Adrian Edery, 25

Adrian Edery got an earlier start than most tackling his commercial real estate finance career despite math being one of his weaker subjects in school. 

Edery, who struggled in algebra, quickly discovered at age 18 a passion for numbers when it came to making sure the math worked for CRE loans after he joined brokerage Paradigm six months after graduating from high school. He entered Paradigm, which was founded by his father Michael Edery in 1997, after previously brokering small business loans for six months, and soon realized the CRE debt space was the ideal landing spot. 

“I still don’t know algebra, but if I’m sitting with someone and they have a construction loan or they want to talk about a bridge loan, I could go through all the numbers in my head and tell them this is what I could get for you without touching a calculator,” Edery said. “It’s just different to me than regular math and makes more sense. It’s like a puzzle.”

While his early days at Paradigm were a learning curve, Edery gradually found his footing by tackling more deals, and larger ones, that incorporated multiple layers of the capital stack. 

In his seven years at the firm, he has closed nearly $1 billion in loans as the main underwriter without the large teams other brokerage shops have.

Working at a smaller boutique firm of fewer than 10 people has helped Edery more quietly grow into the debt broker profession and also helped give Paradigm a competitive advantage in a higher interest rate environment. 

“We have a very hands-on approach and we do not push our loans to specific lenders,” Edery said. “We make it our business to know who is going to execute in this market.”

When not arranging loans, Edery enjoys ice hockey, a sport he played competitively growing up.