SPOTLIGHT SERIES: JOHN SOREL

Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced tax credit professionals, representing a depth of knowledge within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are.

As a part of Acquisitions, John focuses primarily on sourcing federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits in the Northeast for the various Foss Historic Funds. He has over 30 years of commercial real estate finance experience beginning his career as a commercial banker. John served as Managing Director in senior asset management roles at Related Capital Company/Chartermac, Madison Realty Capital and Berkeley Point Capital. Most recently, John was a Senior Vice President of Originations at Stratford Capital Group in Boston where he focused on originating Low Income Housing Tax Credit transactions for various corporate investors. He received his BA in Economics from Syracuse University and works out of our Boston, MA office.

 

To learn more about John, read our latest Spotlight blog series installment:

How did you get started in the tax credit investing industry?   

In the mid-1990s I was asked to get involved in the formation of a Fund sponsored by the New Hampshire and Maine housing authorities designed to promote investment in smaller LIHTC transactions. Later, my business as a commercial banker focused on the LIHTC space.

When did you join Foss & Company and what interested you about the company?  

I came to Foss & Company in August of 2019.  Foss & Company’s extensive bench of established investor clients and the demand for historic tax credit investments in New England, New York and Pennsylvania represented a very attractive opportunity.

What originally interested you about the Historic Preservation industry? 

Historic preservation transactions have tremendous potential to positively impact the neighborhoods in which they are located.  While it is true that our projects often have a housing focus, the add-on benefits that come from repurposing existing and underutilized structures in the community have, in my experience, a multiplier effect on those neighborhoods, some of which are city center.

Any major changes in the commercial real estate finance industry related to historic tax credits that you are excited about or that people should be aware of?

We continue to see an influx of new investor clients, which is exciting. Individual states which have not participated in state tax credit programs, seem to be taking notice. Having a state historic tax credit program undoubtedly promotes the use of the federal historic program and provides meaningful incentives for developer’s to take on projects that might not otherwise pencil out. I’m hopeful that states like New Hampshire will adopt a state tax credit program, and others, like Maine and New York, will modify and enhance their state credit programs also.

Any other insights you would like to add? 

Despite recent interest rate trends, we continue to see a very strong deal flow.  The pairing of other programs like the Opportunity Zone investment or state, federal and local grant programs have helped fill the equity gap caused by higher interest rates.  I’m very bullish on the continued resiliency of our business and its ability to bring benefits to the communities we work in.

 

Those interested in learning more about John, can contact him at Js****@fo*******.com