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The Mid-Atlantic region boasts numerous commercial real estate executives who have not only led their firms to great success, in many instances as founder or co-founder, but have also been active leaders and role models in their communities. Several have established foundations or organizations to help rising real estate stars or those less fortunate. Here, Real Estate Forum presents the top Commercial Real Estate ICONS in the Mid-Atlantic market.

RICHARD ALTER

Richard Alter, president and CEO of Manekin LLC, joined the firm in 1971 and was named president in 1987. He oversees all corporate operations, with primary focus on development, the department he created in the 1970s to complement the existing brokerage and management divisions. During his tenure at Manekin, he spearheaded the company's growth in Howard County, developing property valued at $500 million. Overall, Alter has overseen the development of more than 10 million square feet of property throughout the Baltimore/Washington region, including the I-70 corridor and Northern Virginia, valued in excess of $750 million. Additional accomplishments include reengineering Manekin to be a provider of third-party real estate services and transitioning the company from a family-owned business. Active in the community, Alter serves on the Johns Hopkins Heart Institute Initiative Advisory Council, M&T Bank's Northeast Directors Advisory Council and the board of directors for Hopkins Federal Savings Bank, Sinai Hospital, Shoresh and Beth Tfiloh Congregation.

ROBERT J. AMBROSI

Chairman, CEO and founder of ARC Properties Inc., Robert Ambrosi was also founder, president and chairman of ARC Corporate Realty Trust Inc., a public but non-listed net-lease REIT. Ambrosi has more than 35 years of experience in the acquisition, development and management of real estate projects internationally. He began his career as a real estate analyst at the Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York and was then hired as a VP to open the New York office of Marcil Properties, a Canadian real estate investment banking firm. In 1979, he co-founded the Pivko Group Inc. and subsequently Tibor Pivko + Co., an international real estate advisory company with activities in the US, Europe and the Middle East. In 1985, he founded ARC Properties Inc. to specialize in the acquisition and development of net leases and real estate properties throughout the US. He has also been a frequent guest lecturer on international business at several universities including the graduate schools at Duke University and Rutgers University.

BRUCE BASCHUK

As founder and chairman of the J Street Cos., Bruce Baschuk provides the corporate vision and strategic direction for the company; oversees the land acquisition, finance and development operations; and works closely with partners Alex Green, Stan Ferenc, Peggy Crowley and Geoff Kieffer to develop and implement real estate strategies. Baschuk has been active in the area's real estate market for more than 30 years. After working as an agent for CBRE and then Barnes Morris & Pardoe, Baschuk served as the managing director of CBRE's Washington, DC office and was responsible for the firm's corporate services business in the Washington region. He co-founded J Street Development in 2004 and purchased the Randall Hagner Cos. in 2007. In 2008, the J Street Cos. merged with Woodmark Commercial Services and, in 2011, the J Street Cos. moved forward with full capabilities under one name. Baschuk was the former president of Jubilee Enterprises and is the founder of WINNERS Lacrosse, a non-profit inner city organization which mentors boys and girls in Washington, DC. He serves on several community boards and has been honored for his contributions to the community.

G. DAVID CHEEK

David Cheek is president and co-founder of the Meridian Group, a commercial real estate investment and development firm. Founded in 1993 by Cheek and Bruce Lane, Meridian is a direct real estate operator with a successful 21-year track record of transactions primarily in the Washington metro area. Cheek is a member of the Urban Land Institute and NAIOP, and serves on the board of trustees of the Darden School Foundation at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and on the board of the University of Virginia Foundation. He is also past chairman of the board and president of the 'Sconset Trust in Nantucket, MA, a non-profit organization for land conservation and historic preservation in Siasconset. Through its discretionary real estate fund, Meridian Realty Partners I L.P., has invested more than $350 million of equity and acquired approximately $1 billion in assets in the Washington, DC market since 2011.

PETER J. COCOZIELLO

President and CEO of Advance Realty, Peter Cocoziello had a mission to be the premier developer of creative real estate solutions. He formed the company, which specializes in real estate development, construction and property management, in 1979 by purchasing a vacant lot in West Orange, NJ, with the plans to develop his first property. From there he moved onto single-family homes and townhomes and finally to build-to-suit commercial office space. Since its inception, Advance has developed or acquired more than 10 million square feet of commercial, residential, mixed-use and industrial projects. Cocoziello has held leadership roles in numerous community and professional organizations such as the Young Presidents' Organization, New Jersey NAIOP, New Jersey Network, the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce, the board of visitors at the Smeal College of Business and Institute for Real Estate Studies, and he established the Advance Realty Real Estate Lecture series at Penn State University. He is also the recipient of major honors including Developer of the Year, the Forum for Commercial Real Estate—NAIOP, and Entrepreneur of the Year, Real Estate Division—Ernst & Young Inc. NJ.

JOSEPH F. CORADINO

In 2012, Joseph Coradino was named CEO of Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, a real estate company that owns and manages 43 retail shopping malls and properties primarily in the Mid-Atlantic with a concentration in Greater Philadelphia. In his former role as president of PREIT Services, which he assumed in 2004, Coradino was responsible for the management of 33 million square feet of enclosed regional malls and open-air shopping centers in 14 states. He has been with PREIT since 1998 and has been a member of PREIT's board of trustees since 2006. From 2006 to 2011, Coradino was a member of the arts & crafts retailer A.C. Moore's board of directors, chaired its nominating and governance committee and served on its compensation committee. He currently serves on the executive committee of the board of the Central Philadelphia Development Corp., the board of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Drexel University Center for Corporate Governance Advisory Board. He also serves on Temple University's board of trustees and is a trustee of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

MICHAEL DARBY

Known for his visionary thinking, Michael J. Darby is the principal and co-founder of Monument Realty, a top-performing and active real estate firms in the Washington, DC, area. Since its founding in 1998, Monument has completed development of more than 6.5 million square feet—including office, hotel and retail space with total costs of over $1.75 billion—and is currently involved in an additional 2.5 million square feet of development opportunities. Darby has built Monument into a full service real estate firm with expertise in financing, project management, construction management, asset management, residential sales, commercial leasing and property management. An active member of the Washington region's construction and development industry for more than 25 years, Darby served as a SVP for Akridge prior to founding Monument. He has been active in numerous regional real estate organizations and has served on the board of the DC Building Industry Association. He and his company have been long time supporters of the annual Real Estate Games, which supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and he started the JDRF annual cycling competition, which is now in its fifth year.

