The leaders in the DC commercial real estate industry come from different backgrounds and, in some cases, made their bones and fortunes in other fields. For example, one founded the first television network for African Americans, another was a noted banker and still another has made headlines as the managing principal owner of the Washington Nationals. Yet the common thread among these titans are that they have each put their personal mark on this area through their investment in time, capital and imagination. All without exception are also heavily involved in civic and philanthropic causes that benefit thousands and make living in the DC area that much better. Here's a look at some individuals who have helped shape—continue to influence—the local market.

Despite starting his Washington, DC-based real estate development firm just as a national recession was beginning in 1974, Chip Akridge has provided the leadership that has resulted in Akridge acquiring or developing approximately 12 million square feet of office, retail, industrial/warehouse and research and development space in the DC area. Akridge noted in a recent radio interview that the current downturn is the sixth since its company's inception. One key to the company's success has been having strong equity partners in each of its projects. One of Akridge's passions on the philanthropic front is the Trust for the National Mall. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he's chairman of the trust that is dedicated to restoring and improving the National Mall, which has fallen into a state of disrepair.

The founder and chairman of J Street Cos. has been a player in Washington for more than a quarter century. Bruce Baschuk provides the corporate vision and strategic direction and oversees the land acquisition, finance and development operations for the firm, which has offices here and in Dallas. J Street maintains a four-million-squarefoot office and multifamily property management portfolio and is also engaged in full development, project management and brokerage. Before forming the company in 2004, Baschuk was one of the top agents in the region, working for CBRE and then Barnes Morris & Pardoe, before he assumed responsibility as the managing director of CBRE's Washington, DC office. He was also the president of Jubilee Enterprises, which has redeveloped more than 1,300 residential units in Southeast DC, and is founder of Winners Lacrosse, a nonprofit that mentors inner-city youth.

While well known on the East Coast as CEO of the Bozzuto Group, Tom Bozzuto is receiving national recognition as chairman of the Board of the National Multi Housing Council. Bozzuto was elected this past January to a two-year term to head the national association that is an advocate for the apartment industry. The NMHC is tapping Bozzuto's more than 40-year real estate experience, which includes launching the Bozzuto Group in 1988 with John Slidell, Rick Mostyn and the late Bernie Lubcher. Since then, the company has built more than 35,000 homes and apartments and provides development, management, homebuilding, acquisitions and construction services. Inducted into the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame in 2011, Bozzuto has overseen the creation of nearly 50,000 residential units with a conservative estimated value of nearly $7 billion.

Any list of the top real estate executives in Washington, DC has to include commercial real estate giant Oliver Carr, Jr., who for four decades helped shape the city's Downtown. Carr has been credited with transforming the city from the ruins of the 1960s civil rights riots into a world-class business center. Hailing from an English family of builders, he founded the Oliver Carr Co. in 1962. Prior to going public, the full-service real estate company master planned and redeveloped the industrial West End district of the city and pioneered the first major mixeduse project near the new Metro transit system. Those were followed by a series of transit-oriented projects adjacent to the Metro. In 1993, the company went public as CarrAmerica Realty Corp. Carr served as chairman of the NYSElisted company until its sale in 1996 to an affiliate of the Blackstone Group for a reported $5.6 billion. Although officially retired since year 2000, Carr has formed a number of new companies within the past decade, including Carr Hospitality LLC..

In the real estate business since the early 1980s, George Carras, cofounder and co-manager of StonebridgeCarras, has acquired more than 20 million square feet of assets nationwide and in excess of eight million square feet of office, residential, industrial, retail and land in the Washington, DC area. Carras formed StonebridgeCarras with his partner Douglas Firstenberg in 2004 and since that time has focused on the development of high-quality mixed-use projects in the Washington, DC area. The company's trophy asset, Constitution Square, is being developed on a 6.9-acre tract in the emerging NoMa district. The property, acquired in 2006 by affiliates of StonebridgeCarras and Walton Street Capital, currently features 1.6 million square feet of space, including two class A, LEED Platinum-certified office buildings, 440 luxury apartment units, retail space and a hotel. The federal government leases more than 900,000 square feet at the project.

The president and co-founder—with Bruce Lane—of the Meridian Group, David Cheek has 33 years of experience in DC real estate, on both the private and institutional sides, and has developed approximately three million square feet of office product. Since its founding in 1993, Meridian has acquired and developed 7.3 million feet of office and industrial space, a hotel and 439 acres of land valued, at over $2.8 billion, in Metro DC; Baltimore; Charlotte, NC; and West Palm Beach, FL. The company has managed $575 million of equity capital and has invested or committed $1.7 billion of total capitalization in 28 deals.

