Majority owner of Lima One sells his share

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The founder and chairman of Greenville-based Lima One Capital, John Warren, has sold his majority ownership stake in the company to current minority partners. Warren started Lima One in 2011. The company has grown to more than 300 full- and part-time employees around the country, including 160 in Greenville.

The company doubled in growth for four straight years, according to a news release.

“It has been a true honor to lead Lima One Capital,” Warren said in the news release. “This company is filled with incredible men and women who work hard every day to serve our customers. While it is bittersweet to leave the company, I am proud of everything we have accomplished from right here in Greenville. Lima One has a very bright future ahead of it.”

Lima One Capital’s headquarters and leadership team will remain in Greenville, the release said, and all current jobs located in Greenville will remain in the city.

“Lima One has been a critical part of Greenville’s success over the past 10 years. When leaders like John choose to build their headquarters right here in Greenville, it shows other business leaders the benefits of locating their companies in the Upstate,” Knox White, mayor of Greenville, said in the release.

Lima One’s CEO Jeff Tennyson, who joined the company in 2018 when Warren ran for governor of South Carolina, said in the news release, “While we will miss John day-to-day and the meaningful impact he has had on Lima One’s success, our management team remains fully in place, and we’re well positioned to continue our growth and success.”

Lima One has raised billions of dollars from institutional investors and is on pace to originate $1.25 billion in 2019, according to the release. 

Lima One Capital is a specialty mortgage finance company that specializes in providing customized real estate loans to real estate investors across the nation.