Karen Rodgers, Esq., Vantage Point Capital, LLC

Name: Karen Rodgers, Esq.

Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel

Company Name: Vantage Point Capital, LLC

What was your most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2020?
My most notable transaction of 2020 is the impending multistate acquisition of healthcare related real properties and ancillary assets involving both HUD and bridge to HUD financing and a private and institutional capital stack. The transaction, when completed will include the triple net leasing of those assets to a third-party operator and the restructuring of its internal operational debt.

What are your predictions for commercial real estate in 2021?
I suspect a multitude of space consolidations, tenant work-outs and significant refinancings will dominate the 2021 market as the long-term effects of the pandemic permeate the industry.

What was the most challenging part of working during the pandemic?
Remaining focused was by far the most challenging part. I was involved in a number of transactions relating to skilled nursing facilities both early on and deeper into the pandemic. Recording offices closed, lien searches were rendered impossible, site visits were prohibited and the level of despair was overwhelming. Staying the course and seeing the transactions through to completion, knowing that the skilled nursing industry was suffering immeasurable pain, was incredibly difficult during such dark times.

What was your greatest professional accomplishment in 2020?
This year I transitioned from a partner/director at a mid-sized New York law firm where I had been practicing law for nearly 18 years to my current role as chief legal counsel to a private equity and asset management group with portfolios of real property used for skilled nursing facilities. The plethora of issues that the pandemic presented in the skilled nursing arena and the notable impact on those real property assets has proven both challenging and rewarding. I am honored to have partnered with operators providing such essential services during such a trying time.