Jacqueline Elezaj.
Jacqueline Elezaj, 34
Chief Operating Officer at Black Mountain Capital
Jacqueline Elezaj has earned the nickname “Jackie of all trades” in her versatile role as chief operating officer at Black Mountain Capital.
Elezaj handles files from start to finish on Black Mountain’s commercial real estate transactions, starting with the preliminary underwriting process. She helps finalize offers and works through appraisal disputes when they arise.
“If needed, I go through and ensure insurance, title and legal are completed without issues, and the coordination of the closing,” Elezaj said. “I interject when any hiccups arise with any third-party items so loans get to the table as quickly as possible.”
Elezaj also facilitates smaller deals that hover around $20 million. Most financings have been on the multifamily side in the New York metropolitan region, but she also works with other property sectors and in other areas of the country, including an $8 million loan for a retail center in Delaware with a 10-year interest-only term. Elezaj worked on that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to becoming Black Mountain’s operations head in 2014, Elezaj held the same position at financial services/investor relations firm Happy Rock Merchant Solutions for five years. She started her commercial real estate career brokering commercial loans at age 19 while in the middle of her undergraduate studies at Baruch College, where she earned a bachelor’s in corporate communication and finance with a minor in psychology.
As for future goals, Elezaj is not thinking small: She said she is eyeing “growth, expansion and becoming a household name in mortgage lending.”—A.C.
