Chad Lavender is the President of Capital Markets for North America at Newmark. He has more than 15 years of commercial real estate experience, particularly in healthcare and senior housing. Over his career, Chad has completed more than $50 billion in transactions across the U.S., beginning his journey in markets like Alabama and Dallas.

Prior to joining Newmark, Chad worked in high-rise development before moving to lead the National Seniors Housing Group at HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler), growing it into the number one senior housing platform in the country before HFF was acquired by Newmark.

Insights from Chad Lavender on Servant Leadership in Capital Markets

Chad Lavender leads one of the largest capital markets teams at Newmark. Ask him who he reports to, and he'll point to the advisors on his platform. His job is supporting the people doing deals, helping them hit their goals, and clearing obstacles out of their way. That approach has kept his senior housing team at number one in the country for more than a decade.

The same thinking shapes how he works with clients. For two years straight, Chad and his partner Ryan Maconachy told prospects they should refinance their assets instead of selling them. Refinancing didn't generate a commission. Selling did. But refinancing was the right call for those clients at that moment, so that's what Chad recommended. They played for the long term, put client interests ahead of their own revenue, and ended up doubling their business every single year from 2012 to 2019.

In this episode of The Dealmakers' Edge, Aaron and Chad discuss what servant leadership actually looks like in a transaction business, why telling clients the truth builds more value than chasing every deal, how market dominance comes from discipline and consistency, and why attitude, effort, and energy are the only variables you can actually control.

2:08 - Growing up in Tuscaloosa with family in real estate and development

3:22 - Running a T-shirt business at Alabama and learning sales

4:02 - Starting in high-rise development in January 2008 as the financial crisis hit

5:16 - Cold-calling 62 groups and asking for introductions, not jobs

6:08 - Working triple duty as an analyst and broker at ARA

7:10 - Launching senior housing with Ryan Maconachy and advising clients to refinance

8:12 - Pitching HFF and doubling revenue every year from 2012 to 2019

9:03 - Maintaining number one market share through COVID

14:16 - Servant leadership and reporting to advisors

19:23 - Controlling attitude, effort, and energy

20:51 - Market outlook across asset classes and emerging opportunities

24:01 - Be forever curious and work relentlessly

Mentioned In Servant Leadership and Market Dominance with Chad Lavender

Newmark | LinkedIn

Chad Lavender on LinkedIn

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind? Email us at podcast@aystrauss.com to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode.

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)
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James Ryan founded RYCO Capital in 2018 and has led the firm since its inception. Since establishing the company, James has personally overseen all aspects of its growth and operations. His team has grown and expanded, and he has been a contrarian to great success, acquiring multifamily properties across New York City.

Prior to founding RYCO Capital, James held leadership and finance roles across real estate development and early-stage technology firms. He earned his BA in Political Science from Yale University.

Insights from James Ryan on Contrarian Investing in New York City Multifamily

When New York passed the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act in 2019, capital fled the multifamily market overnight. When COVID hit in early 2020, the exodus accelerated. James Ryan saw something different: supply constraints in the tightest housing market in the country, with assets trading at prices that still cash-flowed even if rents stayed flat.

RYCO Capital's family office structure gave James an advantage most syndicators don't have - he could say no to deals that didn't make sense and wait for the right opportunities. Between 2020 and 2024, while others stayed on the sidelines, he bought across Brooklyn and Manhattan, raised capital by showing protected downside scenarios, and built a team capable of executing complex, multi-year value-add projects.

In this episode of The Dealmakers' Edge, Aaron and James discuss contrarian investing, raising capital without fee pressure, building quality assets that can hold through market cycles, and managing the grind of daily operations while staying focused on long-term goals.

1:40 - Growing up in Rochester and starting in Brooklyn real estate after Yale

3:31 - Family office background in Rochester and buying out father’s partner after a tragic loss

5:33 - Looking at secondary markets in 2019 and finding everything overpriced

6:10 - How the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act changed the NYC market overnight

7:35 - Closing on four Brooklyn properties in January 2020 and what happened next

8:48 - The thesis: supply constraints and New York City isn't dead

11:21 - Raising capital and focusing on deals the team believes in

12:28 - Underwriting for downside protection and returning principal to investors

15:38 - Why having institutional backing prevents deal-making adrenaline

18:41 - Building a vertically integrated team that executes at a high level

23:22 - Managing adversity, the daily grind, and staying focused on long-term vision

26:08 - Work-life balance, family time, and avoiding hustle culture

Mentioned In Contrarian Investing and Building for the Long Term with James Ryan

RYCO Capital | LinkedIn

James Ryan on LinkedIn

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind? Email us at podcast@aystrauss.com to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode.

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)
• Aaron's website bio page (Aaron's bio page)
• Aaron's LinkedIn account (LinkedIn)
• Our Twitter account (@AYStrauss)

Jason Bordainick started his first company from a dorm room at the University of Virginia. Off Campus Partners became the nation's largest online marketplace for student housing and was eventually acquired by CoStar. That success gave him credibility, momentum, and the confidence to take on something harder.

In 2010, he and his childhood friend Andy Cavaluzzi decided to build a business in affordable housing preservation. Expertise, relationships, and regulatory fluency created steep barriers to entry in the space. They had vision but no track record in the asset class, no institutional backing, and no family real estate firm to lean on. For three and a half years, they submitted proposals, chased deals, and came up just short. That grind built the discipline and partnership that would eventually shape Hudson Valley Property Group into one of the leading platforms in the space.

In this episode of The Dealmakers' Edge, Aaron and Jason discuss what it takes to break into a market with high barriers to entry, how to build institutional trust from scratch, and why consistency and execution matter more than having all the answers upfront. Jason shares lessons from proving out a model, earning credibility deal by deal, and leading a business that does well by doing good.

2:57 - Starting Off Campus Partners from a dorm room and winning a business plan competition

4:57 -Teaming up with childhood friend Andy Cavaluzzi to start Hudson Valley Property Group in 2010

6:48 - Understanding capital-A Affordable housing and the role of Section 8 and LIHTC programs

11:49 - Starting with $5,000 and $10,000 checks and compounding investor trust

14:52 - Values-first leadership and how you do anything is how you do everything

16:21 - Using discipline and AI to screen projects and deploy capital at scale

18:16 - Managing adversity and the mental challenges of entrepreneurship

21:14 - How adversity strengthens partnerships and builds equal commitment

23:35 - Career advice for the next generation and the value of specialization

Mentioned In Leading the Future of Affordable Housing with Jason Bordainick

Hudson Valley Property Group | LinkedIn

Jason Bordainick on LinkedIn

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind? Email us at podcast@aystrauss.com to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode.

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)
• Aaron's website bio page (Aaron's bio page)
• Aaron's LinkedIn account (LinkedIn)
• Our Twitter account (@AYStrauss)