Billy Haber, 31

Billy Haber joined Maxim Capital Group five years ago from Meridian Capital Group, but the move might never have happened had it not been for the feverishly interpersonal nature of commercial real estate. 

Haber interviewed with another firm that liked him but didn’t have an open role that was a good fit. So they took it upon themselves to ring Maxim and try to place him there instead.

“I got back to my desk at Meridian and a random number was calling me. I answered the call, and it was [Maxim managing director and partner] Josh Greene, asking me to come in the following day,” he said. Two meetings and four days later, Haber had accepted an offer — and the rest is history.

Haber has racked up $1.2 billion of originations these past five years, including a $65 million note-on-note financing for Province Apartments in San Gabriel, Calif., and an $86 million loan for 1 Southside Park in Miami. South Florida is one of Maxim’s core markets, and one Haber knows well — he is based in Maxim’s Miami satellite office. 

Private lenders have kept deal wheels turning in the recent round of market dislocation, and the strength of Maxim’s platform has allowed the firm to add new relationships to its client roster by competing where it counts — on speed and certainty of execution. 

“It’s a very relationship-based industry, and the work is very quick paced —  especially on the bridge lending side,” Haber said. “It could be a distress situation, or a typical situation with unconventional circumstances or some hair on the deal and we need to close very quickly.” 

In terms of deal size, Haber’s recent transactions run the gamut. “We closed a deal for $4 million recently, and I also closed a $60 million loan a couple of weeks ago. A good deal is a good deal is a good deal.” 

Haber describes Maxim’s pipeline as “tremendous” but, like every savvy lender, his team is being very selective as the market volatility continues to play out. The camaraderie in his team is one of his favorite parts of the job today, but — as an execution expert — the experience and art of the deal closing is pretty high up there, too. 

“To close a deal with a good borrower, and having that joy personally for closing a good loan as well as seeing the joy that borrower has, then going out to celebrate that closing after you’ve worked so hard on it feels good, and it feels like I’m doing what I’m here to do.”