Looking In

July 10, 2024 by

I’m an associate on the conventional production team in New York, reporting to Nicole Goodman and Ian Monk. I work with originators on sizing and screening potential loan transactions and drafting loan submission packages, so I’m basically responsible for the journey of the loan from the initial request to sending it off to our underwriting team once the loan is secured.

Besides working alongside creative and knowledgeable colleagues, I really enjoy being involved in different types of deals, as no two are ever the same. We receive requests daily for those with specialized bar structures, repayment executions, affordability programs––the list goes on and on. This exposure has widened my understanding of the industry beyond what I ever expected. I’d argue that what we do is something of an art: we can review the financials to form a cohesive account of a property’s operating history, and make an educated inference on future performance as it relates to the senior loan transaction. I personally also enjoy putting together a package for a deal, because the storytelling is so fascinating.

Before I was hired three years ago, I interned during the fall of my senior year in college at Project Destined, a leading social impact platform that provides training in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and real estate to students worldwide. I’ve utilized the foundational industry skills that I learned there since my first day in the Lument bullpen. Now it’s kind of a full-circle moment, as I’m the team lead for our internal Project Destined partnership team. I’m continually impressed by Lument’s desire to aid future housing leaders via initiatives like this one, as well as our internal Associate Development Program, which I’m also involved in.

Lument’s exemplary work culture is what motivated me to join the company, and makes me excited to come to the office. It’s deeply collaborative and encouraging––I know I can always connect with someone, either on my team or outside of it, and work with them to sort out any challenge that I’m facing. Everyone is welcoming and generous with their insights here, and I’m never hesitant to reach out for help.

I’ve also found our corporate culture to be very inclusive–which is the opposite of what I expected to feel as a Hispanic woman, especially when I was searching for a job in commercial real estate after college. I almost started to believe that there wasn’t a place for me in this industry, but Lument quickly helped me realize that was the furthest thing from the truth. I’ve definitely been given the chance to prove myself here. Lument also fosters a safe environment that allows us to speak freely from our individual perspectives, and clearly values our respective opinions.

One of my proudest accomplishments at Lument so far is my work with Project Destined. Besides acting as team lead, I’ve also served as a mentor and judge during our fall internship program. The program is structured as a “Shark Tank”-style competition internship, in which participants present what they learn based on a commercial real estate case study. As a judge, I ask the participants questions and rate their presentations based on certain criteria. In these roles, I’ve been able to provide students with industry insight and knowledge that I had sought when I was an intern there.

Something that my colleagues may not know about me is my passion for solo travel. I’ve taken six solo trips since my first one in 2019, before I joined the company–primarily to Europe, and also to Jamaica, which I really enjoyed. I encourage everyone to travel alone at least once, whether it be a weekend trip an hour away or a six-hour flight across the world. I’ve not only been able to experience new cultures and landscapes, but I’ve learned more about myself than I ever had before.

May 28, 2024 by

I’m an associate director on the conventional production team, reporting to Andy Warnock, one of our originators. I’ve been his dedicated analyst since 2014, focusing primarily on market-rate multifamily housing. I do anything he needs to bring in loans for Lument. From preparing the preliminary analysis through engaging the loans, I help to quarterback that process (alongside Gerry Wallace and Hunter Holton). The lion’s share of the work is upfront, in securing the loan. Once that happens, it shifts over to our underwriting team, then through the closing process and afterward. Throughout the process, I act as a liaison between the client and Lument’s team to resolve any issues that arise.

The most satisfying element is when we can use thoughtful analysis to provide clients with outside-the-box solutions. Obviously, there are guidelines and requirements for originating loans through government-sponsored programs we work with, like FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac. That said, we still find creative ways to arrive at the best solution for the client while adhering to the necessary parameters.

I’ve been at Lument nearly 20 years, and one of my proudest accomplishments during these two decades has been my transition from one side of the business to the other. I joined RED Capital Group, Lument predecessor, in 2004 as an accountant. In 2013, when ORIX USA moved most of its accounting roles to Dallas, I stayed in Columbus and applied for an analyst position, despite my complete lack of experience on that side of the business. Luckily, I was offered the job–and soon afterward, in 2014, when the company decided to pair some loan originators with dedicated analysts, I began working with Andy. Since the start of this second stage of my career, our team has closed nearly $4 billion in loans–another point of pride for me.

Lument’s corporate culture is very welcoming and ambitious, which I appreciate. As colleagues, we truly care about each other, which is a vital first step towards our success. It’s a great group of people–in general, there’s a consistent emphasis on helping one another to grow. When you’re doing mortgage lending, business can ebb and flow due to outside factors like inflation interest rate fluctuations. But that doesn’t keep us from pushing ourselves to do our best.

