Henry Stimler serves as an Executive Managing Director on Newmark’s Capital Markets Strategies team, where he specializes in originating and structuring in multifamily debt and equity with an emphasis on large bespoke portfolio transactions. Based in the firm’s New York headquarters, Stimler is known for guiding traditions Tri-State investors into new high growth markets across the U.S., including the Midwest, Texas and South Florida, while also sourcing global equity from key international cities like London, Tel Aviv and Johannesburg. Prior to joining Newmark, Stimler founded and served as Director of London Green Capital, a debt origination firm.

Insights from Henry Stimler on How Courage and Consistency Close Deals

Henry Stimler runs a full calendar. Client meetings, travel, prospecting, closings, and pipeline follow-ups take up most days, yet he still takes calls from young professionals, makes time for anyone genuinely trying to learn the business, and sees mentorship as part of the job.

That mindset was shaped by starting from zero after the 2008 crash. He went from a thriving business to being overdrawn at the ATM and had to rebuild his career piece by piece. It taught him to focus on real opportunities, protect his time and rely on a team where everyone brings a different strength.

In this episode of The Dealmakers’ Edge, Aaron talks with Henry about rebuilding from the ground up, sourcing and structuring large multifamily transactions, and keeping deals on track in challenging market conditions. Henry discusses rejection, resilience, mentorship and what it takes to close complex deals.

1:50 – Henry’s background growing up in London and leaving the traditional path

2:35 – Discovering an arbitrage opportunity and building Phoenix

2:50 – The 2008 crash and losing everything, including assets and business

3:20 – Rebuilding through club promotion, opening venues, and returning to finance

3:53 – Turning a shuttered Chinese restaurant into one of NYC’s hottest nightclubs

6:12 – Closing his first deal and earning a $25K commission before his son was born

6:21 – Transition to Newmark when Cantor rolls platforms together

7:03 – Building a national platform and taking NYC investors into new markets

7:57 – Success is not linear and why connection skills drive outcomes

10:51 – How to spot time wasters and protect your capacity

12:12 – “Fish with a net” and why small maybes drain time

14:24 – Making time for students and early-career outreach

16:35 – Keeping a billion-dollar pipeline moving toward closing

18:53 – Team structure in practice and the yin and yang with Bill Weber

21:32 – Developing junior talent and the cold outreach that led to a $230M closing

29:02 – The perspective and humility carried forward from the 2008 crash

Mentioned In How Courage and Consistency Close Deals with Henry Stimler

Newmark | LinkedIn

Henry Stimler on LinkedIn

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Ran Eliasaf is the founder of Northwind Group, a real estate private credit platform based in New York. He founded the firm in 2008 and oversees all investment activity. Throughout his career, Ran has executed more than 300 real estate transactions totaling over $5.5 billion, investing in commercial properties in New York City and healthcare and senior-living properties across the U.S. In 2017, he spearheaded the creation of Northwind’s credit platform and launched the firm’s discretionary closed-ended debt funds, which now manage more than $2 billion in assets.

Under Ran’s leadership, Northwind has evolved into an institutional-grade private credit business, investing with a focus on discipline, risk management, and transparency. Before founding Northwind Group, Ran co-founded and served as CEO of a real estate fund that acquired a portfolio of grocery-anchored shopping centers in Florida and Texas.

Insights from Ran Eliasaf on Navigating Market Cycles and Risk Management

After more than six years in the Israeli Navy as a ship commander, Ran Eliasaf eventually made his way into real estate and founded Northwind Group in 2008. When the financial crisis hit, he was one of the few buyers with liquidity—acquiring distressed debt backed by grocery-anchored assets while most of the market froze.

Northwind grew deal by deal for more than a decade before launching its first institutionally backed credit fund in 2020. Today, the firm focuses on middle-market real estate loans, where discipline matters more than upside and one bad loan can wipe out the return of ten good ones.

In this episode of The Dealmakers’ Edge, Aaron and Ran discuss how Navy-level discipline translates into private credit, why honesty, integrity, and transparency shape every deal, and the principles Northwind Group relies on to protect capital and outperform through market cycles.

