SitusAMC Power Pro: Nicholas Koluch

Name: Nicholas Koluch 

Title: Senior Vice President, Asset Management 

Office: Remote 

Day-to-Day: My team performs asset management on behalf of institutional lender clients. We perform a variety of functions for lenders, including quarterly and annual reporting, covenant testing, lease approval reviews and loan modification analyses, to name a few. As interest rates have risen, new originations have gotten more complex and our clients rely on us to ensure that their interests are being protected and loan documents are enforced.    

Inspiration: I love when our team makes a difference for a client. On any of the loans that we work on, we’re at arm’s length, meaning we’re not invested in them, so we work on them as if the loan were our own. We have a diverse client base and the clients are all a little unique, so when we are able to deliver for them and solve a problem, I find that really satisfying. 

Motivation: I have an internal drive to leave it all out on the table every day. That was great advice I got from a mentor, that every day you go to work you should do the best you can and put everything you’ve got out there. So I try to bring a positive energy to my day-to-day to hopefully inspire and motivate my teammates.  

Essential Traits for the Job: I think you need to be motivated, and you need to be resilient and have a thick skin. We are in the trenches every day and each client has their own unique needs, so you’ve got to be resilient. You also need to be able to multi-task because there are a lot of different touchpoints and deliverables in addition to the need to provide high-level analysis on a regular basis.  

Best Advice: When I used to work in private equity, I received some memorable advice: When someone tells you to trust them, don’t. That may be a little draconian but the sentiment behind it is accurate. I would amend that to trust but verify. Sometimes going that extra mile with review pays a lot of dividends.  

Hometown: I grew up in northern New Jersey in a small town called Allendale. I loved growing up there. It was pretty diverse socioeconomically, with blue-collar families coexisting with Wall Street types. I just remember riding my bike everywhere. Starting in seventh grade, I was able to bike across town to go to a friend’s house or to a nearby swimming lake. I really enjoyed that freedom.  

Current Favorite Hobby: One of the silver linings of the pandemic for me was that I rekindled my love of the outdoors. I took up hiking again and got really into it. Then I taught myself how to mountain bike, and that’s my current favorite way to spend my time. Frankly if I have any downtime that’s what I want to do. I just love it because it’s the best workout that I can find while being outside in nature; it’s great for building muscle in your shoulders, legs, and core, as well as strengthening your endurance. Ten minutes from my house you can ride for two or three hours on single tracks. There are roots, there are rocks, it’s great.  

Book Recommendation: I read a book called Hidden Mountains: Survival and Reckoning After a Climb Gone Wrong, by Michael Wejchert, that really made me think. It’s about two climber couples who kept trying to find harder and more challenging mountains to climb together. Eventually they attempt some remote Alaskan peaks, called the Hidden Mountains, and a very unfortunate accident occurs. While the book takes a hard look at the calculus of risk versus reward, the author doesn’t weigh in either way, but asks a lot of thought provoking questions. I highly recommend it! 

Top Travel Destination: I’ve always wanted to visit Scotland; it just looks like a beautiful place with a ton of great nature and history. I like that it has historical cities and lots of hiking. One of these days I’d like to visit.