An accomplished engineer and entrepreneur, Jim Clark is as known for his commitment to the local community as for his professional career. Chairman of the executive committee of Clark Construction Group, one of the nation's largest general contracting companies, he's also chairman and CEO of Clark Enterprises Inc., a Bethesda, MD-based holding company formed in 1972 to oversee the management of business interests including real estate, construction and private equity investments. Clark has had a hand in developing many of the buildings on Bethesda's skyline, as well as local landmarks such as Camden Yards, FedEx Field, Miller Park and Petco Park. Clark Construction's 2011 revenues totaled $4.27 billion. In 2005, he established a $30-million endowment fund for what is now known as the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, his alma mater. When he was selected as one of 2009's Washingtonians of the year, Clark, a member of Phi Delta Theta, stated, "I believe that if you make your money in a community, you have an obligation to give back to it."

The principal and co-founder of once high-flying Monument Realty has the company on the comeback trail. After suffering the ill effects of its work with Lehman Brothers, the firm, in the hands of this Australian native, is moving forward on a host of major ventures, including Monument View site in Crystal City, VA where it recently began construction of the 322,000-squarefoot built-to-suit project for Boeing. Michael Darby oversees the firm's fivemillion-plus-square-foot portfolio of office, residential and hotel space, including the Watergate, Dumbarton Place, Potomac Place, the Connecticut and Columbia Center in Washington, DC; and the Odyssey, the Hawthorn and the Palatine in Arlington, VA. Active in the Washington region's construction and development industry for more than 20 years, Darby has spearheaded several Downtown projects, such as the restoration of the Willard Hotel and the Southern Railway Building.

In 15 years, Douglas Donatelli has led First Potomac Realty Trust's growth from a small privately held operation with four properties totaling 800,000 square feet to a publicly traded REIT that now boasts a portfolio of more than 14 million square feet of office and industrial assets worth more than $1.8 billion. Donatelli, chairman and CEO, co-founded Bethesda, MD-based First Potomac in 1997 with Nicholas R. Smith. Despite the potential storm clouds that pervade the Greater DC market, Donatelli, when reporting the company's fourthquarter results earlier this year, noted that it exceeded its goal of one million square feet of new leasing in 2011 and continues to make progress reducing its near-term lease expirations. "While uncertainty in the region persists, our portfolio is well positioned," he states. "We remain committed to improving our occupancy with a view toward increasing earnings and driving shareholder value."

The Princeton University graduate is president of Quadrangle Development Corp. of Washington, DC, which since its founding by chairman Robert Gladstone in 1971 has capitalized its development activities in the Greater DC area to the tune of $8.4 billion in invested capital. Christopher Gladstone, a member of the Urban Land Institute and Lambda Alpha Land Economics Society, oversees a portfolio of 83 properties either completed or in development totaling more than 22 million square feet and is actively involved in the company's strategic planning in new development projects, capitalizing, leasing and on-site management functions for its entire portfolio. In its early days, the firm led the revitalization of Pennsylvania Avenue. Today, Quadrangle has a prime focus on a major mixed-use project in the heart of Tysons Corner, VA. The company is marketing its two-million-square-foot Towers Crescent development that includes office, residential and retail space.

A noted venture capitalist, David Gladstone literally wrote a book on the topic—two, in fact: Venture Capital Investing and Venture Capital Handbook. He is founder, chairman and CEO of Gladstone Commercial Corp., a McLean, VA-based public REIT that specializes in owning triple-net leased industrial, commercial, medical and other types of real estate. Founded in 2003, the company has a $426.4-million portfolio of 72 properties totaling 7.1 million square feet as of December 31, 2011. Currently 98.7% of the portfolio is fully leased. Gladstone also founded and has served as CEO and chairman of the board of directors of affiliates Gladstone Capital Corp., Gladstone Investment Corp. and Gladstone Management Corp. Before forming the company, Gladstone was chairman of American Capital Strategies.

