How to invest in U.S. real estate through an EB-5 Regional Center to obtain U.S. permanent residency

Brooke Cianfichi, MBA ‘04, BS ‘04, AscendAmerica’s chief operating officer, will explain how an EB-5 Regional Center works to identify:

1.) Real estate investment opportunities that create jobs

2.) Investors for those real estate opportunities who seek U.S. permanent residency.

This webinar is open to any and all interested parties as an educational primer.

Disclaimer: General information will be presented. For more information, please contact info@ascendamerica.com.

What is AscendAmerica?
AscendAmerica is a USCIS designated EB-5 Regional Center focused on providing high-quality, low-risk EB-5 investment opportunities to foreign nationals seeking to immigrate to the United States. Through strict adherence to the principles of legal compliance, transparency and integrity, AscendAmerica strives to be the foremost source of EB-5 capital for premier real estate developers and the leading provider of low risk EB-5 qualified projects to investors worldwide. We are an independent regional center that prioritizes investors’ interests and has developed an EB-5 structure that limits investor exposure and risk.

AscendAmerica differentiates itself by:

• Only working with experienced top-tier developers in strong markets
• Having decades of real estate finance experience
• Employing safeguards that protect investors including: Conservative ratios: Projects employ conservative/EB-5 capital to total cost ratios, requiring large-scale capital investment by developers/ Large job creation buffers: Incorporates large job creation buffers to ensure that our projects remain qualified for EB-5 investment, regardless of market changes/ Proven markets: Limit our investment opportunities to prime locations in strong and dynamic markets in top tier cities
• Staying compliant with securities laws
• Taking a credit-centric approach

About Dan Shields
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dan Shields established AscendAmerica with a goal of providing unique, high-quality, low-risk investment opportunities for foreign nationals seeking to immigrate to the United States through the EB-5 program. After earning his JD from the Cardozo School of Law and his MBA from the Wharton School of Business, Dan worked for over 20 years in real estate finance. Prior to founding AscendAmerica, Dan served as administrative vice president at M&T Bank, responsible for the New York City Commercial Real Estate Department; an $8 Billion portfolio which under his leadership experienced virtually no losses or defaults during the 2008-09 global financial crisis. Recognized in the industry as a creative dealmaker who under-promises and overdelivers, Dan has the track record, experience, reputation and integrity demanded by accomplished and pragmatic real estate developers. His legal and credit background give him the tools to underwrite and structure risk at acceptable levels. He is adept at anticipating potential challenges and pre-empting solutions. Dan’s experience in finance, real estate, regulatory compliance and law, combined with his relationships with top-tier developers in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, enables him to structure attractive opportunities that limit risk and prioritize investors’ interests.

About Brooke Cianfichi
Chief Opperating Officer, Director of Business Development
Brooke Cianfichi serves as chief operating officer and director of development at AscendAmerica. Her role is to initiate, underwrite and structure EB-5 investment opportunities. In her previous role as group manager of sales and operations manager at M&T Bank, Brooke managed a group of 21 individuals covering $5 billion of M&T Bank’s $8 billion loan portfolio in New York City commercial real estate. This position allowed her to forge a unique and well-rounded skill set in team management, client advocacy and operational efficiency. With over 14 years of credit experience, in residential and commercial financing, Brooke has a deep understanding of financial structure that allows her to assess and mitigate risk in real estate transactions. Brooke is known for her creativity, her drive and her solid reputation as a problem solver and relationship builder. Brooke earned a master’s degree in economics from New York University and her MBA from the University at Buffalo. She has been featured multiple times on the Stoler Report and has been highlighted in the Commercial Observer and Crain’s New York.