As Director, he will be responsible for developing new business through deal origination, recruiting brokers and executives to expand the eight offices around the country, develop marketing strategies and examine new ventures to help grow the company. Ralph Herzka, President and CEO of Meridian states, “We are very pleased to have Lee join the company and feel confident that his previous experiences and recognition will add to the firm’s success.”

Mr. Bienstock attracted national attention in 2004 when he appeared for 15 weeks as a finalist on NBC's “The Apprentice” with Donald Trump. Chosen from among one million applicants to vie for a position at the Trump Organization, Mr. Bienstock became one of the final two candidates and the youngest finalist in the history of the series.

Prior to joining Meridian Capital Group, Mr. Bienstock was Associate Vice President of Corporate Development at Trump Mortgage, focusing on commercial real estate transactions. He was also employed at Accenture Consulting, where he provided consulting services for a range of prominent clients in both the private and public sectors. Mr. Bienstock attended Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree with distinction in management.

Founded in 1991, Meridian Capital Group LLC is one of the nation’s largest mortgage brokerages serving the multifamily and commercial real estate sectors. The company is based in New York City with additional offices in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois, Florida, California, and Texas. Working with a wide variety of lenders, Meridian finances transactions ranging from $500,000 to more than $500 million for multifamily, co-op, office, retail, hotel, healthcare, self-storage, industrial, and construction properties. Nationally, Meridian reported more than 2,500 transactions in 2006, totaling over $17 billion.