BOSTON– The Davis Companies announced a significant expansion of its real estate investment management operation with the appointment of Alexander K. Zabik as Managing Director and Head of Credit Investments.
Zabik, most recently a Principal and Portfolio Manager of Credit at Pennybacker Capital, will leverage his deep experience in commercial real estate capital markets to nurture, grow and drive all credit investments for the Davis platform, which boasts five decades of success as an owner, operator and investor in the commercial real estate markets. The addition of Zabik will expand upon and diversify Davis’ investment strategy of originating high yielding mortgage, preferred equity and mezzanine investments, and purchases of performing notes, single asset debt securities (SASB) and commercial mortgage-backed securities.
The further expansion of its credit capabilities will position Davis to tap into the expertise of its entire vertically integrated platform on behalf of both its equity and credit transactions across asset classes and throughout the capital stack.
“Through the course of our 50-year history, we have built a reputation for navigating the complexity of shifting real estate cycles with creativity and discipline,” said Stephen Davis, President of Davis. “Alex’s expertise in the credit markets and his proven ability to execute sophisticated investment strategies make him an ideal leader to drive our focused expansion into the credit business. This move strengthens our platform and positions us to execute credit transactions through a value-driven, opportunistic approach which leverages the breadth of our firm’s in-house capabilities.”
“I’m excited to join Davis at this pivotal moment of growth,” said Alexander Zabik. “The firm’s deep pool of talent, truly vertically integrated capabilities, hands-on approach and track record of success create a powerful foundation for executing a differentiated middle-market credit strategy. I look forward to working with the team to unlock new opportunities.”
Zabik has nearly three decades of experience in the commercial real estate investment and debt capital markets sectors and has overseen more than $5 billion in strategic investments. Prior to joining Pennybacker, he founded and ran WestRiver Capital LLC, a $188M private equity credit fund. Prior to WestRiver, Zabik served for nine years as a Managing Director of the BlackRock, Inc. Real Estate Debt Group, where he was responsible for developing and growing the high-yield commercial real estate debt business. At BlackRock, he originated and managed approximately $4 billion of investments.
Zabik received a B.A. degree from Boston University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Babson College. He is a member of the President’s Council for the Real Estate Roundtable, CREFC Planning Committee, Pension Real Estate Association, and the Real Estate Lenders Association.
