When clients come first

It’s rare to come across a financier who’s interested in more than just the bottom line; one who is genuinely passionate about helping businesses succeed. But in an age of big banks and centralized services, the idea of adding customized loans to the local lending market is what compelled Robert Napoli to start First West Capital.

Enter First West Capital

Robert, a Melbourne native with 12 years experience in finance and accounting, co-founded First West Capital in October 2010, alongside vice-president Kristi Miller, with an aim to serve small and medium-sized businesses that were being overlooked by big banks and lending institutions. “When we launched First West Capital, we thought we could serve our market in a way that’s focused on the client,” Robert shares. “First West was looking to add full service to its members and saw a need for this service in the market.”

Holding Chartered Accountant designations in both Australia and Canada, Robert had worked in valuations, buy and sell side advisory, due diligence, restructuring and insolvency with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Melbourne. After moving to Canada, he then gained significant experience in British Columbia’s subordinated debt market as an investment manager with Vancity Capital Corporation. There he completed over 30 subordinated debt transactions and built a successful portfolio of subordinated debt financed clients.

Creating even more opportunities to work with fast-growing companies is what motivated Robert and Kristi to join forces and launch First West Credit Union’s capital lending division. “This is niche lending,” Napoli said.

First West Capital’s subordinated debt and mezzanine financing deals allow recipients to expand their companies through acquisition, management buyout or financed growth. “These are local entrepreneur-run companies that need capital and advice to help them grow and get to the next level. We bring a lot of advice and help.”

More than Just Money

In fact, it’s the advice – not the money – that Robert is most passionate about. “At the end of the day, money is just money, but we get to enjoy helping them achieve what they’re trying to do,” Robert shares. “I like to add value for our clients by connecting them with people who can help them out. We‘ll connect them with good advisors or a senior lender. While they know how to run their business, they don’t do deals like this every day so the support is invaluable.”
He cites the example of a recent client that was looking to acquire a supplier in the United States. It was the first time the company had been involved in such a venture, and First West Capital offered guidance. “We worked with them to determine whether it was a good move, and then how to structure the deal,” Robert recalls. “The company is a great local business, but some additional expertise was required.”

Robert says that most of First West Capital’s lending relationships are about five years long, but some end up running a lot longer.

People First

Robert reinforces his collaborative nature both with his clients and with his colleagues, describing himself as “down to earth and approachable.” He takes the same tack with community work, whether in his role as president of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Vancouver Chapter, where he is well known in the Vancouver capital markets community, as an adviser to the Accounting Standards Board of Canada on Private Company Accounting Standards or as a fundraiser for his children’s school in Kitsilano. In any scenario, he shares, “I believe in acting with integrity and ethics.”

It’s a statement you don’t hear often in the banking world, but it’s clearly something you can bank on when you’re working with Robert.