When you talk about longevity and impact in American real estate, few names carry the weight of Ray Garfield. From flying jets for the U.S. Navy to restructuring billion-dollar companies and advising the Rockefellers, Ray’s six-decade career has crossed every frontier of commercial real estate, finance, syndication, capital markets, and public infrastructure.

He’s seen every cycle since the 1970s, from 18% mortgage rates to the birth of CMBS and the rise of public-private partnerships. He’s led billion-dollar restructurings, sold companies to Merrill Lynch and Syntex, and helped pioneer modern design-build and tax-exempt financing models that have reshaped how America builds courthouses, hotels, and convention centers.

In this episode of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere sits down with Garfield to unpack:

- How a former naval aviator went from Dallas land syndications to underwriting the first commercial mortgage securities on Wall Street.

- The inside story of rescuing Vista Properties from bankruptcy and turning $1.5 billion in losses into strategic leverage.

- Why design-build-finance revolutionized how Turner Construction and other giants win public-sector deals.

- How Garfield Public Private became the quiet force behind hundreds of millions in city, county, and state projects nationwide.

- The future of public infrastructure, real estate finance, and AI in underwriting—from one of the few people who has successfully bridged Wall Street, Main Street, and City Hall.

Ray Garfield’s story isn’t just about success: it’s about resilience, reinvention, and the kind of decades-long excellence that defines what a real estate career can look like when purpose meets precision.

If you’ve ever wondered how great developers think, how billion-dollar public projects actually get financed, or how to build trust between the private and public sectors. This is the masterclass.

🔗 Watch the full episode on The Real Finds Podcast with Gordon Lamphere.

🎧 Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

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