Avana Capital

Avana Capital Our mission is to protect the wealth of our investors and provide frictionless
capital to our entrepreneurs running small businesses in the United States.

AVANA Capital is a commercial real estate mortgage fund that is actively investing in owner-occupied commercial properties. Together with our growing mix of accredited investors, family offices, and institutional investors, we provide financing for permanent real estate mortgage loans under the United States SBA program, construction loans, and bridge loans. At AVANA Capital, we specialize in lend

ing to specific niche industries that we’re highly knowledgeable in, such as hospitality, elderly care facilities, and healthcare facilities, because it enables us to provide the best possible service for our borrowers and minimize risk for our investors.

01/14/2017

AVANA Capital Taps Matt Hunt as Chief Credit Officer

Matthew Hunt, a known leader in SBA lending and a demonstrated risk manager, will join the AVANA Capital team this month. Hunt is coming to AVANA from Zions Bank in Utah, one of the top SBA 504 lenders in the country. He will help oversee AVANA’s growing portfolio and new wholesale lending program and manage over $1 billion in SBA 504 volume based on commitments received from global credit funds.

Hunt brings years of expertise in commercial real estate lending with Zions Bank’s National Real Estate Group in Salt Lake City, Utah. As senior vice president, he managed all aspects of the bank’s national commercial real estate lending business, including loan pricing, loan production, credit underwriting, construction lending, loan documentation, loan servicing, portfolio risk grading, budgeting and regulatory compliance.

Hunt earned his masters of business administration at the University of Utah in 2010, where he also earned a bachelor’s degree in finance. In 2005, Hunt completed a master’s level extension program in banking at the University of Washington’s Pacific Coast Banking School.

“We are excited to have Matt Hunt join the AVANA team as we look to expand our SBA 504 program nationwide,” said Sanat Patel, Managing Partner of AVANA Capital. “With Matt’s 20 years of experience in SBA lending, his role of Chief Credit Officer will provide AVANA a strong foundation in continuing the momentum of building its platform in commercial real estate lending to small business in the US.”

Hunt said that AVANA Capital’s track record as a successful commercial real estate lender, combined with its new wholesale lending program and nationwide expansion, made the new position an inviting challenge.

“AVANA Capital is aggressively looking to expand its portfolio across the United States, so it is a unique opportunity to join the company at a time when it is really growing,” Hunt said. “I am excited to work in an entrepreneurial environment and have the flexibility as a non-bank lender to make common sense lending decisions. I look forward to working with the AVANA team to help more entrepreneurs across the country realize their dreams and grow the economy.”

Since 2005, AVANA Capital has funded more than $720 million in loans that led to 9,000 and counting new jobs created and saved in 30 states, under the United States Small Business Administration Lending Programs.

AVANA Capital specializes in SBA and USDA loans designed to grow businesses, so the parameters for qualification can be easier to achieve than conventional commercial real estate loans. This means AVANA Capital’s borrowers can access up to 90 percent loan-to-value financing, with quick prequalification and a range of loan structures

AVANA Capital Provides $11.5MM to Fund SportikaConstruction Underway on Tri-state Area's Largest Indoor Youth Sports Com...
01/14/2017

AVANA Capital Provides $11.5MM to Fund Sportika

Construction Underway on Tri-state Area's Largest Indoor Youth Sports Complex.

GLENDALE, Ariz., July 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AVANA Capital has provided an $11.5 million loan to Field of Dreams, LLC, which is using the funds to build a youth sports complex in Manalapan, NJ. Named Sportika, the two-story, 170,000 square foot complex will be the largest youth sports facility in the tri-state area.

The site for Sportika spans 22 acres on Woodward Road, near the intersection of Route 33. Soccer, baseball and basketball will be the core sports with other sports introduced over time.

"The idea for Sportika came out of my frustration with sub-par sports facilities for my three kids," said David Hocheiser, founder of Field of Dreams. "The existing sports complexes in the area were over-utilized and under-equipped. Demand existed for a facility with superior amenities."

To test their idea, Field of Dreams opened a temporary location called "Mini-Sportika" in Howell, NJ in 2014. This proof-of-concept facility soon had 40 teams of players in various sports and used 25,000 square feet of space.

With confidence in their concept, the Field of Dreams team approached AVANA Capital to fund the construction of a full-sized Sportika. "AVANA understood our business model from inception," Hocheiser said. "They recognized that our project would touch thousands of families in a positive way and add jobs to the community."

AVANA Capital agreed with Field of Dreams' assessment that an upscale indoor sports complex in Manalapan, NJ would meet many needs. "The project had all the right elements," explained Payal Bhatia, loan underwriter for AVANA Capital. "The large youth population in the area and limited space for local sports events pointed to unsatisfied demand," Bhatia said.

AVANA Capital also noted that Mini-Sportika had already outgrown its rented space and that the full-sized Sportika would employ 75 staff members when complete.

Once AVANA Capital underwrote the full $11.5 million amount, the project was submitted to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and approved as an SBA 504 loan.

Seeking to create "the ultimate sports experience," the Field of Dreams team decided the Sportika complex would include:

1 soccer field, also usable for lacrosse, football, etc.
1 outdoor turf field
Turf areas for baseball training
7 basketball courts, also usable for volleyball, field hockey, etc.
4 rooms for birthday parties, yoga, meetings, etc.
3,000 sq. ft. TV lounge
Arcade
Academic Center for tutoring
3,000 sq. ft. for personal training

"This facility will strengthen our community," Hocheiser said. "We want to help young people develop a healthy, active lifestyle and gain skills for success on and off the field. We hope to inspire athletes of all ages and abilities to reach their full potential."

Field of Dreams broke ground on Sportika in March 2016. Construction should be complete by late December 2016. It will employ 75 staff members once complete.

Hocheiser and the Field of Dreams team believe Sportika New Jersey is only the first of many Sportika franchises to be built across the U.S.

AVANA Capital supports the plan for more Sportikas. "We're excited to be involved at the ground floor of this endeavor," said Sanat Patel, co-founder and CSO of AVANA Capital. "Our flexibility as a non-bank lender allows us to work with entrepreneurs and fund promising ventures like Sportika that benefit local communities, grow the economy and generate jobs."

About AVANA Capital

AVANA Capital is a nationwide commercial real estate lender specializing in SBA financing for niche businesses. Founded in 2002, the company has funded $850 million in loans, resulting in 9,000 jobs created and saved across the country. www.avanacapital.com.

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