RDG Capital Management

Russell Goin, the firm's founder and managing partner, leads all investment underwriting and credit-committee decisions. RDG operates with a flat decision-making structure, which allows it to move from term sheet to close on an accelerated timeline compared to larger institutional lenders.

The firm sources primarily through a cultivated network of regional real estate sponsors, commercial mortgage brokers, turnaround advisors, and legal intermediaries concentrated in the Midwest and Mountain West. RDG’s ability to fund quickly and customize terms generates repeat flow from borrowers who value certainty of close over headline rate.

Based on observable market activity, RDG operates on a deal-by-deal basis rather than through a blind-pool committed fund structure. This allows the firm to remain opportunistic, underwrite each transaction on its standalone merits, and avoid the structural pressure to deploy committed capital into suboptimal opportunities.

RDG targets transitional and event-driven situations across the capital structure. Typical transactions include bridge loans for commercial property acquisitions, mezzanine debt for construction and development, preferred equity infusions into operating companies, and short-term rescue financing for time-sensitive restructurings. The common thread is a need for flexible, rapid capital deployment.

RDG primarily acts as a principal, deploying its own capital directly into negotiated transactions. While the firm may occasionally participate in club deals or syndicated facilities on a case-by-case basis, its core operational model is one of direct origination and bilateral negotiation — not passive co-investment alongside external fund managers.

RDG concentrates its origination efforts in the Midwest, Mountain West, and broader secondary US markets. The firm has historically shown a preference for transactions where it can physically inspect collateral and meet sponsor teams in person, valuing proximity-based underwriting even as institutions increasingly underwrite remotely.

Unlike a regulated depository institution, RDG is not constrained by risk-weighted capital rules, interagency lending guidance, or lengthy internal credit processes. This permits the firm to structure around deal-level risk rather than portfolio-level regulatory thresholds and to fund within a week in situations where a regional bank might require 45 to 60 days.