Kevin P. Kennedy is a Managing Principal and Chief Sales and Distribution officer with Red Oak Capital Holdings, responsible for capital acquisition, platform distribution and broker dealer-relationships for the firm’s offerings. He has been with the commercial real estate finance firm since its inception in 2016 and is based in the Detroit, Michigan area.
Kevin has a long history in sales and leadership roles within the investment and asset management industry. Before Red Oak, he spent 26 years at BlackRock, where he was most recently a Managing Director and Divisional Sales Director. In this role, he led a team that marketed and sold BlackRock’s active, passive and alternative investments across a 22-state area. Kevin also spent the first decade of his career with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, last serving as a Director and Vice President in the Midwest.
A graduate of Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University, Kevin holds Series 7, 24, 63, 65 and 66 licenses from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). He received a Certified Investment Management Analyst certification (CIMA) designation from Wharton Executive Education-University of Pennsylvania in 2007.
Raymond T. Davis is President & Chief Strategy Officer of Red Oak Capital Holdings and its affiliate, Oak Real Estate Partners (OREP). Operating out of Detroit, Michigan, he is charged with developing, communicating, and sustaining the companies’ medium- and long-term strategic initiatives including fund formation, AUM strategy, M&A opportunities, and the development of future business lines.
Over the course of his 25-year career, Ray has gained significant expertise in capital markets, corporate growth and strategic initiatives while working with family office pension funds and institutional clients.
A seasoned commercial real estate capital markets professional, Ray previously served as a Managing Principal and Corporate Forensics Advisory Consultant for Archon Capital LP. He also co-founded JADDA Capital Management, where he led origination and portfolio diversification efforts for the investment platform.
Ray, who studied business and economics at Wayne State University, holds a Series 22 license and Central Registration Depository (CRD) registration from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Gary Bechtel is Chief Executive Officer & Managing Principal of Red Oak Capital Holdings, responsible for managing the national commercial real estate finance firm’s lending operations and business development efforts. He operates out of the firm’s Grand Rapids, Michigan office.
In addition to his duties with Red Oak, Gary heads the investment management leadership team for Oak Real Estate Partners. As Managing Principal and CEO, he has direct oversight of all loan portfolios and operations for the firm, a national, multi-fund manager focused on the institutional investment sector.
Over the course of his nearly 40-year career, Gary has been involved in the origination, underwriting, structuring, placement and closing of more than $10 billion in commercial debt transactions, utilizing various financing structures including permanent, bridge, equity, mezzanine, and construction loans.
Gary has held multiple leadership roles with both lenders and intermediaries throughout his career. He joined Red Oak and OREP after serving as President of Money360, where he directed and executed the firm’s expansion strategy and sat on its Credit Committee and Board of Directors. Prior to that, he was Chief Lending and Originations Officer of CU Business Partners, LLC, a major national credit union service organization, preceded by positions with such companies as Grubb & Ellis, Meridian Capital, Johnson Capital and FINOVA Realty Capital.
Gary attended the University of California, San Diego, majoring in economics. He currently sits on the Executive Board of the California Bankers Association and has been a longtime member of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America (MBA), National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), and International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Gary has been a featured moderator/speaker at numerous industry events and is a frequent contributor to several regional and national publications.