John Lewis’s young commercial real estate finance career kicked off in 2014, and has already involved multiple roles and market cycles. After seven years at Aareal Capital Corporation, Lewis moved to the banking side of CRE debt in November 2021 at First Citizens before deciding to pivot to the growing Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) lending space in March 2026 as vice president of investments at North Bridge.
The 32-year old — already with $5.1 billion of originations under his belt — carried with him a versatile lending experience to North Bridge, a firm founded by Laura Rapaport in 2021 and now recognized as one of the innovators in the C-PACE industry. North Bridge under Rapaport has been a leader in the growing space, including originating the first New York City C-PACE multifamily loan in February.
Commercial Observer tagged along with Lewis on June 15 to observe what a typical day looks like for the lender.
4:30 to 8 a.m.
Lewis starts his Monday extra early as part of a regimented exercise routine, one he began during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. His workout on this day involves a Peloton boot camp program followed by lifting weights.
Following the exercise, he takes care of some parental responsibilities one week after having his third child, a daughter named Scottie. He gives Scottie a bottle at around 6 a.m. and then makes lunches for his two other young children. Following a shower, he leaves his Westchester County home around 7:40 in time to make the 8:04 Metro-North train from White Plains to Grand Central Terminal.
8:45 to 10:30 a.m.
After Lewis’s train arrives at Grand Central, he walks to the Vanderbilt Avenue exit to board an Uber to bring him to a client meeting in the Chelsea area. He makes his way through rush-hour traffic and arrives at Chelsea Table & Stage inside the Hilton New York Fashion District at 152 West 26th Street at around 9:20 to meet with Jonathan Korr, managing director at Fulcrum Hospitality, whom Lewis closed a deal for in late 2024 when he was at First Citizens.
“Keeping those relationships fresh is important,” Lewis said. “I always try to have those updates to check in with them and continue to have that rapport.”
10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Following the coffee meeting, Lewis rides another Uber across town to the North Bridge offices at 551 Madison Avenue. Lewis receives a warm greeting from North Bridge colleagues on his return to the office after taking a week off for Scottie’s birth. Rapaport is particularly excited and immediately asks to see baby photos.
“I’m definitely a go-in-the-office type person, as every place I’ve ever worked at I’m definitely the guy that really values knowing each colleague personally,” Lewis said.
11:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m.
After settling into the workday, Lewis and nine colleagues (including one on Zoom) gather in a conference room for the firm’s weekly pipeline meeting. It provides an opportunity for the small North Bridge team to strategize on executing deals in the works.
“We’re constantly updating that pipeline because we’re looking in real time,” Lewis said. “It’s a chance to get the team up to speed.”
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
After concluding the pipeline meeting, Lewis and Rapaport walk a few blocks to Four Twenty Five, the upscale Park Avenue restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, for a lunch meeting with Lauren Kaufman and Alex Staikos from brokerage firm JLL. In addition to catching up on business, the group discussed market conditions and what it takes these days to bring C-PACE deals across the finish line in the current commercial real estate climate.
“Not a lot of people know about C-PACE and how it operates, so it is helpful to talk to people about where certain deals are going off at and who is looking at them,” Lewis said.
3:30 to 4:15 p.m.
Lewis gathers with eight other colleagues (and one on Zoom) in the conference room for an update meeting to discuss how to increase deal flow by forging new relationships with developers for potential future loans and educating them about the benefits of C-PACE debt for their projects. The meeting involves strategizing about which people to reach out to and who to follow-up with.
5 to 5:15 p.m.
After finishing up some work following his meeting, Lewis walks the roughly half a mile to M J Smith’s Food & Spirits near 45th Street and Madison Avenue for a catchup drink outing with Eric Conway of Western Alliance Bank and Conor Barry of Areal Capital, two lenders he has worked with previously.
The meeting, which combines casual conversation with market talk, presents an opportunity for Lewis to lay the groundwork for future C-PACE deals in partnership with senior lenders.
“A big part of C-PACE financing is getting lender approval, and a lot of lenders are not comfortable with it, so educating them is key,” Lewis said. “Both of these guys are active on the hotel side, so I know there are deals we can do with them.”
5:15 to 6:20 p.m.
Lewis greets Conway and Barry at the bar, and the three head toward the back area of the pub to grab a table. After a long day of work, he enjoys a Guinness while commiserating with his two friends and industry peers. The trio leave around 6:20, and Lewis hops on the 6:33 train from nearby Grand Central.
He arrives home at around 7:15 p.m., just in time to help with bedtime for his three children.
Andrew Coen can be reached at acoen@commercialobserver.com.
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