2:03 — Growing up on Israeli Air Force bases and serving over six years as a ship commander

2:58 — Opening a surfing school in the Dominican Republic and returning for law school

3:52 — Launching Northwind Group in 2008 and buying distressed debt during the financial crisis

5:42 — More than a decade of deal-by-deal capitalization before the first credit fund in July 2020

8:14 — Why Northwind Group focuses on $20M–$100M loans and the niche between banks and mega-funds

12:03 — Building a healthcare lending platform and the tech used to underwrite a complex asset class

13:35 — Northwind Group’s core principles: honesty, integrity, and transparency

16:08 — Managing a high-intensity lending environment and why surfing keeps Ran grounded

19:58 — Political risk as a major underwriting factor and why Northwind Group still believes in New York

21:37 — Zero principal losses, never taking back a property, and protecting investor capital

Mentioned in Navigating Market Cycles and Risk Management with Ran Eliasaf

Northwind Group | LinkedIn

Ran Eliasaf on LinkedIn

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Diego Hodara is the founder and CEO of Titanium Realty Group, a real estate investment and development company focused on mixed-use and residential assets in transit-oriented markets across the New York metropolitan area. Titanium Realty Group has close to 2,000 units under development or completed in Jersey City, NJ, and Port Chester, NY, representing more than $800 million in total project value. Diego holds a master’s degree in Real Estate Finance and Investment from NYU, as well as degrees in Architecture, Urban Planning, and an MBA from the University of Uruguay.

Insights from Diego Hodara on Reinvention and Resilience in Real Estate Development

When Diego Hodara arrived in the United States from Uruguay at 30, he had an architecture degree and construction know-how, but no network, no capital, and no work visa. He started over selling kitchen cabinets and managing renovations across New York's boroughs, learning how the city actually gets built. During the recession, he bought his first property in Jersey City with his own savings. It went underwater almost immediately. Instead of walking away, he held on, managed it himself, and turned those mistakes into lessons.

That discipline became the foundation for Titanium Realty Group. Diego scaled methodically from fix-and-flips to 30-unit buildings to high-rise developments, proving he could execute at each level before raising the stakes. Without family wealth or institutional backing, he had no room for error. He grew slowly, questioned every assumption, and reinvested everything into the next deal.

In this episode of The Dealmakers’ Edge, Aaron and Diego discuss starting over at 30 with nothing, scaling from two-family homes to high-rise developments without losing discipline, and the guiding principle that’s shaped everything Diego has built—don’t try to be the biggest, try to be the strongest.

1:28 — Moving from Uruguay to the U.S. at 30 and starting over without a network

4:42 — Selling kitchen cabinets and managing renovations across New York City

8:05 — Early lessons in construction, financing, and navigating a new market

10:56 — Buying his first property in Jersey City and surviving the downturn

14:23 — Building confidence through experience and small-scale development

18:00 — Founding Titanium Realty Group and committing to deliberate growth

21:17 — From two-family homes to high-rise projects and institutional credibility

24:50 — Managing risk and questioning assumptions before every new deal

28:36 — The importance of discipline when working with investors’ money

31:45 — Expanding into preferred equity, bridge lending, and conversions

34:20 — What it means to build strength—not size—in development

Mentioned in Reinvention and Resilience in Real Estate Development with Diego Hodara

Titanium Realty Group | LinkedIn

Diego Hodara on LinkedIn

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When you strip business down to its core, it’s about people. Every deal, every partnership, and every bit of growth comes from how well your team works together. Real culture comes from integrity, empathy, and a shared belief in doing things the right way.

Strong teams start with trust. They create an environment where people can make mistakes, recover, and keep moving forward. Leaders who protect that culture and put their people first build something that lasts. They attract talent that wants to grow and stay part of something meaningful.

In this episode of The Dealmakers’ Edge, Aaron Strauss shares what it takes to build a high-performing team that endures. He talks about why integrity shapes culture, how empathy becomes a true advantage, and what great leaders do to keep their teams performing at the highest level.

1:11 – Trust, empathy, and the foundation of sustainable performance

2:19 – Integrity as the first principle of leadership

4:04 – Creating psychological safety inside high-performing teams

6:05 – Team first vs. customer first and why it’s not a contradiction

8:18 – Avoiding mediocrity and keeping a culture of innovation alive

11:18 – Recognizing and developing star, solid, and struggling performers

12:22 – Why soft skills and human connection are the next competitive edge

13:47 – The pitfalls that quietly destroy culture

17:04 – Building a culture of “we can figure it out”

18:03 – Resilience, mindset, and how leaders manage setbacks

21:01 – Generosity, perspective, and putting people before yourself

Mentioned In The Secret to Building a High-Performing Team That Actually Lasts

A.Y. Strauss | LinkedIn

Aaron Strauss on LinkedIn

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Evan Bell is Managing Partner and co-founder of Lorimer Capital, a direct portfolio lender that provides creative financing solutions for commercial real estate opportunities across the eastern U.S. He has over two decades of expertise in structured real estate credit products and started his career as a real estate finance attorney, representing major institutions like Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Lehman Brothers, and Wachovia Bank on mortgage and mezzanine financings, which totaled over $10 billion.