A native of Brooklyn, NY, Doug Jemal branched into real estate in the early 1980s, purchasing his first parcel at 425 7th St. NW in 1981. He founded Douglas Development Corp. in 1985 and today serves as president of the privately held, family-owned company that currently employs more than 125 workers and has a portfolio of approximately eight million square feet. Douglas Development's main focus has been primarily on the purchase and development of distinctive commercial properties in urban areas such as Wonder Plaza (the former Wonder Bread factory) near Howard University; Jemal's Park & Shop (on Connecticut Avenue, the oldest strip shopping center on the East Coast); the historic block of 7th Street between G and H Streets in Chinatown; and the historic Woodrow and Lothrop (Woodies) Building at Metro Center. In recognition of his firm's neighborhood historic preservation efforts, as well as for his philanthropic work in the region, Jemal has received a host of honors, including Washingtonian's "45 People who Shaped Washington" in 2010 and the Mayor's Award for "Excellence in Rehabilitation and New Construction" in 2009. The Downtown BID also recognized Jemal as its "Citizen of the Year" in 2010.

Before making a name for himself in real estate, Robert Johnson was a household name in media circles, having co-founded, with his wife, Black Entertainment Television in 1980. Under his leadership as chairman, BET became the first African American-owned company publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. After selling BET to Viacom in 2001 for approximately $3 billion—becoming Forbes' first African-American billionaire— Johnson embarked on what he called his "second act," with a goal to create a successful, minority-run holding company and asset management firm. So began RLJ Cos., a Bethesda, MD-based business network that counts real estate among its core businesses; RLJ Development and two private equity real estate funds have over $2 billion in combined assets and additional purchasing power of nearly $4 billion. In 2007, USA Today named Johnson one of the 25 most influential business leaders of the past 25 years.

Starting out strictly as a homebuilder in 1977 with less than 10 employees, Kettler Inc. has grown to be an award-winning diversified real estate company that now boasts approximately 700 workers. The McLean, VA-based firm's founder, CEO and majority shareholder, Robert C. Kettler, received the Developer of the Year honor from the National Association of Home Builders in 1986 and the Building Industry Association's Monument Lifetime Achievement award in 2006. He has overseen the development of some of the most successful multifamily communities in the DC metro area, including the award-winning Metropolitan at Pentagon City, Metropolitan at Reston Town Center, Midtown Reston Town Center and Millennium at Metropolitan Park, and is one of the largest developers of affordable housing in the metro area. In 1987 he established Kettler Management, and has seen its property management portfolio blossom to more than 19,000 apartment units in 85 communities and over 1.7 million square feet of office and retail space.

One of four partners at Federal Capital Partners, Korhonen has more than 27 years experience in real estate investment and development and is involved in the company's commercial investment, capital markets and fund raising business. Korhonen, along with his partners, Tom Carr, Alex Marshall and Lacy Rice, have recently raised in excess of $427 million in fund capital but have not yet had their final close. Since 2003, FCP has acquired interests in more than $3 billion in assets, particularly commercial and multifamily properties throughout the Mid-Atlantic, including Washington, DC; Philadelphia; Baltimore; the Norfolk/Virginia Beach market; and the Carolinas. The firm also manages a portfolio of approximately $1.8 billion in real estate assets throughout those markets.

As much as Ted Lerner, managing principal owner of the Washington Nationals, would love to win a World Series title for DC, he's already made his mark here as one of the area's most influential commercial real estate developers. Lerner is founder, president and CEO of Lerner Enterprises, a family owned real estate company headquartered in Rockville, MD. Since its founding 60 years ago, the company has become the largest private real estate development company in the Washington, DC area, with a portfolio of over 20 million square feet of commercial and retail space, 22,000 private homes and more than 7,000 apartment units. Lerner is also a partner in Chelsea Piers, the 30-acre sports and entertainment complex in New York City.

Involved in community banking for more than a quarter of a century, Ronald D. Paul is chairman and CEO of Eagle Bancorp Inc. and EagleBank of Bethesda, MD. He began his career in real estate investment in 1980 as a bookkeeper and, in 1987, formed his own investment company, Ronald D. Paul Cos. Inc.—despite having been diagnosed with kidney disease two years earlier. He is also president of RDP Management, a real estate management firm. His holdings include office and multifamily throughout the DC area, Texas, Florida and Iowa. Seven years after his first kidney transplant, Paul co-founded EagleBank; today a major regional commercial real estate and small business lender with more than $3 billion in assets. He's also chairman of private venture capital fund Bethesda Investments Inc. Last year, Washingtonian magazine named him a Washingtonian of the Year. Paul, who follows Winston Churchill's motto, "You make a living by what you earn. You make a life by what you give," is active in charitable work close to his heart. A past chairman of the National Kidney Foundation, he's raised over $3 million for kidney disease research and therapies over the past 25 years.

