Mendy Pollock's Journey from Broker to Debt Investor | JPC Podcast 10

What Drives You?

In Episode 10 of Confronting the Impossible, host Leo Jacobs welcomes a special guest: Mendy Pollock of Ironwood Capital CRE. From a modest beginning as a mortgage broker in Lakewood to building a $50M+ note-buying operation, Mindy’s story is not just about making deals. It’s about making peace with purpose.

Early Hustle, No Passion

Mendy started his career in commercial real estate under Ira Zlotowitz at Eastern Union, cold-calling hundreds of property owners a day. On paper, it was a solid job. But behind the scripts and sales targets, he felt a growing disconnect. “I'm not a salesperson,” he reflects. “I didn't enjoy selling a fixed product. I wanted to think, to create.”

When the Deals Got Interesting

He stuck it out for seven years - a lesson in resilience - and found a niche with unconventional borrowers. People with tough credit or complex portfolios. The deals were messy. But that’s where Mendy came alive.

Yet the 2008 crisis hit hard. His main client went down. Business dried up. And like many, he was forced to confront not just a market collapse, but his own career identity.

From Consultant to Investor

In that chaos, a pivot: Mendy entered the CMBS workout world, negotiating discounted payoffs, foreclosure strategies, and loan restructurings. But the thrill was short-lived. The creativity was there, but the control wasn't. "Everything was bound by servicing agreements. You could be brilliant and still not move the needle."

That frustration led to the ultimate shift: buying the loans himself.

The First Deal

It started small. A bait and tackle shop in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. The numbers weren’t sexy, but the process was real. Mendy raised the capital, negotiated a deed-in-lieu with the borrower, and exited with a profit. More importantly, he found a model where he controlled the narrative.

What Purpose Feels Like

Today, Mendy manages over $50M in assets. He doesn’t just buy distressed debt. He hunts for opportunity in chaos. And every deal is a canvas for creativity, analysis, and instinct.

"Confronting the impossible was confronting who I am. I’m not a broker. I'm not a consultant. I'm an investor. And I needed to sit in the seat where I could do things my way - not just react, but build."

Final Thought

This episode isn’t just for real estate professionals. It’s for anyone stuck between who they are and what they do.

To confront the impossible, sometimes you have to change positions - literally.

🎧 Watch Episode 10 Now

Hear how a former mortgage broker reclaimed his identity and built a career with meaning, risk, and control.

PODCAST - Confronting the Impossible with Leo Jacobs.

Leo Jacobs, Founder and CEO of Jacobs PC

Known for finding creative, expedient solutions to complex and high-profile cases, Leo excels in matters including distressed investment and asset management, real estate law, corporate law, dispute resolution, business divorces, negotiation, and more. Leo’s extensive expertise in debt and equity structures enables him to employ a full spectrum of legal tools to achieve swift, optimal results for clients. His practice, Jacobs P.C., bridges commercial litigation, corporate transactions, and financial rehabilitation, handling cases across federal, state, and bankruptcy courts, as well as administrative tribunals.

If you would like to join the podcast email requests to pr@jacobspc.com