Beau Baker
February 1, 2024
What is your CREFC involvement?
I have been a proud CREFC member for fifteen years and currently serve on the CREFC membership committee. I find my committee work to be very fulfilling and love working with the other committee reps and new members. Over the years it has been my pleasure and honor to also attend, sponsor, and speak at CREFC events including conferences, after-work seminars, webinars, and the CREFC Young Professionals events. In fact, Akerman is currently in the planning stages of another, not-to-be-missed, Atlanta after-work seminar, tentatively scheduled for early May. Keep watch for the details and register early because if you live, work, or have ties to Atlanta and don't register quickly, we will hunt you down and encourage you to join! I feel a responsibility to give back to the national CRE finance ecosystem that has given me so much. As the industry's most important trade organization, CREFC has been an incredible platform to do just that.
Any tips or advice for new members?
I always recommend to new members that they make time to really understand everything CREFC has to offer and then use that info to develop goals for what they want to achieve for the organization and their career. I encourage new members to share their goals with other CREFC members so they can share advice and possibly even collaborate. And always look for ways to return the favor. I also recommend that new members identify all personnel at their organization that can help achieve those goals and get them plugged in with CREFC. If your goals align with CREFC and its mission, it will be a win for everyone.
What do you like most about being a member?
Learning from the members. CREFC's membership is made up of the most influential, experienced, and innovative individuals and organizations working in the real estate finance world today. You have a direct line into everyone's head and game film on the industry by attending conferences, listening to webinars, attending after work events and talking to other members. Being plugged in and focused will help you stay at the cutting edge of CREF.
How has your career benefited from being a CREFC member?
Only a few years after graduating law school, I met my first debt fund client through the CREFC network and that relationship has become one of the oldest and most significant in my career. That debt fund very quickly engaged me and my colleagues to represent them in connection with $billions per year of middle market CRE loan originations, assist with securitizing those loans as CMBS and CLOs, buy and sell loans in the secondary market and show them how to lever up a loan portfolio by tapping into warehouse money. It took only about two years for that debt fund to become one of the largest clients at my old law firm and I was able to bring them to my current firm as a top client. Having that large of a client at such an early point in my legal career gave me options and freedom and directly contributed to my appointment as co-chair of Akerman's national Real Estate Financing Practice. CREFC puts you in the right place with the right people if you are engaged and involved.
What career advice do you live by? Who gave it to you?
"Make friends with the people you want do business with, and then do business with your friends." ~Anuj Gupta, CEO @ A10 Capital
What excites you the most right now?
A soft landing in 2024 followed by a roaring rest of the 20s to come
What do you love the most about your job?
Getting to work with so many different and wildly successful debt fund owners and bank executives. Helping them get their deals across the finish line and the rush of the deal motivates me; I'm a total deal junky. If one client slows down and doesn't have much going on, I can jump onboard with someone else, and ride the wave until the next one comes.