What’s so special about Cambridge Realty Capital? Cambridge publicist Edward Snow has been publicizing news and events at the senior housing/healthcare lender since 1986. Over the years he has written hundreds of Cambridge news releases and articles for placement in industry trade magazines, and he also writes copy for the company’s Capital Wisdom newsletter and Pulsepoints blog.
“It’s unusual for an outside public relations consultant to have such a lengthy relationship with a client. But consistency and longevity have always been important to a company that abhors fixing things that aren’t broken,” he noted.
As the writer and editor of the Capital Wisdom newsletter, Mr. Snow has interviewed dozens of Cambridge clients and business associates for testimonial articles describing what it is interviewees like best about the company.
“What clients unfailingly say they like most about Cambridge is the fact the company appears to know more about HUD funding programs than anyone else in the business. It’s not even close,” he said.
“Cambridge knows the product so well, HUD officials have been known to ask company executives for help in interpreting the agency’s own rules,” he noted.
Mr. Snow says Cambridge has actively worked with HUD funding programs since 1985 when a partnership was formed between Cambridge Chairman Jeffrey A. Davis and Andy Erkes, who brought a background of working with government agency funding programs to the partnership. A separate underwriting business, Cambridge Realty Capital Ltd. of Illinois, was created in the same year, with Mr. Erkes serving as President of the subsidiary business.
“A decade later, the company founded in 1983 to do commercial real estate loans made a bold and fortuitous move to solely focus on the senior housing/healthcare sector. Literally, Cambridge has been camped in a front row seat as the HUD agency has undergone the sweeping changes that have enabled it to emerge today as a mainstream funding option for senior housing/healthcare borrowers.
“Cambridge clients have clearly benefited from the knowledge the company has gained along the way. At Cambridge, the trickledown theory refers to the way knowledge filters down to impact every facet of the business.
“The company’s knowledgeable, high-energy staff is very detail-oriented and able to guide borrowers seamlessly through a complex application and underwriting process,” Mr. Snow says.
Uniquely, the company has put its knowledge to work in creating a system that is designed to quickly get clients a go or no-go decision on whether a HUD deal is doable or not. With Cambridge, once a decision to move forward on a HUD loan has been made, there’s a 99 percent chance the deal will close.”
The company hasn’t missed closing on a promised HUD loan since a major reorganization revitalized HUD funding programs in 2009, he points out.
When a HUD loan is not the answer, Mr. Snow says Cambridge helps clients find conventional funding options or bridge loans that work. The company also utilizes its extensive knowledge of the industry to arrange joint venture, sale/leasebacks and other creative funding solutions.
“At Cambridge, accessibility is an important concept. Clients especially appreciate the fact they‘re never left hanging but instead have instant access to senior management decision makers,” he added.
