Professional experience

Jim Gillespie is an executive vice president at BWE, where he focuses on the origination of new lending opportunities and leads the firm’s Direct Bond Purchase Program. He brings more than 25 years of diversified real estate and capital markets experience to BWE’s affordable housing group, with a career spanning direct acquisitions, debt and equity placement, and fund management, and a particular emphasis on tax-exempt multifamily housing bonds.

Over the course of his career, Jim has been involved in the acquisition and financing of more than $5 billion in multifamily transactions, utilizing nearly every major public subsidy and private lending execution, including agency multifamily programs, conventional bank loans, tax-exempt bonds, and proprietary debt funds. His experience uniquely combines the perspective of an owner-operator with that of a lender and capital markets principal.

Prior to joining BWE, Jim served as a managing director at Hunt Mortgage Group. Previously, he was the founding principal and managing director of Red Stone Partners, where he helped establish and manage proprietary tax-exempt bond funds prior to the firm’s acquisition by Ready Capital. Earlier in his career, Jim was a senior vice president at The Related Companies, where he was responsible for the acquisition and financing of 80/20 multifamily and commercial real estate, primarily utilizing tax-exempt bond credit enhancement and derivative trust structures.

Jim is a frequent speaker at national affordable housing conferences, where he addresses topics related to the financing, development, and preservation of affordable and workforce housing.

Education

Affiliations