Over the past 30 years, Milt Peterson, founder, principal and chairman of Peterson Cos., has overseen the growth of the family company that has spearheaded many significant real estate projects in Virginia and Maryland. The full-spectrum firm has developed, acquired, managed and leased more than 24,000 residential lots and some 34 million feet of retail, hotel and office space, and has a hefty pipeline for potential development, with 2,000 acres at two-dozen locations in Virginia and Maryland. The company's latest signature property under way is National Harbor, located on 350 acres of shoreline in Prince George's County, MD that could at full build-out contain 10 million square feet of hotel, convention, retail, entertainment, dining and office space.

After nearly three decades of leading DC real estate powerhouse Cassidy & Pinkard, Bob Pinkard started all over again in 2009 by forming the Pinkard Group. Pinkard, principal of the Bethesda, MD-based firm, was the co-founder and former chairman and CEO of Cassidy & Pinkard and managing member of its investment portfolio. Today, the Pinkard Group's focus has been on offering a platform to global real estate investors interested in Washington, DC that taps the company's deep market knowledge and extensive relationships. The firm garnered headlines recently when it announced two ventures with local developer Buchanan Partners—a retail and multifamily project in Alexandria, VA and the formation, along with Boston-based Great Point Investors, of a residential land investment fund.

A pioneer in the industry, Linda Rabbitt formed Rand Construction Corp. of Alexandria, VA in 1989 after having co-founded Washington's first 100% woman-owned commercial tenant builder, Hart Construction Co. Inc. Rand, which Rabbitt leads as owner and CEO, started as a small firm in Arlington with seven employees and has grown into one of the largest construction companies in the nation, with annual revenues that exceed $280 million. Rabbitt's numer-ous accolades include being honored by the Washington Business Journal as a "2012 Outstanding Director" for her service and leadership to the board at human resources firm Towers Watson, and being awarded the "Women Who Make a Difference" award from the International Women's Forum. Rabbitt received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Professional Women in Construction DC Chapter in 2010 and in 2008, she was inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame. As if she weren't busy enough, the breast cancer survivor has also served as chairman of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and director and deputy chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, VA.

Raymond A. Ritchey, who has been with Boston Properties for 32 years, is credited with helping the REIT become one of the dominant real estate firms in the DC area. He serves as EVP and national director of acquisitions and development for the firm, which as of year-end 2011 maintained 48 in-service properties in the DC, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland markets, totaling nearly 10.2 million square feet and averaging nearly 97% occupancy. Before his appointment to his current position in April 1998, he served as senior vice president and co-manager of the REIT's local office. For four years prior to joining Boston Properties, Ritchey was one of the leading commercial real estate brokers in the local market with Coldwell Banker.

Consistently ranked among the Forbes 400 Richest Americans with an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion, B. Francis Saul II is the chairman and CEO of Saul Centers. Established in 1993, the self-administered equity REIT operates a portfolio of 58 community and neighborhood shopping centers and office properties, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic, that total some 9.5 million square feet of leasable space. He is also chairman and CEO of the B.F. Saul Co., a private family real estate business that began operations in 1892 under the leadership of his grandfather. Among his many accomplishments was founding Chevy Chase Bank in 1969 "as a hobby," he told the Washingtonian in 2006, when he was inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame. The bank's first location was a trailer in a parking lot on Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, MD. Forty years later, it was acquired by Capital One for $520 million in cash and stock.

A major player in the region's commercial and residential markets, Mitch Schear is the president of Vornado/Charles E. Smith, the Washington division of publicly traded Vornado Realty Trust. He directs the operations for the organization, which maintains a 25-million-square-foot portfolio, including 74 office properties containing 18 million square feet and seven residential properties with 2,424 units, located primarily in the District and Northern Virginia. It also manages an additional 23 buildings totaling 5.4 million square feet of office and commercial properties on behalf of other owners. Schear was recently honored for his philanthropic efforts, particularly his work with Higher Achievement DC Metro, an after-school youth program.

As president and CEO of Monday Properties, Anthony Westreich's dogged determination and confidence in the DC market, and specifically in Rosslyn, VA, give him a spot on this list. The company, focused mainly on DC and New York City, is building, on spec, 1812 N. Moore St., a 35-story, 580,000-foot LEED Platinum-registered office property in Rosslyn. Westreich established Monday Properties in 2004, two years after he acquired New York City-based Max Capital Management Corp. and its four-million-square-foot portfolio. He later purchased a 10-building portfolio in Rosslyn formerly owned by his father, Stanley Westreich, co-founder of Westfield Realty, from Beacon Capital Partners for a reported $1.2 billion. Under Westreich's leadership, Monday Properties has completed $9.8 billion in transactions representing 21.9 million square feet and has leased more than 6.5 million feet of space.