Christian Pepe
Managing Partner

Mr. Christian Pepe has served as a Managing Partner for First Equity Capital (FEC) since 2009 with a focus in real estate acquisition, construction project management, and residential asset management. Mr. Pepe has an extensive background in all aspects of residential and commercial mortgage lending and has a comprehensive understanding of underwriting guidelines including FHA, VA, Fannie Mae with a specialized focus in renovation and construction lending.

John Child
Managing Partner

Mr. John Child has served as Managing Partner for First Equity Capital since 2009 with a focus on investment strategy, finance/accounting and investor relations. He is an experienced financial executive with over 15 years in the investment banking industry. Prior to joining First Equity, Mr. Child was an Executive Director in equity derivative sales at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Child has experience sales trading equity, credit default swaps, equity options, and corporate debt. He is a licensed real estate salesperson and title insurance producer. Mr. Child earned his BA in Accounting from Loyola University.

Mark Presto
Director of Finance

Mark joined First Equity as Director of Finance and Administration in 2016. Prior to First Equity he served as COO/CFO and Managing Member of DPT Capital Management in Princeton, NJ. DPT had AUM of approximately $75 million utilizing a quantitative approach with a focus on commodities and global equity indices. Mr. Presto also served as Treasurer of Caxton Associates. In addition to treasury responsibilities, he was responsible for broker relations, finance and assisted in accounting, operations and investor relations. Prior to Caxton, he was Vice President and Treasurer of GAF Corporation and its operating companies. He started at GAF in 1979 as an internal auditor and held increasingly responsible management positions in accounting, finance, treasury, and portfolio management. Mr. Presto received a B.S. degree in accounting and a M.B.A. in finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University and obtained his Certified Public Accountant certification in 1986.

Anthony Palmiotto
VP of Sales 

Anthony Palmiotto is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing with First Equity Funding. He specializes in the origination of investment real estate loans for fix & flips and other investment real estate in the residential and commercial space. His primary area of focus is New Jersey, including both the Philadelphia and New York metro areas with millions of dollars of loans originated. He also maintains an active real estate license in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with the The Kislak Company since 2012. He focuses on investment sales of multifamily and other commercial property throughout Philadelphia and parts of New Jersey with transactions totaling tens of millions of dollars. Anthony is a graduate of The College of New Jersey where he played baseball and graduated with a degree in Business Administration.

Cory J. Anderson
Senior Loan Officer

Cory J. Anderson is a senior loan officer at First Equity Funding who resides in Monmouth County. Cory comes from an engineering background prior to working with First Equity Funding. Currently he specializes in originating real estate investment loans. These loans include fix & flip, bridge financing, short & long-term holds and ground-up construction for residential, mixed use as well as commercial properties.

He primarily focuses his efforts in the northeast, more specifically the tri-state area where he has originated millions in loans. Cory is a graduate of Temple University and is an active multifamily real estate investor and networker.

Vincent Gruosso
Senior Loan Officer

Vincent Gruosso has been a loan officer with First Equity for almost 9 years, where he specializes in “Fix and Flip”, “Buy and Hold”, and ground-up construction for single-family homes. In addition to hard money, Vincent is a licensed loan officer who works on conventional and FHA loans as well. When he’s not closing loans you can find Vincent coaching the Red Bank Regional boys soccer team, at a Red Bulls game, or on your TV acting in an episode of “Mysteries at the Museum”.

Jack Gailing
Loan Officer

Jack Gailing is a Loan Officer for First Equity Funding. He is a  Monmouth County kid through and through and is excited to get started with the First Equity family. Jack has been working for over 14 years in various spaces, leading him to become a part of the team here at First Equity. Jack is an avid golfer and surfer and enjoys living along the beaches of Belmar.

Benny Anand
Loan Officer

Benny Anand is a loan officer at First Equity Funding (FEF) who resides in Montgomery County, PA.  He comes from a commercial real estate finance background, having worked at Wachovia, Oppenheimer & Co. and CapVest LLC (his own commercial mortgage broker company) for a 15 year period before joining FEF.  He is also an active commercial real estate development consultant and real estate investor himself.  At FEF his goal is to provide clients with the insight and service they need to structure successful and seamless asset based loan transactions, both for residential and multifamily properties.  He is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a BA in Economics.  In his off-time, Benny enjoys watching sports and spending quality time with family and friends.

Ryan Commesso
Loan Officer

Ryan Commesso is a Loan Officer with First Equity Funding.  Born and raised in Belmar and Spring Lake Heights, Ryan is a fourth-generation Jersey Shore native.  He is passionate about helping others and believes the relationship-building business model at First Equity is paramount to the company’s success.  He specializes in fix-n-flip/bridge loans, as well as 30 year fixed mortgages for investment properties.  While primarily focused in the Northeast, Ryan has connections all over the country, including Charleston, SC, Virginia Beach, VA, and Boston, MA to name a few.  When he is not helping investors get funded for their properties, Ryan enjoys spending time with his family and friends, going to concerts, and travelling the world.

Tim Brennan
Loan Officer

Timothy Brennan is a loan officer for First Equity Funding who specializes in origination of investment real estate loans including “fix and flip,” “buy and hold,” and bridge financing. Timothy attended St. Michael’s College in Winooski, Vermont where he received a degree in Business. Since graduating, Timothy has spent most of his time helping residential homeowners secure financing to purchase home solar systems. He is very excited to be part of the First Equity family and when he isn’t helping you close loans you can find him hiking, playing music, or skiing in Vermont.

Bill McGrorry
Business Development

Bill McGrorry joined First Equity in 2017 and serves as the Business Development Officer and Director of Inside Sales. Bill has previous experience in International Banking as well as Retail Banking. He served as Manager of the International Correspondence Desk at Prebon Yamane in New York City. He transitioned locally working as a Licensed Mortgage Officer for PNC Bank and Santander Bank. He now focuses on the borrowing needs of the real estate investor specializing in Fix and Flip loans and Buy and Hold loans. Bill also assists with hiring, training and development of new employees.

Alicyn DeSimone
Loan Processor

Alicyn DeSimone is a Sales Assistant at First Equity Funding, where she coordinates with our loan officers to facilitate the progression of loans through the pipeline. Alicyn has a degree from the University of Vermont and has been working in the real estate industry since 2012. She has experience in appraisal management, client service coordination, and loan processing. In her free time Alicyn enjoys spending time with her two cats and going to concerts.

Kelli Tanner
Finance Administrator

Ms. Tanner joined First Equity in 2009 and has over 8 years of experience as a professional in the mortgage and real estate industry, with a focus on loan servicing, accounting and real estate property management. Previously, Ms. Tanner served in administration in accounting with an integrated computer designer and software company.

Rachel Leahy
Digital Marketing Director

Rachel Leahy is the Digital Marketing Director at First Equity where she oversees all marketing collateral. Rachel has a degree from Syracuse University where she studied Information Management & Technology with an interest in Social Media. Rachel has past experience in all things digital including social media, content creation, ad campaigns, website design & branding. Her passion is to help companies thrive and build a bigger brand through digital marketing. In her free time, Rachel enjoys going to the beach and hanging with her dog, Willow.