Employee Spotlight:
David Beidler
David Beidler joined CREA's Syndications Department in October 2025. As VP, Institutional Investments, he has quickly demonstrated the depth of his expertise across historic tax credits (HTC), new markets tax credits (NMTC), and low‑income housing tax credits (LIHTC). Explore David’s background, his role at CREA, and a few personal insights that make him easy to connect with.
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Q: You’ve spent more 17 years working in tax credit syndications - Can you share a brief overview of your career journey and the roles that shaped your expertise?
A: Overall, my career journey is fairly well-rounded, as I began in commercial appraisal in Minneapolis out of undergrad for a few years, while pursuing semi-pro/professional soccer. After a year or two, I figured that I had gone as far as I could in soccer so I re-focused back on my career. I moved to Chicago and was with a CRE mortgage banking and investment advisory firm working as an analyst for three to four years before deciding to go to graduate school for an MBA/Masters in Planning joint program at UNC-Chapel Hill. After graduate school, I worked for four years as Development Manager for a “Main Street” developer in Durham, NC rehabilitating smaller downtown buildings. There were only three of us there in the beginning, so some days consisted of negotiating purchase agreements, originating acquisition loans, paying water bills, trying to lead meetings GC and/or architect meetings where I was in over my head, touring potential apartment tenants, and attending a City meeting. All of the buildings were historic so I was charged with learning the Historic Tax Credit (HTC) program and originating the equity to use in our capital stacks. It was a fantastic learning experience, but then The Great Recession happened.
Leveraging my HTC experience, I transitioned to a HTC/new market tax credit (NMTC) syndicator acting as an originator, which I did for 11 years between two companies. Within that time frame, I was also involved with several twinned low income housing tax credit (LIHTC) developments. Seeing the HTC market as stagnant, along with decreasing credit value and investor competition, I sought out LIHTC opportunities. LIHTC has always appealed to me, because even playing a small role in helping a family find an affordable place to live feels meaningful and fortunate. I landed with a state LIHTC syndicator, originating and covering Georgia, Colorado, and South Carolina before jumping to federal LIHTC originations with a national LIHTC syndicator for two years before coming to CREA to join the Syndications/Investor Relations team.
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Q: What first sparked your passion for affordable housing and mission driven investing?
A: My experience in market-rate finance and development never invoked any passion, but the idea of community development did. So coming out of graduate school, I only pursued community development and mission-focused opportunities. For me, the work needs to feel like it has depth and purpose. Historic rehabilitation preserves history and is the most sustainable type of construction overall. NMTCs help invest into low-income communities or give low-income families in high-income areas access to resources. LIHTCs help provide families and individuals with options to live in more stable communities, which in and of itself can be a multiplier in their families’ lives.
Q: What inspired you to join CREA, and what about the VP of Institutional Investments role felt like the right next step?
A: First, from past conversations with both developers and investors, CREA has a fantastic reputation. So when David Ciminelli suggested that I connect further with CREA, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I saw it as chance to leverage my originations skillset while growing on the other side of the LIHTC production coin. Every CREA person that I met throughout the interview process was engaged, knowledgeable, and welcoming. It felt like a clear fit from my perspective.
Q: How do you approach building relationships and collaborating with CREA’s investor partners?
A: Always, always, always with a long-term mindset and getting to know the people simultaneously to understanding what are their business needs and goals are so that I can more fully help. Here and there, a new relationship can quickly result in a transaction - but much more often, it takes time. I ultimately want a long-term relationship that occurs with repeat business and am always there to collaborate while solving issues with those partners.
Q: What are you most excited to accomplish in your first year with CREA?
A: I want to feel like I materially contributed this year to CREA’s goals/success by being part of the team. Hopefully, I will have some tangible success with new relationships along with reinvigorating conversations with some of CREA’s previously active investor clients. That will all build a foundation and momentum moving forward.
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Q: Tell us a bit about yourself outside of work - what do you enjoy doing when you’re not immersed in affordable housing:
A: I grew up mainly in Grand Forks, ND, which was a fantastic community to be raised. Definitely way too cold now for me though, as I’ve adapted to the South, living in North Carolina and Texas for nearly 25 years. I have two children, with a 19-year old college freshmen at CU-Boulder and a high school junior. Empty nesting is looming. My down time is changing, as I have always been busy with the kids’ activities. I love to travel when we can, whether it’s to England for a Liverpool match or locally to Austin for a weekend. In the winter, we usually have a couple of snowboarding trips as well. I still also play soccer one to two times a week with pick-up games. Two dogs also rule our lives, but I use the dog-walking time for listening to podcasts/audio books. My wife and I usually spend our weekends with some combination of friends, live music or comedy, yardwork, watching sports/movies, and firepit chats.
Random Questions & Awesome Answers
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Q: What number did you wear in soccer, and did it hold any special meaning for you?
A: #9 due to when in 2nd grade while wearing #9, I scored 9 goals in a game playing on field #9 and playing on team #9.
Q: Who’s your favorite soccer player, and what makes them stand out to you?
A: Zinedine Zidane - He looked effortless while dominating a game and could do it all: ball control, pin point passing, clutch goals, defense, and worked hard during each game.
Q: What’s the last audiobook you finished and would you recommend it?
A: Code Name: Pale Horse – Yes; I would recommend. It's about and read by an undercover FBI agent and the cases he worked.
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Q: What are your dog’s names and breed(s)?
A: Bogart - boxer/mastiff mix & Wilbur - pit mix
Q: What’s a surprising lesson you’ve learned as a parent?
A: They may not hear you when you ask them to take out the trash, but they truly are always watching and listening to you. It may just reveal itself a few years later.