Companies & People: A ‘kind, smart, gentle soul’

Accolades pour in for respected ‘deal maker’ Jim Barnes, who died Aug. 7

By John B. Mugford

It is with great sadness that HREI must report the recent death of a longtime, well-known and highly respected lender in the healthcare real estate (HRE) space, James A. “Jim” Barnes.

An Atlanta resident, Mr. Barnes, who had retired in 2020, passed away Aug. 7 after an extended illness. He was 69.

According to his resume and others who knew of his career, he got involved in healthcare real estate (HRE) lending in the 1990s while at SouthTrust Bank, and then joined GE Healthcare Financial Services in 2005 as a VP of originations. Three years later, he joined Birmingham, Ala.-based Regions Bank as senior VP of HRE.

Then, starting in late 2014 and until his retirement in 2020, he was a senior banker in the HRE unit with Columbus, Ga.-based Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: SNV).

According to Eric Smith, who worked with Mr. Barnes for much of his career, “Jim closed over $5 billion in healthcare real estate, spoke at many conferences and was well-regarded throughout our sector.”

He adds that Mr. Barnes was also well-known for his dapper fashion sense, as he often donned “perfectly tailored suits, bow ties, pocket squares that were color coordinated with his glasses frames, and a nice pair of shoes.”

According to his obituary, Mr. Barnes was born in Montgomery, Ala., and attended the University of Alabama, where he received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Economics. He was “an avid athlete from a young age” and stayed active throughout his life, as he ran 13 marathons and enjoyed snowboarding, golf and cycling and “climbed many of the iconic Tour de France mountains, including Alpe d’Huez and the Tourmalet.”

An “informal” celebration of his life with friends and family was held last Thursday, Aug. 22, at H. M. Patterson and Sons – Oglethorpe in Atlanta.

Mr. Smith, currently the managing director of healthcare acute care real estate with Regions Bank, said the two first worked together in the 1990s, when Mr. Barnes was his boss at SouthTrust. Mr. Barnes then spent about four years with GE Capital, until Mr. Smith, who had started the MOB lending group at Regions Bank, recruited him to join him there.

“In 2009, while I was at Regions, I was finally able to convince him to get back into banking and brought him to Regions,” Mr. Smith recalls. “When I moved to Synovus in July of 2014, I recruited Jim to join me there as well, in December of 2014.”

“As news of Jim’s passing spread to Jim’s customers and co-workers, I received many of their thoughts about Jim,” Mr. Smith tells HREI, noting that the people who shared their thoughts noted that he was a “kind, smart, gentle soul, dapper, legend and a true gentleman. He was all of those, but he was also much more.”

On a personal note, Mr. Smith added that, “Jim was both a mentor and friend who is responsible for introducing me to the sector. He was willing to invest time and share knowledge with anyone who asked. As a result, he served as a mentor to many and a friend to many more. The impact of his life will be felt for many years to come.”

Reactions from those who knew him

Among others in the sector who knew Mr. Barnes and were involved in transactions with him included Shane Seitz, senior investment officer with Ventas Inc. (NYSE: VTR).

“This is terrible news,” Mr. Seitz told HREI about Mr. Barnes’ passing. “I had the pleasure of working with (Jim) for many years in the industry, with more of my opportunities taking place when I was sourcing debt for CBRE in from 2018-19.

“We danced around on a couple deals,” Mr. Seitz added, “and what was so great about him was how genuine he was. He was a thoughtful person that was willing to take the time to understand the transaction. His knowledge in the industry was exceptional and he was great at getting to the point in a very comforting manner. It was clear that he knew the healthcare lending business, but what he really excelled at was being a wonderful person to engage with in business and in life.”

Michael D. Rendina, president and vice chairman of Jupiter, Fla.-based Rendina Healthcare Real Estate, worked closely with Mr. Barnes. As the person who manages all financial aspects of the long-time HRE firm, he wrote in an internal note to Rendina employees: “Jim has been an invaluable member of our Rendina Advisory Board since April 2022, and his loss is profoundly felt by all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.”

He added that Mr. Barnes’ “guidance, insight and unwavering commitment to excellence have played a significant role in our success.”

“On a personal level,” Mr. Rendina noted, “Jim made a significant impact on my career. He was always a guiding light when I was first getting started financing our development deals. He was the first person I called whenever I had a new deal, and his advice was instrumental in shaping the direction of my work. My brothers (Richard. M. Rendina, chairman and CEO, and David B. Rendina, chief strategy officer) and I were blessed to share time with Jim, working together and learning from his diverse experience. Jim’s presence will be deeply missed by our company, the entire healthcare industry and especially by me.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim’s family during this difficult time. Rest in peace until we meet again, my friend. God bless.”

Another sector veteran who worked on numerous transactions with Mr. Barnes is James A. Schmid III, managing partner and chief investment officer with Charlottesville, Va.-based Anchor Health Properties, a prolific HRE developer and acquirer over the years. Mr. Schmid began his working relationship with Mr. Barnes more than a decade ago, when Mr. Schmid was leading the medical facilities investment platform with CNL Healthcare Properties.

“Jim was a key driver at Regions Bank in getting our first secured MOB financings off the ground at CNL back in 2012,” Mr. Schmid tells HREI. “Ironically, one of those deals was three ground-leased, on-campus MOBs in Tennessee built by Ben Ochs (Anchor’s CEO and managing partner), who was then at the predecessor firm to Anchor, Brinkman Management & Development.

“Had those financings not gotten done, I never would have met and worked with Ben and ultimately wound up as his partner at Anchor. Jim did a great job of developing a portfolio of financings for CNL and was a key relationship touchpoint throughout the years.

“His positive, can-do and soft-spoken approach to business will be missed.”

Erik Tellefson, senior managing director and head of HRE lending with Capital One Healthcare Financial Services, tells HREI that he “worked with Jim at GE Capital and then we collectively worked on syndicated MOB transactions. Jim was a great guy, an extremely hard worker and eminently cheerful. He will be greatly missed.”

Malcolm S. Sina, executive chairman of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based Sina Companies LLC, tells us that “Jim Barnes was a great guy and a great lender.

“Sina Companies, and its predecessor DASCO, worked with him at Southtrust, Regions and Synovus – primarily on construction/mini-perm lending across the Southeast United States. He was a deal maker and not a deal killer. He always had a smile on his face and valued his personal relationships with his customers. He will be greatly missed, and we wish the best for his family.”

Mr. Barnes is survived by his partner, Olivia Niemczuk; his sister, Nancy Bryant (Bob); niece Robin Ray; nephews Shane Ray (Katie) and Joshua Ray (Amy); and grand nieces and nephews. 

To read the obituary for Jim Barnes, please visit DignityMemorial.com.
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/atlanta-ga/james-barnes-11934017