
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
In this episode of Lender Lounge, Kevin Kim welcomes back Ben Fertig. Ben is the founder and President of Constructive Capital, the leading national capital provider for DSCR Rental Loans and Residential Transitional Loans (RTL or Fix and Flip Loans). Prior to Constructive, Ben led Credit and Asset Management at Finance of America Commercial; and, before that, he served as Chief Operator Officer of Jordan Capital Finance, where he managed originations, credit policy, and capital markets. Ben was instrumental in the sale of the Jordan Capital Finance platform to Blackstone and Finance of...
info_outline
First to Market: A Conversation with John Beacham, TOORAK Capital Partners
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
The Lender Lounge is pleased to host a special guest speaker series. Leading up to our next season, we have John Beacham of Toorak Capital Partners as our guest for an open conversation about his career and success. 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...
info_outline
Kevin Kim Answers Private Lending FAQs + Season 4 Recap
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
In this concluding episode of Season 4, Kevin Kim reflects on the insights gained from our guests and addresses common questions from our listeners, particularly those new to private lending. Kevin discusses licensing for private lenders, emphasizing the variation in requirements across states and the importance of compliance and understanding securities laws, even when raising funds from family and friends. He also explores the challenges and opportunities of raising capital from international investors and the intricacies of fractionalized loans. He shares his observations on the...
info_outline
A Conversation with Beth O’Brien, Encore Finance
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
Beth O'Brien, a dynamic leader and innovator in the private lending industry, joins Kevin Kim on this episode of Lender Lounge. With her rich background in law, real estate, and securitization, Beth currently spearheads Encore Finance Capital. Her journey encompasses an impressive trajectory from working at renowned institutions like Goldman Sachs and Citi to pioneering her own private lending ventures. Beth's strategic insight and deep understanding of the residential and commercial real estate sectors empower her vision at Encore. This conversation expands on the nuances of private lending,...
info_outlineWilliam J. Tessar is one of private lending’s most successful and inspiring leaders. From founding four companies in the conventional space to spearheading the remarkable success of Civic Financial Services, his journey offers invaluable insights to those new or veteran in private mortgage lending. Today, at the helm of CV3, Bill is recreating the magic that existed in each of his previous companies.
Kevin had the pleasure of traveling to CV3 headquarters in El Segundo, CA, to check out the new space and interview Bill. Throughout the conversation, it became clear that Bill puts his team’s success (personal and professional) and happiness first – a concept that too often comes secondary to many businesses – and dives deep with us to get to the core of the fervent loyalty of his employees. They also discuss the complexities of the private lending industry, the effects of regulatory interventions on banks, and more. This is a truly special episode with an extraordinary leader, so dive in now – the Lender Lounge awaits you!
Key topics:
[00:01:05] An overview of Bill’s professional background
[00:08:32] Believing in loan sharking myths, Bill uncovered savvy borrowers with robust credit in hard money lending
[00:10:51] Transitioning from conventional to Bridge Private Lending (BPL) is challenging; partnering may be the solution
[00:14:41] A look into Civic’s acquisition
[00:20:18] How the banking crisis shook Civic
[00:24:26] Regulatory constraints challenge banks operating in private lending; regional relationships are essential
[00:29:06] Unwavering employee loyalty to Bill during Civic's transition
[00:35:29] Bill's approach as CEO: People-first, strategic vision, and fostering a solid workplace culture
[00:40:41] CV3 represents the “core group's” third iteration, emphasizing impactful lending solutions
[00:44:35] Facing stress launching with 160 employees, ensuring resources and creating an independent vision
[00:47:17] Why Bill emphasizes aligning with the best tech, not building from scratch
[00:50:36] Seeing opportunity in distressed real estate
[00:54:46] Reestablishing as a top player through channel expansion and introducing new products
Links:
Learn more about CV3 at https://cv3financial.com/
Learn more about Geraci Law Firm at https://www.geracilawfirm.com
Subscribe to the Lender Lounge newsletter for episode notifications and exclusive content at https://www.geracilawfirm.com/lender-lounge-podcast
Subscribe to the Geraci Law Firm newsletter at https://www.geracilawfirm.com/sign-up