ASSET BASED MANAGERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Controller
- Member of the Operations Team
- Partner
ABL's controller, Adam Cohen, has over ten years of buy side operational and accounting experience in the finance industry. He received a Bachelor's of Arts in Business and a Bachelor's of Science in Economics from Skidmore College. Prior to joining the firm in 2015, Adam worked for HBMJ Consulting specializing in software implementation and integration, and spent three years at Cerberus Capital Management managing the Private Equity and Real Estate operations department. Additional prior experience includes Shumway Capital Partners as an Operations Associate and Trader's Assistant and US Bank Fund Services division fka Alternative Investment Solutions as Vice President of Operations.
Job Titles:
- Content Marketing Specialist
- Public Relations and Marketing Specialist
Christopher Sicoli is a public relations and marketing specialist that joined Asset Based Lending in September 2020. His love of writing and learning has brought him to ABL where he helps educate investors on market trends, borrower success stories, and loan programs. Previously, he worked for a global hospitality company where he wrote copy for their properties, locations, and website that led to massive increases in viewership and product engagement. He graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a B.A. in Public Relations.
Job Titles:
- COO
- Member of the Underwriting Team
Dan Leyden is a senior financial professional with demonstrated business expertise and innovative leadership from over 25 years of real estate related securities and loan experience. Most recently, he was the COO for Golub Capital, a private equity firm that lends money to middle market companies.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Operations Team
- AVP, Operations
As a Senior Project & Business Developer for Lexis Nexis, Inc., Daniel joined ABL after 8 years at one of the largest Business Research and Risk Management firms in the country. After graduating from the State University of New York at Oswego with a Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations and a Minor in Management, worked for Lexis Nexis as a Data Analyst in the Brooklyn Civil Courthouse. After moving to the Business Development Division for the greater NYC area, Daniel was responsible for managing several on-site data research teams, as well as the expansion and development of the NY Civil Court data collection infrastructure. As A.V.P. of Operations, Daniel has worked closely with the Payoff, Loan Maturity and Collateral Teams to develop and streamline departmental processes, in addition to managing multiple projects. (Fun fact: Daniel attended The Julliard School for Instrumental Jazz)
Eric's marketing experience began at a boutique marketing agency where he developed dozens of successful innovative marketing strategies for brands ranging from startups to Fortune 500s. Prior to joining Asset Based Lending early in 2016, Eric served as the US Chief Marketing Officer for a European enterprise software company where he spearheaded the company's expansion into the United States and Canadian markets. In his current role, Eric leads ABL's Sales and Marketing team tasked with branding, lead generation, and hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of loan originations. In addition to his Sales and Marketing responsibilities, Eric has spearheaded the design and implementation of ABL's CRM and Business Automation systems focused on improving the company's efficiency and scalability. A proud UConn Husky, he graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Economics and also holds a Master's degree in Global Marketing Management from Boston University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Underwriting Team
- Vice President, Underwriting
Greg graduated with a Bachelor's in History and Master's in Business Administration from Binghamton University. Prior to ABL, Greg spent several years with Capital One where he worked as a Commercial Real Estate Underwriter that specialized in multifamily property. Greg financed loans throughout the country ranging from small apartment buildings to large apartment complexes, with loan amounts averaging $50M. He now underwrites bridge and term loans for ABL, working with our borrowers and internal teams to provide the best possible loan terms for each deal. Outside of work, Greg is a proud lifelong New Yorker and an avid traveler that enjoys sports like baseball and football.
Job Titles:
- Area Manager
- Loan Officer
- PA Area Manager
- Pennsylvania Area Manager
Hurley Desper joined the ABL team in 2021 as the Pennsylvania Area Manager to help with the growth of the Pennsylvania markets. With over 15 years of experience as both a lender and investor, he has intimate knowledge of the loan experience including loan origination, residential & commercial financing, servicing, processing, and underwriting. As a Philadelphia native, Hurley wanted to utilize this experience to help spearhead the resurgence of the area's real estate market. His goal is to help new investors achieve their financial goals and show seasoned investors the benefit of the ABL experience. He graduated Temple University with a B.A. and is an alumnus of their football team.
