Professional Team

WILLIAM “BILLY” PROCIDA

William “Billy” Procida Founded Procida Funding and Advisors in 1995 and has financed, fixed and built over 3 billion dollars of buildings and companies. Procida manages the 100 Mile Fund which provides financing for commercial real estate projects and small to mid size businesses. His awards over the years include: Rockland County, New York Citizen of The Year New York City Developer of The Year National Home Builders Pillar of the Industry Award Institutional Investor Non-bank Lender of the Year Bronx Business Man of the Year New York Mortgage Bankers’ Man of the Year New Jersey Gold Coast Business Man of the Year American Jewish Congress Man of the Year Just to name a few He has lectured at Yale, Columbia, NYU, Saint Thomas Aquinas and a dozen more colleges. He has been a regular guest on CNBC, Fox Business and has appeared on every major TV network in the United States as well as networks in Japan, Russia and England. Billy has also been the subject of hundreds of articles from The Wall Street Journal to Der Spiegel in Europe. Billy is also an avid sponsor for multiple charities throughout the community such as Table to Table, Habitat for Humanity, Keep Rockland Beautiful and SHARE Africa to name a few.

ALLAN LAZAROFF

Mr. Lazaroff received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from Monmouth College in 1974. He also obtained a law degree (Juris Doctorate degree) from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1978. Following college, he joined the accounting firm of Touche Ross & Co. (now Deloitte Touche) where he worked in the accounting department for two years before going to law school.

In 1978, subsequent to graduating from law school, he rejoined Touche Ross & Co., as a member of the tax department where he remained until 2001 when he and Marc Reichman formed the public accounting and advisory firm of Reichman & Lazaroff (subsequently Reichman & Lazaroff LLC). Growing up in Queens New York he relocated.

ALI BETTS

Ali Betts joined Procida Funding in May 2011 as Controller. In her capacity, she is responsible for managing all aspects of the company’s accounting functions and, is an integral part of our investor relations function. Ali directly supports Mr. Procida with program and investor initiatives.

Prior to joining Procida, Ali served as Controller and Investor Relations for Palisades Financial reporting directly to the partners of the firm. In her 7 years working with Palisades Financial, her main focus was working closely with investors, accountants, banks, and auditors, managing two investment Funds (Palisades Regional Investment Funds [PRIF and PRIF II]. Ali’s diverse background is an asset in providing the personalized attention for our investors.

MIKE COEN

Mike Coen joined Procida Funding and Advisors in June of 2015. Mike serves as a Partner – Investment Banking of Loan Syndication and plays a key role in the syndication and distribution of the Fund’s loan portfolio. Coen facilitates in the underwriting, structuring, and execution of syndicated real estate loans seeking to maximize the Fund’s yield while mitigating risk. Mike continues to expand the investor base among banks, funds, and other investment partners.

Prior to joining Procida, Mike help manage a portfolio of distressed commercial and residential real estate assets at NRT REO Experts. Mike worked closely with other nationwide asset management companies servicing clients including JP Morgan Chase, Capital One, and Bank of America and generating a liquidation value of more than $670 million. Mike served as a key member of the division with $300 million in assets under management, directly overseeing 300+ loans.

Mr. Coen completed his Masters in Real Estate Development (MSRED) at Nova Southeastern University in addition completed NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate Professional Certification in Real Estate Finance.

DEREK WEISSMAN

Derek Weissman is a Partner & Head of Asset Management at Procida Funding and Advisors responsible for overseeing the Asset Management Department. Since joining Procida in 2015, Mr. Weissman has been directly involved in the underwriting, closing, and asset management of over $800 million of construction, bridge, and DIP loans. Currently, Mr. Weissman runs the Asset Management division and oversees a portfolio of over $500 million in assets consisting of ground-up development, historical renovations, environmental clean-ups, and much more. In his capacity as an Asset Manager, Mr. Weissman spends his time on site overseeing all aspects of a project which typically range from the development of the capital stack, predevelopment and construction oversight, marketing strategy, and implementation through lease up to stabilization. Since 2015, Mr. Weissman has overseen the development and renovation of over 1500 units in and across the Northeast Corridor in addition to the development of over 1 million square feet of commercial space.

Recent Notable projects: The Met Philly- Historical Renovation; Divine Lorraine- Historical Renovation; Gulls Cove II- Ground Up development; Hudson Valley Brewery- renovation and brewery fit out; The Tower at Mural West- predevelopment approvals and zoning variance; RCA Victor Records Building- Environmental remediation and demolition.

