Sabal Capital Partners, a financial services firm specializing in commercial real estate, lending and investing, announced Monday that it appointed Jason Pendergist as president and chief operating officer of term lending.

The company explained that Pendergist is a seasoned C-suite leader with proven leadership in the commercial real estate finance and banking arenas. In his new position, Pendergist will oversee Sabal’s growth, focusing on introducing new finance offerings and amplifying the firm’s transaction volume.

“Jason will be instrumental in fueling Sabal’s rapid growth, developing and onboarding new lending programs and realizing market opportunities,” Sabal Capital Partners CEO founder Pat Jackson said. “At the same time, he will help us maximize the synergies that allow us to exponentially expand the Sabal platform.”

“His long and successful history of enabling firms to successfully achieve and manage accelerated growth is well documented and we know he will help us optimize every area of our business,” Jackson said. 

Prior to his new position, Pendergist served as executive vice president and head of real estate and commercial banking with Banc of California, president of consumer and commercial banking at Luther Burbank and held the title of senior vice president at JPMorgan Chase.

Notably, Pendergist also helped found the American Bankers Association’s Commercial Real Estate Committee in 2015, most recently serving as the committee’s chairman. 

 Pendergist plans to utilize his vast experience to help Sabal achieve its goals.

“One of the greatest draws of Sabal is the company’s entrepreneurial spirit and desire to evolve a customer-centric business through operational efficiencies,” said Pendergist. “The company is an established national platform and a scalable enterprise with a commitment to service. We have the opportunity to change the industry for the better and I am excited to be a part of that.”