Bethlehem Companies is led by Managing Member Adriel Cardenas. Adriel brings over 15 years of experience in the areas of real estate banking, investments, development, and construction. He has been involved in over $300 million dollars’ worth of affordable housing transactions. Mr. Cardenas also has served in multiple leadership positions in several commercial and non-profit organizations. Most recently having served as Executive Director of a faith-based non-profit. His experience in corporate (re)structuring, short and long-term business planning, and all matters of corporate leadership has helped Mr. Cardenas develop a solid reputation for negotiating complex, multi-party, multi-source financing agreements, ensuring that key stakeholders achieve the targeted outcomes they are looking for. He has demonstrated a consistent drive for moving difficult projects forward and getting them across the finish line.

His experience also includes…

• Partnering with organizations to establish strategic goals, annual budgets, and identifying new market opportunities.
• Working with complex financing structures which involve state and federal housing tax credits, HOME, CDBG, Section 8, HUD 221(d)(4), etc.
• Evaluating, preparing, and submitting development proposals for new multifamily affordable housing projects, while also mitigating financial and legal risks of these investments.
• Reviewing corporate and property-level audits, tax returns and cash flow distributions.
• Establishing and managing relationships with institutional investors, as well as key public and private stakeholders.
• Presenting to internal and external audiences, ranging from an organization’s leadership/board of directors to public officials, and to financial sponsors.
• Leading organizations through the process of selecting a development partner, and other key members of a development team, as well as negotiating joint venture agreements.

Mr. Cardenas is also a part-time doctoral student at the University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction, and Planning, where he focuses his studies in the areas of limited liability protection and financial auditing of legal entities. He also holds MS degrees in both Real Estate Finance and Construction Management; a BS in Economics; and a Certificate from Harvard Law School’s Executive Program on Negotiations.