Name: Karen Rodgers

Company: Garfunkel Wild, PC

What was your most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2019? 
The closing of a REIT level acquisition of 28 skilled nursing facilities with a combined value in excess of $450 million located in eight states with an associated financing of over $240 million. 

What are your predictions for commercial real estate in 2020? 
Private equity investors continue to seize the opportunity to acquire the real property which underlies skilled nursing facilities nationwide. Private equity coupled with a bridge to HUD financing format can maximize short term profits and transition a short yield economic play into a long term investment strategy but there are risks and pitfalls. I see this as a significant area for strategic real estate growth that market players can focus upon. 

What was your greatest professional accomplishment in 2019?
In 2019 I led closing transactions with a value in excess of $800 million dollars and secured my position as a leading attorney on the private equity side of healthcare real property acquisitions, not just in New York but nationally.