When Tom Noble joined Artes Capital as Chief Operating Officer, it marked a strategic evolution for the Westlake Village, CA-based private credit platform. Noble, who previously served as COO at Archway Capital, now oversees operations at Artes, from originations and underwriting to marketing, investor relations, and asset management.
The move also prompted a shift for VP Samantha Mansfield, a longtime member of the team who is stepping into a more client-facing business development role and will be supporting Noble’s efforts.
Founded by Scott Taylor and Michael Jin, Artes Capital has carved out a niche as a vertically integrated lender focused on value-add and opportunistic real estate sponsors. The firm specializes in bridge and construction loans, with particular strength in the triple-net build-to-suit space. But what sets Artes apart, according to Noble and Mansfield, is its sponsor-first philosophy: prioritizing long-term relationships over one-off deals and following borrowers into new markets and asset types.
We spoke with Noble and Mansfield about Artes’ platform, their roles, and what’s next for the firm.
Q: Tom, what drew you to Artes Capital and how does your role fit into the firm’s broader evolution?
Tom Noble: Artes has historically been a lean platform centered on originations and credit. It’s impressive how far the firm has grown under that model, but the next phase calls for more defined structure and specialization. My role is to help introduce that, to help formalize the platform so that we can process more deal flow, serve more sponsors, and expand our capital relationships.
I’m also bringing a broker-facing background, which is new for Artes. Up to now, the firm’s business has primarily been direct-to-sponsor. A big part of my mandate is building out our presence with the mortgage brokerage community and helping Artes grow beyond its core relationships—without losing what makes it special.
Q: Samantha, how is your role shifting alongside this transition?
Samantha Mansfield: My background is in transaction management and client relations—providing the sort of white-glove service we’re known for, guiding sponsors through every step of the deal. With Tom coming on board, I’m leaning more into business development and helping expand our network of broker relationships. It’s a natural extension of what I’ve always done—just more focused now on building new connections and growing the platform externally, not just managing deals once they’re in the pipeline.
Q: Artes is known for its sponsor-first model. How does that shape your lending strategy and deal structure?
Noble: It’s our core differentiator. Most private credit funds are transactional—they underwrite the asset and the deal on a one-off basis. We’re much more focused on the sponsor. That allows us to be faster and more flexible, and to offer better terms over time as the relationship deepens.
We like to start with a deal type we know well—say, a Starbucks build-to-suit in Southern California—and as the relationship grows, we’ll follow the sponsor into different geographies and asset types. It’s a partnership model.
Mansfield: Over 90% of our business is with repeat clients. Our sponsors can get capital elsewhere. They come to us because they know we’ll execute quickly and stay hands-on throughout the process. We’re not trying to be everything to everyone, but if you’re a strong operator and you move fast, we’re going to be a good fit—and we’ll follow you wherever your next project is.
Q: What types of deals are you most active in right now?
Noble: Our triple-net build-to-suit program is a big part of what we do—it’s really our calling card in the market. We finance single-tenant pad sites like Starbucks, 7-Eleven, and QSRs for experienced developers. These are pre-leased deals with predictable outcomes, and we can often get to 85–90% loan-to-cost because of the sponsor strength and repeat business model.
Beyond that, we also provide ground-up construction and bridge loans across commercial and residential assets, including light industrial, master-planned communities, and scattered-site SFR. The deal types vary, but the common thread is always a strong sponsor relationship. We follow our clients where it makes sense—while maintaining a high bar for asset-level execution. Product knowledge and familiarity with the underlying real estate are just as important t as the relationship itself.
Q: How does your capital base influence the kinds of deals you do?
Noble: We raise capital from both RIAs and institutions, and the structure varies by channel. Our RIA capital is housed in a mortgage REIT and tends to have more appetite for bridge and construction loans. Our institutional capital is in separately managed accounts and leans more heavily into the triple-net build-to-suit strategy. That alignment helps us serve a diverse range of deal profiles while staying consistent with each capital partner’s goals.
Q: What’s your read on the market right now—and where do you see opportunity?
Noble: On the commercial side, we think we’re at an inflection point. Transaction volume has been low since 2022, but it’s starting to thaw, and we expect the next 12 to 24 months to be more active. We’re most bullish on retail and industrial. Retail, in particular, still feels undervalued relative to fundamentals. And as bank lending remains conservative, we think there’s room for private credit platforms like ours to fill the gap.
On the residential side, things feel overheated. We’re taking a cautious approach there for now, especially in the transitional loan space. But long term, we’ll follow our sponsors—if the right partner has a strong deal, we’ll look at it.
Q: Final thoughts—what’s next for Artes Capital?
Noble: Growth, both organic and strategic. We’re planning a couple of senior hires, including a CFO and a Head of Originations. And we’re keeping an eye on M&A opportunities in the private credit space. There’s been a lot of volatility, and we think consolidation is coming. Artes is well positioned to grow—our sponsor-first model, our integrated platform, and our capital partnerships give us a solid foundation for the next phase.
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