Job Titles:
- AVP, Senior Analyst and Special Projects Coordinator
- in 2020 As a Senior Analyst
Jared joined ABL in 2020 as a Senior Analyst, having Jared graduated from the University of Marlyand with a Bachelor's of Science in Accounting and Marketing, and having earned his CPA in 2015. Prior to joining ABL, Jared was previously a management consultant at Optimity Advisors and Navigant Consulting, focusing on Business Analysis, Business Intelligence, and Process Analysis in the Insurance, Banking, and Capital Markets industries. He later moved to EisnerAmper to work as a forensic accountant, where he focused on corporate fraud investigations, merger and acquisition due diligence, and federal grant accounting oversight. He additionally served as a federal grant underwriter on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for rural broadband development projects.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Underwriting Team
- EVP, Head Underwriter
Jeff started in real estate at KBS Realty Advisors where he handled the asset management of a 2.5m SF commercial portfolio consisting primarily of office and industrial property. He negotiated 500k SF of tenant leases and closed $260m in new real estate acquisitions. Jeff then consulted for several early-stage real estate ventures where he honed his team building and management skills and developed a passion for scaling businesses. Most recently, Jeff was the Head of Underwriting at a national hard money lending firm where he underwrote $750m - $1B in bridge and rental loans annually. Jeff has nearly 20 years of experience in both debt and equity transactions across all asset classes, and he holds a degree in Finance from Bentley University.
Joan joined ABL in 2019 as our senior Loan Processor. She brings 6 years of loan processing experience in the conventional space and 7 years of experience in Human Resources Management. She has a Bachelor's in Business Administration and a MBA in Marketing & Human Resource Management. Joan helps borrowers through ABL's loan closing process easily and quickly while also being able to intelligently respond to the complexities that regularly arise so that our borrowers can get to the finish line. In her spare time, she likes to read mystery novels and spend time with her daughter & family.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Underwriting Team
Kevin Rodman joined Asset Based Lending as a partner in 2014, and brings 30 years' experience in the mortgage industry to the ABL team. Along with Dan and Paul, Kevin is one of ABL's three loan underwriters. Kevin is leading ABL's expansion in New England, with a focus on Connecticut and Massachusetts. Kevin also works on building ABL's strong capital base, which is one of the largest in the hard money lending industry.
Kevin began his career at Morgan Stanley, where he spent 25 years, and served in a variety of roles in the Firm's securities and mortgage businesses. He was President of Morgan Stanley Home Loans, a retail mortgage business, and CEO of Saxon Mortgage, a Morgan Stanley subsidiary focused on mortgage servicing. Kevin was co-head of Morgan Stanley's Prime and Alt-A mortgage conduit, which purchased and serviced mortgages from over 600 mortgage banks across the US. After leaving Morgan Stanley in 2008, Kevin held several senior management roles in the mortgage industry. Kevin holds a BA in Government from Clark University and a MS in Energy Management and Policy from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mailena Telegadas joined the ABL team in 2021 as a Loan Officer to help manage the firm's growth in the Florida market. Her previous experience includes several years in leasing and property management where she discovered her passion for the real estate business and became an expert on industry details. She is fluent in both English and Spanish, allowing her to communicate with borrowers in their preferred language. Mailena has been a Florida native for most of her life: she was born in Cuba and moved to Florida when she was 9 years old, residing in Jacksonville to this day. When she is not at work, she enjoys traveling and reading.
Job Titles:
- Asset Based Lending As a Vice President and Area Manager
- Vice President, New England
- Vice President, New England Area Manager
Michael Chadwick joined Asset Based Lending as a Vice President and Area Manager in December 2020, bringing with him over 20 years of real estate and financial services experience in the New England area. Prior to ABL, Michael was responsible for developing and directing the day to day operations for a private lender in the north east where he led the origination and underwriting of over $150 million in loans across 5 states. In addition to Michael's hard money lending and commercial finance background, Michael has hands on experience as a real estate investor having led a private investment firm through the acquisition and renovation of approximately 150 homes throughout New England.
Michael is an expert in managing hard money loans for real estate, with experience in assets ranging from single-family fix and flips to 7-figure multi-family new construction projects and everything in between. His skillset spans many aspects of real estate lending including underwriting, property valuation and analysis, and even construction draw management. His dedication and personal touch have cultivated strong business relationships with his borrowers throughout the years, meshing perfectly with ABL's lending culture.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Operations Team
- EVP, Operations
Michael is one of ABL's Vice-Presidents of Operations. He graduated from The University of Rhode Island in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and concentration in Accounting. Prior to joining ABL in August 2015, Michael spent 3 years in the construction management industry working for a small general contractor in New York City. Here he gained experience in both project and financial management.
