Robert Kaplan Joins Red Oak as Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President
Red Oak Capital Holdings, a commercial real estate finance company and Regulation A+ sponsor, and its affiliate, Oak Real Estate Partners, have added Robert R. Kaplan Jr. to its senior leadership team.
The veteran securities attorney will hold the dual roles of chief legal officer and executive vice president for corporate development for the commercial real estate finance companies.
“As we grow our company and expand our footprint, balance sheet and relationship base, we’re also seeking to add new members to our dynamic team,” said Gary Bechtel, chief executive officer of Red Oak Capital Holdings and Oak Real Estate Partners. “As the leading lawyer in the Regulation A practice with nearly 30 years of securities expertise, Rob is one of the industry’s brightest stars. We’re confident that he will blend in seamlessly with our executive leadership.”
As chief legal officer, Red Oak says Kaplan is charged with developing and leading Red Oak Capital Holdings and Oak Real Estate Partners corporate legal strategy; working with other executive management team members to formulate and maintain internal audits, corporate compliance programs and general management policies; and advising the delivery of legal services and resources to accomplish corporate goals, strategies and priorities.
In his role as corporate development executive vice president, Red Oak says Kaplan will work with Bechtel and Raymond Davis, chief strategy officer, to devise and execute capital markets strategy and long-term growth and development plans for Red Oak Capital Holdings and Oak Real Estate Partners.
Throughout his career, Kaplan has worked on more than $4 billion worth of securities transactions, including registered and exempt securities offerings, private equity and institutional investment, real estate funds and syndications, and REITs, in addition to institutional financings of real estate acquisitions and mergers & acquisitions. Red Oak says he is also knowledgeable in the placement of alternative investments in the retail, independent broker-dealer and registered investment advisor market.
As reported by The DI Wire, Kaplan most recently served as senior counsel with Whiteford Taylor Peterson. Prior to that, Kaplan served as managing partner of Kaplan Voekler Cunningham & Frank, a law firm he co-founded in 2005. Kaplan Voekler Cunningham & Frank is an industry firm with a range of specialties, including business law, real estate investment trusts, Delaware statutory trusts, Regulation A offerings, and business litigation.
“We have worked with Rob as our outside counsel for a number of years and his guidance has truly benefited both of our companies, Red Oak Capital Holdings and Oak Real Estate Partners,” said Davis. “As the structured finance and securities industry evolves, particularly as it relates to real estate, the industry’s leading companies will be the ones setting the benchmarks. We have established a solid foundation with more than $400 million in assets under management and the addition of Rob is expected to allow us to continue growing the platform for both retail and institutional investors. His breadth of knowledge and experience of the securities industry married with his understanding of our company, our goals, and our investors will truly be a driving force as we move into the future.”
Red Oak Capital Holdings is a group of commercial real estate capital entities that lends and invests on commercial real estate, raising capital through retail and institutional channels. The firm has more than $400 million of assets under management and commitments from both retail and institutional investors.
Oak Real Estate Partners is a commercial real estate lender that provides short-term, senior secured stabilization loans on high-quality income-producing commercial real estate properties located in major geographic markets. The Michigan-based fund manager is the institutional investment arm affiliated with Red Oak Capital Holdings, a group of commercial real estate capital entities that lends and invests on commercial real estate, raising capital through retail and institutional channels.
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