Baker had been a senior vice president of Eastdil Realty, working in conjunction with Nomura Securities. He was responsible for originating and structuring conventional and securitized debt, equity acquisitions and financings. He then went to work for Cushman & Wakefield as a senior director. Cooper was also a senior director at Cushman, working with Baker on the sale of the Peachtree Center in Atlanta, One Congress Street in Boston, the Westinghouse Headquarters Building in Pittsburgh, 1330 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan and 100 Park Avenue, also in Manhattan. They also handled the recapitalization of Manhattan's 919 Third Ave. Prior to this, Cooper also worked at Eastdil as executive vice president and a member of the Management Committee.

The two have worked together in a partnership that has lasted for about two decades. Together they have been involved in more than $2 billion worth of transactions in the last three years alone.