Nick Tierno joined the ABL team as part of the Term Rental Loan team. He started his loan origination career by graduating from the University of Delaware in 2017 as a student athlete that was part of the university's baseball team. From there he worked for PHH Mortgage as a residential Loan Officer and earned top producer status within four months of his employment. Nick re-located to Hoboken in 2018 to work briefly in the sports management business before returning to PHH in 2020. Nick's three years of loan origination experience across a variety of investment opportunities will help ABL borrowers understand their term rental loans and feel confident in the lending process from start to finish.
Job Titles:
- Loan Officer
- Vice President of Sales
- Vice President, NY
Job Titles:
- Underwriter, Term Lending
Paul has 25 years of experience in the mortgage industry across every single role, bringing a depth of personal knowledge and expertise that few have in the business. He received his Bachelor's in Business Administration from Lynn University and started out as a loan opener for Americas Best Lending Network where he continuously worked his way up from processor to underwriter, to sales manager, and eventually President of the company. Outside of work, Paul has three incredible daughters, including twins who are on collegiate volleyball scholarships and one currently training to be a financial planner. received his Bachelor's in Business Administration from Lynn University
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Florida Area
Paul Lewis brings with him a wealth of knowledge in the world of specialty finance, especially alternative financing in the Florida market. In his career, he has closed in excess of $200M in commercial bridge financing, and north of $100M in specialty factoring. A native New Yorker, Paul has lived and worked in Florida for almost 10 years, where he has formed a solid network of real estate and finance professionals. Aside from finance, Paul has managed sales teams and mentored many sales people, from recent college grads, to young professionals transitioning from other industries. His approach to success is hinged on the success of his clients and their respective projects. Paul currently lives in the Palm Beach Area with his new wife, Kristen.
Job Titles:
- Controller
- Member of the Operations Team
Job Titles:
- Area Manager
- Loan Officer
- in 2019 As an Operations Analyst
Sam joined ABL in 2019 as an Operations Analyst before moving to the sales team to become a Loan Officer. He graduated from Baruch College in 2015 with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance where he also minored in Business Communications. Prior to joining ABL Sam worked for a subsidiary of Perdue Farms in a business development and operations role and began his career in the real estate industry when he joined Urban View Development as a Construction Coordinator.
Prior to joining the ABL team, Susan worked as a lending consultant for a couple of large banks where she focused on commercial financing. Susan believed that working for a lender of that size caused the process to become disjointed, and lacked any human touch - which is where ABL came in. At ABL, things are different. Susan enjoys building in-depth relationships with her investors, and the flexibility to build a best-fit loan package for each individual borrower. Susan has been a student of real estate her entire life as a part of her family business, and holds a bachelor's degree in finance and marketing. Susan is also bilingual, speaking both English and Arabic.
Job Titles:
- Loan Officer
- Vice President of Sales
- Vice President, NJ & CT
After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a BS in Economics & Operations Management, Zak took on the role of Operations Manager & National Sales Executive for a premier manufacturer and distributor of Fire & Sprinkler products. It was during his time there that Zak honed his organizational and client relationship building skills, and discovered his interest in real estate. Wanting to align himself with a company in the real estate field that aligned with his core values, Zak sought out ABL after meeting other team members at a local meetup. As one of the Loan Officers responsible for the New Jersey lending area, Zak appreciates the ability to work with motivated investors across various backgrounds and experience levels that help him learn something new every day. When you work with Zak, you receive attention to detail, creative deal structures, and a partnership that helps grow your business.
After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a BS in Economics & Operations Management, Zak honed his organizational and client relationship skills as the Operations Manager & National Sales Executive for a premier United States manufacturer. He soon discovered his interest in real estate and wanted to join a company in the field that aligned with his core values, so he sought out Asset Based Lending after meeting other team members at a local real estate meetup. Since joining ABL Zak has become one of the Loan Officers responsible for the New Jersey lending area where he has helped hundreds of real estate investors grow their business, funding over $100 Million in investments and continuing to expand his knowledge of the real estate business. As a passionate real estate investor himself, Zak understand the needs of ABL's borrowers and helps guide them through the loan process to make things as simple and easy as possible. Zak appreciates the ability to work with motivated investors across various backgrounds and experience levels to help them achieve their financial goals through real estate investments. When you work with Zak, you receive the full attention and support of a Loan Officer that will go to bat for your investment and help you effectively scale your real estate business.