BRIAN FOLEY

Brian Foley is a Partner at Procida Funding and Advisors for overseeing the originations, due diligence, and business development aspects of the company. Foley sources the deals, brings them through underwriting, and gets the deals closed. Originating over $800MM in loans since joining the team, Foley continues to help grow the assets under management while still being selective in the deal selection process. Foley works hand-and-hand with Mike Coen to get the deals underwritten, capitalized, and closed.

Foley joined the team full-time in May of 2016 after graduating from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate. Brian was also a member of Penn’s varsity swim and dive team.

Recent notable projects: Plaza Grande, Cherry Hill, NJ – $130MM; Manhattan Transit Center, North Bergen, NJ – $52.5MM; The View at Middlesex, Middlesex, NJ – $39MM; The Washington Lofts, Carteret, NJ – $38.5MM.

Connect CRE’s 2021 Next Generation Awards

CAROLINE SMYTH

Caroline Smyth joined Procida Funding and Advisors in May of 2016. Caroline facilitates in maintaining accurate and well-organized financial data for the company. She supports Ali in investor relations for all 100 Mile Fund Shareholders. Caroline also provides support for her colleagues by helping them with situations involving the company financially. Before joining Procida, Caroline worked in both the accounting and hospitality fields giving her a versatile set of skills to bring to the Procida team.

OMAR KHAN

Omar Khan is the Vice President of Asset Management at Procida Funding & Advisors, where he has overseen the financing, development, and repayment of over $800 million in loans across various asset classes, including mixed-use multifamily, hotels, concert venues, marinas, and more. In his current role, Omar is responsible for providing construction oversight, coordinating funding across the capital stack, developing marketing strategies, and helping clients through lease-up and repayment. His hands-on approach and proactive problem-solving skills have helped him maintain an outstanding track record of success.

Prior to joining Procida, Omar worked for Descon, Pakistan’s largest engineering firm, where he was involved in underwriting and conducting feasibility studies for hydroelectric power stations in Northern Pakistan. Omar holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University, where he received the distinguished student & Deans honor roll award and was a member of the Chemical Engineering Honor Society. He was also voted valedictorian of his graduating class in 2015.

Omar’s achievements in the real estate industry have been recognized by the Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal, which named him to their prestigious 30 under 30 list.

Kent Michels

Kent Michels joined Procida Funding in April 2022 as Vice President of Due Diligence & Underwriting. Kent is responsible for performing underwriting and due diligence for all prospective loans, including assessing the value and cash flow potential of pledged collateral, analyzing market conditions, identifying key risks and opportunities, and reviewing contracts and credentials for project stakeholders. Prior to joining Procida Funding, Kent served as a Senior Vice President with JLL’s hotels advisory practice, where he was responsible for sourcing and executing market and feasibility studies for hotels and mixed-use developments, appraising and asset managing hospitality-oriented assets, and overseeing bespoke research engagements involving complex data analytics and market research to inform investment decisions for a wide range of real estate clients. Kent also formerly served as an Analyst for Goldman Sachs’ US Economic Research Group, where he authored economic research on mortgage delinquencies, foreclosures, home prices, and other topics of interest to market participants. Kent graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in Economics and concentration in French Studies in 2006. He also studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he completed coursework in international economics and European history.

MARK JACOBS

Mark Jacobs founded K&M Newspaper Services, Inc in 1984. The company grew to supply equipment and services to over 500 newspaper publishers worldwide.

Through Alipress Realty, LLC he owned and managed real estate for the past 30 years. Currently, he sits on the following nonprofit boards: Montefiore Nyack Hospital, Montefiore Nyack Foundation, The Wartburg Foundation, Saint Dominic’s Family Services, YMCA of Middletown, Rockland County Pride Center, Center for Safety and Change, and Rockland Country Club Foundation.

Octavio Alvarado

Bio Coming Soon…

Lucas Vitollo

Lucas Vitollo joined Procida Funding in June 2022 after completing a prior internship in the Summer of 2019. Lucas will assist Partners Mike Coen and Brian Foley in the Originations department and Vice President Kent Michels on the Due Diligence forefront. A lifelong resident of New Jersey and New York, Lucas will provide in-depth local market expertise linear with the 100 Mile Fund’s criteria for prospective investments.

Previously, Lucas worked as an investment sales broker at BRG (now IPRG). Lucas was part of a team that executed more than $1 billion of investment property volume in Manhattan and Brooklyn over the past 5 years. Lucas advised landlords in the Midtown, Upper East, and Upper West Side in positioning their assets in a place of strength where value was maximized.

Lucas graduated from the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration at the University of Alabama with a BS in Economics with a Minor in Real Estate.