BWE, a national commercial and multifamily mortgage banking company, expanded its footprint in Tennessee with the acquisition of First Southern Mortgage, a full service commercial real estate capital firm.
Through the acquisition, BWE will add four loan producers and four supporting staff based in Nashville and Knoxville. The new team members augment BWE’s continued growth across the South, with the firm opening or expanding offices in South Florida, Atlanta, Birmingham and Norfolk over the past year.
Jim Collins, executive vice president, Stephen Brink, executive vice president, Aaron Ball, vice president, Graham Gilreath, vice president, and Thomas Smith, senior transaction manager, each bring extensive experience arranging debt and equity financing for all types of commercial real estate assets to BWE, including multifamily, retail, industrial, office and self-storage facilities, and have deep relationships with a wide variety of lenders, such as life insurance companies, banks, and government agencies.
Collins and Ball will open a new BWE office in Knoxville, while Brink, Gilreath and Smith will join BWE Senior Vice President Brittney Rowe in the Nashville office. Rowe is an accomplished producer with expertise in every aspect of the mortgage banking business, from originating loans to underwriting and financial analysis.
The expansion in Tennessee continues BWE’s strong period of growth despite the COVID-19 pandemic and a difficult economic environment. The firm has increased its producer base by 54% over the last five years and will continue to add additional talent throughout the country in 2024.