Prior to launching Lorimer Capital, Evan served as co-founder and Principal of Unity Capital, where he played a major role in leading the company to success and sustained growth. He earned his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany and received his J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law. While there, he was a member of the Hofstra Law Review and a recipient of Westlaw’s Corpus Juris Secundum Award.

Insights from Evan Bell on Relationships and Discipline in Real Estate Financing

Evan Bell started his first day of work on September 10th, 2001. By the next morning, everything had changed. That jarring introduction to his career taught him early that you can't control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond. Fast forward two decades, and that philosophy has guided him from law firms to launching Unity Capital with "very little clue" what he was doing, to now building Lorimer Capital with partners he's known for years.

In this episode of The Dealmakers' Edge, Evan talks candidly about why he still puts his own money in every deal, how he went from doing small multifamily loans to closing $51 million construction deals with developers like Kushner Companies, and why he tells young people to treat everyone with respect because you never know where careers will lead. He also opens up about managing the stress of high-stakes lending by reading philosophy, keeping perspective, and remembering that "everyone's got their bag of problems no matter how great they look when you see them out at lunch."

1:55 - Evan’s childhood, educational background, and career transitions

7:33 - The current cycle for private credit lenders and discipline as essential for navigating market cycles

11:16 - Relationship-based business as paramount to long-term success in real estate finance

14:42 - Evan’s thought process when looking at dealmaking opportunities right now

18:03 - Prioritization and focus of Evan and his partners as they continue to grow the firm

20:36 - The key to navigating anxiety in a high-stress industry

25:57 - The importance of showing up and staying in the mix to build a business

Mentioned In Why Relationships and Discipline Matter Most in Real Estate Financing with Evan Bell

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Lorimar Capital | LinkedIn

Unity Capital | LinkedIn | Instagram

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Norman Bobrow is the president of Norman Bobrow & Co., Inc., one of New York's leading independently-owned, tenant-focused commercial real estate brokerages. A third-generation real estate professional and lifelong New Yorker, Norman launched the firm in 1980 with a clear mission to represent tenants exclusively and deliver results with precision, integrity, and relentless advocacy. Over the course of his career, he's personally negotiated more than 3,000 leases and overseen the acquisition of more than 300 properties nationwide.

Norman comes from a real estate family and was involved early on watching his father participate in small syndications. Despite struggling with dyslexia and being unable to read until the eighth grade, he built his career from the ground up, starting at Syntex Corporation building the Winston Towers and working his way through various firms before launching his own brokerage. Today, his firm handles 200 to 250 leases annually with a team of 25 leasing brokers, all while maintaining a personal, family-business approach where everyone knows each other's stories.

Insights from Norman Bobrow on Tenant Advocacy and Building Legacy in New York Real Estate

Norman Bobrow’s story is a powerful testament to resilience, integrity, and the importance of giving back. Despite being dyslexic and struggling to read until the eighth grade, he went on to build a thriving, tenant-focused brokerage firm, negotiating over 3,000 leases and overseeing the acquisition of 300+ properties nationwide. His life is a masterclass in turning perceived weaknesses into strengths and always looking forward, never back.

In this episode of The Dealmakers' Edge, Norman talks about his early struggles and how his family and mentors like Warren Buffett shaped his investment philosophy. He shares his passion for helping others, whether it's teaching young brokers how to "make a living" or his extensive philanthropic work. Norman also offers his unique approach to business, including his unwavering commitment to representing tenants exclusively and how he’s built a culture of teamwork and personal care.

