Alexander J. Szikla previously served on Meridian Capital's Healthcare Group helping raise approximately $3 billion in debt and equity placements in addition to working on select advisory and sales engagements for owners, operators and developers of skilled nursing facilities, assisted/independent living facilities, hospitals, dialysis centers, etc. Prior to joining Meridian, Alex served as the Head of Acquisitions at Newcastle Realty Services working alongside the firm’s President to spearhead growth and broaden the firm’s national footprint through expansion into the multifamily and student housing sectors. Alex also cofounded the Plato Student Platform which provides construction and asset management services while overseeing the portfolio's student housing investments. During his tenure, Alex was solely responsible for sourcing, analyzing and closing approximately $50 million of acquisitions while working hand in hand with asset managers and property managers to actively improve properties and add value by increasing bed counts, bolstering amenities and streamlining operations. Alex began his career at FBR Capital Markets & Co. in their Investment Banking Division where he participatied in over $5 billion of transaction volume including IPOs and M&A engagements across the Real Estate, Healthcare and Equity-Linked Capital Markets Groups. He holds a degree in Finance and International Management from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University. Moreover, Alex is pursuing his Masters of Science in Real Estate Development at New York University and has served on the UJA’s Real Estate Executives (REX) NEXT committee.