Something that many people might not know about me is that in another life, I would have loved to be a professional golfer. I’m also a huge ultimate frisbee fan––I played through college on the club team and have played in the Columbus summer league since 2005. One thing that’s great about it is there’s no age limit––a lot like golf! I have a daughter who’s eight, and my wife has started to ask me if I think I’ll be able play until my daughter might want to join the league when she turns 16. Hopefully I can hold out another few years after that until my other daughter, who’s four years younger, can join too. I also look forward to them joining me on the golf course!

January 22, 2024 by

My role consists of many various tasks and responsibilities. As an executive assistant I support Rick Warren, a senior managing director and the head of real estate capital markets. In addition to Rick, I support the production and credit teams in our Irvine office. On the production side I am involved with coordinating local conferences such as CMBA and CREF and I provide regional level support with MBA and NMHC. I appreciate the opportunity to travel to different cities across the country, meet new colleagues and support the conferences we attend. The support I provide to the credit team involves processing deal related invoices for third party reports.

As the office manager, I make sure the Irvine office runs smoothly, making for a comfortable and informative workplace. The office culture has changed in recent years (since COVID) as most employees now work three times a week in the office. My role includes making sure mail and packages are distributed, equipment is functioning, the kitchen is stocked, and working with property management. I will be the liaison between corporate management and property management, contractors, and various vendors during an upcoming office “facelift.” Whatever needs to get done – bring it on.

I’ve been at Lument for 14 years—that says a lot. At many companies, executive assistants and office managers tend to get lost in the shuffle. At Lument, however, they really care about employees as individuals. The culture is also very collaborative, when a challenge arises, everybody comes together to find a solution. I take satisfaction from my job in different ways and am proud that I keep the trains running on time. People know that I’m always there to lend a helping hand. I try very hard to make everyone feel welcome, comfortable, and well equipped to get their jobs done.

Forging relationships with colleagues is one of my favorite parts of the job. I love the camaraderie that develops from our in-office social events for various holidays throughout the year. For the big holiday parties, I’ll often do the cooking and decorating the office myself.

As more people work remotely, it can be harder to feel connected, particularly if you’re new to the company. We try to gather at least once a month for an in-office lunch. These meetings give us a chance to talk more casually about both how work is going and about our lives in general.

Giving back to local communities is another part of the Lument culture. Our office participates in the local Habitat for Humanity projects, and we are active in local community service engagements.

November 14, 2023 by

I am a product manager for the predictive analytics at Lument. Essentially, I serve as a bridge between Lument’s software development team and the end users of our products. My nine team members and I focus on maintaining and improving Artemis—the company’s internal application for market data and quick property valuations.

A big part of my job involves meeting with stakeholders—including Lument originators, asset managers, and underwriters, as well as external investors—to better understand how they use our tools. For example, I often interview clients and ask about their investing experiences.

I also do a lot of what we call “acceptance testing.” The goal is to make sure that stakeholders like what we’re building and that we’re putting things in the most intuitive places for them. Basically, there’s a lot of discovery that I do to figure out how we might be able to streamline our technology.

Before joining Lument in 2021, I had no experience in commercial real estate. I did my master’s degree in electrical engineering; after graduating, I worked at several advanced research labs, where I worked on topics like driverless cars, quantum computers, and neural implants. Later, when I decided to pursue software development at the corporate level, I was looking for a company that really prioritizes technology and innovation—and I’ve definitely found that here.

In the business and tech world, artificial intelligence is obviously very hot now. Unfortunately, using cool tools like ChatGPT is harder for our industry; we deal with a lot of proprietary information that we must safeguard and keep private. But we are definitely exploring how generative AI can be applied to save us time and improve our offerings.

Beyond the fun of solving difficult technical problems, I think my favorite part of the job is that people here are easy to talk to, as well as entrepreneurial and experimentative. That culture is visible in the kinds of conversations I have with colleagues. Our originators, for instance, frequently come to me and say, “How about doing this a different way?” Or they’ll say, “What would it take to change that up?”

This spirit of creativity and openness to trying new things makes my job easier, as well as more interesting and impactful. My engineering colleagues at Lument are some of the most capable that I’ve ever worked with—and I’ve worked with some really smart people in industry and academia. Overall, it’s a fantastic team to be a part of, both on a personal and professional level.