2:01 - Norman’s journey from dyslexia to highly successful real estate broker

6:50 - Why Norman’s firm operates with a tenant-first advocacy approach

10:13 - What lies behind Norman’s passion for philanthropy and mentorship

15:01 - Critical core philosophies for success in the real estate business

19:47 - Examples of Norman’s investment dealmaking prowess and experience

24:29 - The disciplined investment approach Norman learned from those like Warren Buffett

27:03 - The most critical element of success in the next few years as technology advances

Mentioned In Tenant Advocacy and Building Legacy in New York Real Estate with Norman Bobrow

Norman Bobrow & Company Inc. | LinkedIn | Facebook

United Cerebral Palsy

OrCam Read

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Jonathan Dulberg has nearly 20 years of experience acquiring and operating real estate throughout the U.S. and Europe for both institutional and privately-held real estate firms. Since 2010, he has been at Time Equities Inc., a New York-based investment and development firm, where he serves as the Director of Acquisitions.

Jonathan focuses on sub-institutional investments ranging from $10 to $50 million in size. Throughout his career, he has acquired more than $800 million of real estate, focusing predominantly on opportunistic and value-add investments across office, industrial, and multifamily assets. Additionally, he oversees the day-to-day asset management of a two-million-square-foot portfolio spanning the Northeast, Midwest, and Northwest.

Prior to Time Equities, Jonathan spent three years at Franklin Templeton Investments working within their institutional fund-to-fund platform.

Insights from Jonathan Dulberg on Opportunistic Real Estate Investing

Jonathan Dulberg understands real estate from the ground up. Growing up with a father in the construction industry, he was exposed to development projects from an early age before transitioning from Franklin Templeton's institutional fund-to-fund platform to Time Equities in 2010. As Director of Acquisitions, Jonathan focuses on sub-institutional investments ranging from $10 to $50 million, having acquired more than $800 million of real estate throughout his career.

In this episode of The Dealmakers' Edge, Jonathan discusses his investment philosophy of avoiding "whatever is the flavor of the month" and instead focusing on yield-driven, opportunistic investments. He shares how Time Equities capitalized on opportunities post-2008 financial crisis when they could find value and work with existing borrowers and lenders. Jonathan explains their move into the Netherlands when U.S. office markets became overpriced, their pivot to short-term credit during COVID, and why he sees current opportunities in the office market where buildings can be bought at significant discounts to replacement cost.

1:51 - How Jonathan’s family and childhood influenced his career path

6:11 - Transition from the institutional side of real estate to being a more hands-on investor

11:12 - How Jonathan’s investment strategy avoids the trap of chasing trends

13:51 - Examples of finding value in the real estate market (even during downturns)

18:08 - Why the office market is a source for exciting investment opportunities right now

22:24 - How COVID has impacted dealmaking in the multifamily asset class

24:39 - Jonathan’s personal approach to managing stress and adversity

Mentioned In Opportunistic Real Estate Investing with Time Equities' Jonathan Dulberg

Time Equities Inc.

Jonathan Dulberg on LinkedIn

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As a dynamic speaker whose career spans several domains, Jonathan Cohen has always brought resilience and purpose to the table. His podcast features conversations with high performers across multiple industries who provide their insights and strategies to help people overcome obstacles, shift their mindset, and live with intention. With over 100 interviews of individuals ranging from fighter pilots and Navy SEALS to best-selling authors and nine-figure entrepreneurs, he’s built an audience of over 30,000 across social media and provided different strategies, tools, tips, and tactics they can leverage to lead a higher quality of life.

In this episode of The Dealmakers' Edge, Jonathan discusses mental fitness as foundational for effective high-performance in deal-making, emphasizing resilience, reframing stress, and managing limiting beliefs. He presents practical frameworks to help individuals build self-awareness, overcome impostor syndrome, and maintain mental fitness under pressure. Jonathan also confronts mental health stigma in organizations, challenges leaders to foster supportive environments, and reveals how you can cultivate mental fitness from the moment you wake up.

6:06 - The persistent stigma around mental health in high-pressure professional settings

7:57 - How to break the silence and shift the culture and conversation around mental health

12:41 - Mental fitness as both a practice and a form of professional competency

18:01 - The role of leadership in supporting mental well-being for their employees

23:22 - The passenger seat exercise and its roots in inner child work

28:13 - How the evidence framework challenges imposter syndrome and encourages growth

35:16 - How naming your sacrifices helps you strategically manage suffering to achieve big goals

39:07 - The future self framework that provides insight and provokes reflection

Mentioned In Mental Fitness and Peak Performance Under Pressure with Jonathan Cohen

Inside the Inspired with Jonathan Z. Cohen | YouTube | LinkedIn

Connect with Jonathan Cohen on Instagram

Principles and other books by Ray Dalio

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

The Art of Resilience by Ross Edgley

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

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