WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 10, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Crowdfunding did not arrive with the advent of 21st century technology. Examples have occurred throughout history, according to Gene Trowbridge, CCIM, ESQ, a senior partner of Trowbridge Taylor Sidoti LLP based in Lake Forest, Calif., and a CCIM Institute senior instructor. An early example is the writer Jonathan Swift’s Irish Loan Fund started in the early 1700s, which lasted for nearly 200 years. Its aim was to provide credit — without collateral — through small contributions funded by many people to the poor of Dublin, Ireland.
“If this happened today, the Securities and Exchange Commission would have no conflict because there was no profit motive on the part of the donors, so it would not be considered the sale of a security,” said Trowbridge, who covers the multiple nuances of crowdfunding in his CCIM Ward Center course, “Ultimate Group Sponsor Workshop,” May 7–8, in Chicago and, July 20-21, in New York City. He presents advanced real estate syndication techniques, teaching commercial real estate professionals how to legally and successfully pool investor money to finance their commercial real estate deals.
Trowbridge’s training as a syndication attorney and his 30 years of experience in creating and sponsoring real estate investment groups give him the ideal background to explain and clarify crowdfunding, syndication, and the myriad rules governing the sale and investment in commercial real estate. Over the years, he has acquired and managed properties for more than 800 investors and provided counsel to clients that include Oracle, Capital One Corporate Real Estate, and PacificCorp.
An acclaimed CCIM instructor and author, Trowbridge has received the Institute’s prestigious Robert L. Ward Instructor of the Year and the Victor L. Lyon Awards among his other accolades.