October 24, 2023 by

I run the day-to-day accounting operations for Lument’s Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage banking businesses. This includes managing and reviewing transactions related to the lifecycle of loans—from application to rate lock to closing to settlement. As part of these duties, my four-person team, based in New York and Dallas, is responsible for gathering supporting documents to ensure that ~~all~~ transactions are recorded correctly and are available for our auditors. Risks and controls have to be at the forefront of accounting.

One aspect of my job that I really enjoy is the ability to learn from the people I work with. Everyone can teach you something interesting. “A motivated and talented staff can be the difference between success and failure” I’ve learned a lot about how to manage my own staff from Jim Briggs, who is Lument’s chief accounting officer. I’ve worked with Jim for 14 years; in good times and bad, he always uses the kind of language and tone of voice that makes everybody feel at ease, which is super important to me.

As both a Hispanic woman and an immigrant, I’ve certainly had to overcome many challenges throughout my life to get to where I am now. But at the same time, I’ve been blessed to work for a company where I don’t feel my managers focus on my ethnicity or on other labels that might be attached to me. Instead, I’m treated as a unique individual who is measured simply by how effectively I do my job.

However, my path to a career in commercial real estate was definitely not a direct one. I moved to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic when I was 12. And when I first enrolled at Baruch College, part of the City University of New York, I planned to become a teacher. However, I eventually changed track and graduated with a business degree. While in college, I worked for a medium sized accounting firm proofreading financial statements and doing bookkeeping services for an Airline based in Spain. Later, I worked as an auditor at Ernst & Young. In 2004, I joined CharterMac, a predecessor company of Lument. Next year will be my 20^th anniversary here.

The good news is that I continue to feel very welcome. That’s partly because Lument has built a strong culture of inclusion. That’s evident in the resources they offer to help everyone grow and thrive. For instance, Jennifer Shapiro-Lee, a psychotherapist, was hired to offer weekly wellness classes at no charge to employees. Through Jennifer, I learned valuable lessons on important topics like work-life balance, self-care, and gratitude. At the end of the day, you need to feel happy where you work, and people need to feel comfortable.

I’m a proud mom of 13-year-old twin girls, who keep me busy. I also love giving back to the community. I’m a hair donor. On weekends, I’m very active in my church, where I teach first communion and confirmation classes, U.S. History and English to non-native speakers. Other hobbies of mine include dancing merengue music, cooking delicious Italian food, and knitting. In fact, last winter, I knitted warm winter hats for everyone in the New York office’s mailroom—never a bad thing for the cold months ahead! Some ladies at the NY office are enjoying knitted Airpods holders.

September 27, 2023 by

Before joining Lument predecessor Hunt Real Estate Capital in 2018, I spent years working as an underwriter. Eventually, though, I reached a stage where I was ready to take my career in a different direction, which meant taking a step towards the production side.

It’s a career turn that’s definitely been for the best, offering me great opportunities for professional growth. In my current job in FHA affordable multifamily production, I wear a few hats. I serve as an internal resource to Lument’s FHA originators, assisting with screening, structuring, and executing refinance and construction loans. I also work closely with the FHA multifamily analyst team on initial loan sizings to provide loan summaries for clients.

Another hat involves taking meetings and calls with originators and their clients, educating them on HUD programs; on some transactions, I stay involved through closing and construction. Finally, I support Lument’s FHA production platform with marketing efforts, with internal and external resources like underwriting models, and by being a company ambassador to HUD offices around the country.

There are many reasons I enjoy showing up for work. I love helping people. I also love solving problems, especially knotty math ones. And I have the good fortune to do plenty of both in my role. But what I probably enjoy most are the frequent, stimulating interactions that I have with Lument’s originators, underwriters, and their clients.

One way I add value to the company is by taking nuanced, complicated loan products and explaining them to colleagues in a way that they can quickly and easily digest. Over the past few years, I’ve also helped grow our FHA analyst support group to the point where it’s now well established. I’m proud of my team’s collective achievements: 2020 and 2021, in particular, were especially great years for our FHA business.

As for what it’s like to work at Lument, it’s a big company that nevertheless manages to be genuinely welcoming. I can also attest that Lument is filled with really good people who are truly fun to work with. And that makes coming to both my physical office in Washington, D.C., and to my virtual office a joy. This camaraderie manifests itself in other ways, including support for Lument’s DEI initiatives and engagement with nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity. It’s obvious from their actions that my colleagues care about each other, as well as the communities they work in.

My group is also extremely entrepreneurial. That’s because the more originators that we can assist in executing FHA transactions, the better we do. In fact, we operate like a small consulting team within the firm. Our mission is to continuously improve Lument’s FHA underwriting machine. And it’s on our shoulders to achieve it. Thankfully, leaders here at Lument are always very encouraging to people with new ideas.