Neil Freeman

Neil Freeman is Chairman and CEO of Urban Development Fund, LLC and Aries Capital, LLC. Throughout his 40-year career in finance and commercial real estate, he has closed over $8 billion in debt, equity, mezzanine and tax credit financing for hotel, multifamily and commercial properties across the United States and in the Caribbean. Freeman has financed and participated in many projects that were vacant and eye sores, including neglected land in low-income areas, and these funds have revitalized the real estates and their neighborhoods. 

As one of the most successful New Markets Tax Credit Community Development Entities with the United States Treasury, UDF has received over $620 million in Federal and State New Markets Tax Credits allocations, translating to over $1 billion in transactions. UDF focuses on the rehabilitation of hotels, mixed-use properties, retail developments, theaters and medical facilities in highly-distressed census tracts nationwide. Freeman’s entities also hold equity interests in over $350 million of real estate, including apartments, hotels, shopping centers and land developments. 

Formerly a licensed CPA, Freeman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Florida, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University. He served as an adjunct professor and board member for DePaul University’s Real Estate Center and is on the Advisory Board for the University of Florida’s Kelley A. Bergstrom Real Estate Center. Freeman is a member the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the Self-Storage Association (SSA), the Lincoln Park Builders Club (LPBC) and a founding board member of Chicago’s Real Estate Investment Association (REIA).