So Warren took that first $1 million and made nine loans to other investors, all of which paid off. That was the start of Lima One Capital. Warren based his company in Atlanta, but the traffic eventually led him back to his hometown of Greenville, S.C. The company has six offices now, with plans for more to open this year as Lima One Capital expands to an almost national reach. (The one state where they won’t go: New York, which is very unfriendly for lenders, Warren said.) INVESTING IN PEOPLE Today, Lima One Capital employs about 40 full-time workers, plus another 150 contract employees across the coun- try. Warren credits his team for giving
attraction for many lenders. Warren and his team have also secured institutional backing, providing them with essentially unlimited capital to lend, he said. Other direct lenders are more like bro- kers, he said, because they don’t have the funding lined up and have to go hunting for money whenever loan demand in- creases—which unfortunately drives up costs for those lenders’ clients. “We never have to go hunting,” Warren said. While Lima One Capital has set big goals for 2016, this year is going to be busy on the home front, too. Warren and his wife, Courtney, are scheduled to have their first child soon. The couple participates in their church and several Greenville civic organizations. Warren also is an active member of the Business Executives for National Security, a national, nonparti- san group of business leaders who share their expertise with the federal govern- ment on security issues. Warren’s service as a Marine has had an- other influence on Lima One Capital. As in the Corps, everything in the company starts with and is driven by values. The Marines have three: honor, courage and commit- ment. Lima One Capital has nine, and they’re posted on the company’s website. At the top of the list? Revolutionizing residential real estate investing and setting the new gold standard for hard money lenders. Warren said that he and his team have been driven to live up to that standard. “We believe we have the best products and the lowest rates out there.” •
Lima One the ability to expand so quickly. One key is that Warren will hire peo- ple who might not have traditional expe- rience in the industry, but do possess the right values and core competencies. For example, his head of short-term financing came to Lima One Capital with an eclectic background, including experience in insurance and the food industry. But she’s superbly organized and driven, and she possesses a talent for fantastic customer service—all hallmarks of a great underwriter. With that woman and other nontradi- tional but excellent hires, “we’ve found that training them on the industry expe- rience is the easiest thing,” Warren said. Lima One Capital has stayed true to its original commitment to transpar- ency and fairness in pricing—a huge
PHONE :: 800-390-4212 WEB :: www.limaonecapital.com EMAIL :: info@limaonecapital.com
BY JAMES HART James Hart is senior staff writer at Think Realty Magazine. Contact him at jhart@ithinkbigger.com.
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