Aidan McLaughlin, 30

Growing up in Kennebunkport, Maine, Aidan McLaughlin developed a passion for hobbies like fly fishing and duck hunting. These prompted him to minor in environmental studies at Middlebury College to go along with an economics major. McLaughlin then found the ideal pairing for his combined interests when he joined Greenworks Lending (now Nuveen Green Capital) closing commercial property assessed clean energy (C-PACE) loans.

McLaughlin’s career growth since joining Nuveen Green Capital as an analyst in 2018 has come in tandem with the rise of the lender and of the C-PACE sector overall, which entered the year nearing $10 billion of loans since Greenworks closed the first rated C-PACE deal in 2017. He moved to Portland, Ore., in 2021 to help lead C-PACE originations on the West Coast, with much of his time devoted to educating borrowers about a new financing vehicle that is still unfamiliar to many.

“It has its challenges and ups and downs, but overall it’s been a really positive experience, especially in the Northwest, where sustainability is huge,” McLaughlin said. “The development communities here are really strong. So once you start getting in, it starts to spread as people start understanding the program better.”

Since his westward move, McLaughlin has managed a number of transactions, including the first C-PACE deal in Alaska. He has closed around $250 million of loans in the past two years, including a $47 million C-PACE loan in early 2024 as part of an overall $89 million construction financing package for VP Companies to build a retail winery development in Woodinville, Wash. 

“Our primary goal is to continue to work with institutional borrowers and institutional lenders, and build out C-PACE into more of a household name,” McLaughlin said.