Blog/News

Domino Refinery Featured in NY Times Culture’s Fall Preview 2023: “The most consequential kind of double take in architecture, especially when it comes to grappling with the climate crisis, is adaptive reuse: the reconfiguration of existing buildings to give them new lives without wasting the…

This month, Untapped New York Insiders got to join Two Trees Managementfor behind-the-scenes hard hat tours of the historic Domino Sugar refinery building, now known as The Refinery at Domino. The landmarked brick shell of the building is being transformed into an all-electric Class A…

Installation of greenery and trees began recently at Two Trees Management’s Domino Sugar Refinery.  The installation will be placed between the landmarked exterior structure and newly fabricated interior glass facade, allowing for unparalleled views of both Manhattan and Brooklyn.     Biophilic Installation begins at…

Domino Sugar Refinery renovation nearly complete as Two Trees builds massive ‘vertical garden’ in future office space

Two Trees to Build Beach on Williamsburg Waterfront “….Meanwhile, a borough away, another new beach is being built along the Brooklyn shoreline in Williamsburg.  The new Brooklyn beach is being built by Two Trees Management, which created Domino Park as part of its redevelopment of…

The much-awaited reauthorization of the EB-5 program was signed into law on March 15, 2022! The new EB-5 legislation ensures that the Regional Center program will be extended through September 30, 2027. Details of the New Legislation:  Investment Amounts:  Under the new legislation, the investment…

Question #4 – How many jobs will be created and what is the maximum number of EB-5 investors for this project? When looking at an EB-5 project, it is important to understand how many jobs the overall project is projected to create and what will…

What does “Retrogression” mean? There are a specific number of EB-5 visas allocated to each country per year.  Once the EB-5 visas for a country are used up, the remaining investors must wait for the following year to convert their I-526 approvals into green cards. …

Question #3 – When is my money used? It is important to understand when the regional center uses your money and deploys it into the project. While not true in every case, it can be reliably stated that the further along the developer is with…

Williamsburg’s tallest tower tops out at Domino Sugar Factory development

Question #2: Why is the developer using EB-5 in this project? This is always an important question to ask when investigating potential EB-5 investments.  One should understand whether the developer has used EB-5 in the past or is this a new capital source for the…

Question #1 – Has the Developer invested meaningful equity of its own in the project? When comparing EB-5 projects, potential investors should look at the amount of equity that the developer has invested in the project.  In most cases, the developer’s equity is returned when…

What is the benefit of having a bank in the capital stack? Before a bank approves a loan for a project they have to conduct due diligence to ensure that the project meets the bank’s credit standards.  During this process, they will explore every aspect…

We often refer to the “capital stack” when we discuss the different sources of money needed to fund a project. Sources can include common equity, preferred equity, senior debt and mezzanine debt among others.  When discussing an EB-5 project’s capital stack, it is important to…

Part 3 – Why we choose to make Preferred Equity Investments[1] This post will detail important factors to considers before investing with a Regional Center that will be placing your money in either the debt or Preferred Equity positions with the EB-5 Intermediary Company for…

PART 2 – DEFINING THE “LOAN MODEL” VERSUS “EQUITY MODEL”[1] This post outlines considerations for the two major segments of a capital stack for a real estate project that will include EB-5 as a funding source: Debt– Either the Senior Loan or Mezzanine Loan position,…

PART 1 – AN ILLUSTRATIVE CASE STUDY IN CAPITAL STACK POSITION[1] Your position in the capital stack does matter. Like any investment, when considering an EB-5 opportunity, how you invest your money (capital position) is equally as important as where you invest your money (project-level risk).  As an…

RISK – every investment and business venture has it, but when it comes to an EB-5 investment, savvy investors and their advisors must learn how to protect themselves and their clients from EB-5 risks that can be avoided. In EB-5, virtually all projects offer the…

The EB-5 Investment Immigration program has been targeted in the press recently and portrayed as a way for rich Chinese to “buy” American citizenship. But a true analysis of this program demonstrates the more accurate, positive impact that EB-5 has had on the US economy…

Lawmakers May Not Spend Political Capital on Stand-Alone EB-5 Bill BY DOUGLAS HAUER, ALEXANDER HECHT AND NEAL MARTIN

By: Dan Shields, President, AscendAmerica As the owner of a USCIS-approved Regional Center, you’d be surprised to hear me say that EB-5 may not work for you, and sometimes, it’s just not worth the investment.  But while EB-5 is a great avenue to finance many…

by Dan Shields, President AscendAmerica The EB-5 program has provoked significant scrutiny of late. The media has described the program as the sale of green cards to rich Chinese nationals who are lured by the attractiveness of permanent residency in the U.S. to invest in…

En 1990, le Congrès américain a mis en place le Programme des immigrants investisseurs EB-5 comme une mesure destinée à stimuler l’économie américaine à travers la création d’emplois. Ce programme permet aux ressortissants étrangers d’obtenir un titre de séjour permanent valable aux États-Unis – dans…

Immigrating to the United States:  The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program The United States Congress established the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program in 1990 as a measure to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation. This program allows foreign nationals to obtain Lawful Permanent Residence in the…

AscendAmerica CEO, Dan Shields discussing our opportunities in America on China’s IFeng.com  

AscendAmerica chooses to partner with people and companies that closely reflect our own values and beliefs. Accordingly, we are proud to say that our Strategic Partners are “Best in Class” who consistently demonstrate their commitment to integrity, community responsibility, legal compliance, ethics and honesty in all…

With an advisory board comprised of international leaders in real estate development and management, finance, law immigration, credit, regulatory compliance and lending, AscendAmerica is founded on the principles of steadfast compliance and unwavering integrity with a critical focus on job creation.