Lima One Capital was founded by two Marine infantry veterans who entered the real estate investment space after serving together on active duty in Ramadi, Iraq. As active real estate investors, they were looking for a better, more flexible and innovative way to acquire funding for their projects. Lima One’s innovative mortgage loans allow investors to acquire, renovate, construct and sell FixNFlip properties (aka residential transition loans “RTL”), acquire or refinance rental properties to hold for long-term investment income (“SFR”), and acquire, renovate and stabilize multifamily apartment properties.
“Our loans provide real estate investors a more cost-effective way to acquire their properties and provide a higher return on their investment. In addition, our loans transform America’s neighborhoods and allow families a better quality of life. Our borrowers acquire properties needing meaningful improvement as well as rental properties that assist families in living in a better quality neighborhood,” said Jeff Tennyson, chief executive officer at Lima One.
The SFR market continues to grow into a vibrant real estate investment industry. In addition, the emergence of an active securitization market and institutional buyers continue to allow lenders to provide competitive interest rates, which creates a better return for all investors on their real estate projects.
“The SFR and RTL markets have matured considerably in the past few years and is a recognized lending/ investment class in its own right,” said Trez Moore, managing director of capital markets at Lima One Capital. “The ‘institutionalization’ of SFR has allowed considerably more liquidity and lower rates for sponsors. We are quite bullish on the prospects of SFR in today’s environment.”
The company expanded significantly over the course of 2018, celebrating over $1 billion of lending. Lima One will continue to invest heavily in technology throughout 2019, allowing for more efficiencies in their closing process, as well as reducing loan costs to deliver an enhanced return for real estate investors. Leveraging technology and automation, Lima One enhances the customer experience by managing the construction process and servicing the loan in-house. It’s their people that make the difference – they recognize that clients want to speak to a knowledgeable real estate professional who will assist in a timely, consistent manner to quickly close loans. They built Lima One by listening to and delivering results for their clients.
“Once you lead over 300 combat missions, you gain a new appreciation for the value of teamwork and core values. These founding principles transcend into our focus on hiring the right people to create a culture that encourages problem solving through results-driven planning,” said John Thompson, co-founder and chief operating officer of Lima One. “We’ve built a collaborative and communicative culture to create a level of innovation and client service that help make our clients’ projects better.”
“As we enter 2019 with plans to continue our national expansion, we’re excited to share the Lima One difference with real estate investors across the United States,” Tennyson said. “We believe this will not only positively impact their investment return, but continue to add an increasing professionalism to private money lending.”
THE EXECUTIVES
Jeff Tennyson, Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Tennyson joined Lima One Capital as CEO in January 2018. Tennyson brings more than 30 years of financial services leadership, operating and executive experience to the company and has held C-level executive roles in both single-family rental and residential mortgage lenders. Tennyson is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a BBA degree from Harding University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Tennyson was honored in HousingWire’s 2016 class of Vanguards.
John Thompson, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer
While serving our country for over 20 years in the United States Marine Corps, John Thompson was decorated for “valor” and “heroic achievement” leading over 300 combat missions in Fallujah and Ramadi, Iraq. Upon retiring from active duty, he co-founded Lima One Capital. As chief operating officer, Thompson oversees Lima One Capital’s daily operations. Lima One has been ranked consistently as South Carolina’s Most Ethical Company, Fastest Growing Company, and Best Places to Work.
Trez Moore, Managing Director of Capital Markets
Trez Moore is responsible for positioning Lima One Capital for strong long-term growth through a strategic capital market strategy, oversight of the company’s mortgage-backed securitization activity and ensuring ongoing liquidity for the company’s mortgage lending. Moore has over 40 years of experience in capital markets, origination, and risk in both residential and commercial real estate. He has in-depth knowledge of the primary and secondary mortgage markets, including credit risk and portfolio management, finance, servicing and securitization.