PETER P. DILULLO

A certified public accountant, Peter DiLullo currently serves as LCOR's CEO and is on the firm's executive committee. LCOR is a fully integrated investment, management and development company with a 30-plus-year track record of creating unique opportunities and successful execution of large-scale profitable projects. He is a member of the National Multi Housing Council, the Real Estate Roundtable and Urban Land Institute who also formerly served as vice chair of ULI's Public/Private Partnerships Council. DiLullo joined the Linpro Co. in 1981 and in 1984 became the CFO. He co-founded LCOR in 1992 as a successor to the Linpro Co. and has served in his current capacity since 1998. In 2012, he oversaw LCOR's recapitalization with the California State Teachers' Retirement System, poising the company for continued growth. Upon graduating from Villanova University, DiLullo joined Haskins and Sells, where he was responsible for supervising audits for real estate clients and in 1977 joined Kravco Inc., a multi-million-dollar real estate development and management company.

SCOTT DORSEY

Chairman and CEO of Merritt Properties, Scott Dorsey has occupied nearly every position in the company since joining in 1972. With a primary focus on strategic planning and the long-term goals of the company, Scott remains involved with the day-to-day operations of the business while serving as the point person for Merritt's interface with financial institutions, government agencies, economic development organizations and industry groups. In addition to his service on the board of directors for the Maryland Economic Development Corp., Maryland Business for Responsive Government, Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore and Young Life-Urban Baltimore, Scott sits on the M&T Bank Greater Baltimore/Washington Directors Advisory Council, the Baltimore County Economic Development Commission and the board of trustees for Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. Scott is also an active member with IREM, ULI and NAIOP, where he sits on the organization's national Industrial Development Forum.

WILLIAM H. GLAZER

An avid endurance athlete who has completed numerous marathons and triathlons, Bill Glazer is the president of Keystone Property Group. He founded Keystone Property Group, initially a commercial real estate brokerage firm, in 1991, and grew it into an investment firm in 1993 before expanding further into a development company in 1997 and a real estate private-equity firm in 2003. Today, Keystone is a vertically integrated real estate investment, development and operating enterprise. Glazer has successfully invested in and developed more than 10 million square feet of properties in transactions totaling billions of dollars using multiple investment structures. Glazer also served as chairman of the board of Hyperion Bank, a Pennsylvania state-chartered commercial bank. He currently serves as director on non-profit boards including the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia. Glazer's professional affiliations include the Young President's Organization, NAIOP, ULI and Wharton School's Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center. Glazer is also the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Pennsylvania Award for Community Excellence, the Chamber of Commerce Award for Excellence and the Philadelphia Business Journal 's 40 Under 40 roster, as well as the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year distinction.

MICHAEL J. GLOSSERMAN

With more than 35 years of experience in various aspects of investment, development and ownership of commercial and residential real estate, Michael Glosserman is the co-owner, managing partner and chair of the executive committee of the JBG Cos. He began his career as a staff attorney with the US Department of Justice, and shortly thereafter, he moved into commercial real estate investment and development with the Rouse Co. and the Real Estate Group before joining JBG in 1979. Glosserman is a board member of the CoStar Group and has been a director of CoStar Group Inc. since June 2008. A former board member of Nations Bank Mid-Atlantic, he also served as a managing member of JBG Holding Co. Glosserman is currently the chairman of the National Building Museum, a trustee of Federal City Council and the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, trustee and Treasurer of the National Building Museum and adopter and advisor for the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship. He also serves on several industry councils and associations and has numerous non-professional affiliations.

CLAY W. HAMLIN

Clay Hamlin has more than 30 years of experience as an owner and developer of commercial real estate. Founder and current managing partner of Alliance Partners, a private owner-operator of commercial real estate, he has been a resident of Philadelphia for more than 40 years. He is also founder and former CEO of the board of Corporate Office Properties Trust Inc., a public REIT. During Hamlin's tenure there, the firm grew from $193 million to $3.2 billion in total market capitalization. He is also founder and president of LBCW Holdings, a privately held family investment company investing primarily in private equity, structured debt and special opportunities. In the late 1960s, Hamlin served as a Lieutenant J.G. in the US Navy on the aircraft carrier the USS Wasp . He's a member of the board of the Character Education Partnership. Also, the Hamlin Family Foundation founded CITRS Inc., a non-profit education company that works with public and private schools and communities to develop character education and leadership programs.

MITCHELL E. HERSH

Mitchell Hersh has served as a member of the board of directors and as a member of the executive committee of the board of directors at Mack-Cali since 1997, and he currently serves as its president and CEO. Hersh is responsible for the strategic direction and long-term planning for the firm, as well as creating and implementing its capital-markets and overall investment strategies. Additionally, he serves as the chairman, president and CEO of the Gale Co. and its subsidiaries, a subsidiary of Mack-Cali, as well as chairman and CEO of Roseland, the company's most recent acquisition. Previously, Hersh served as a partner and COO of the Mack Co., where he oversaw the development, operations, leasing and acquisitions of the firm's office and industrial portfolio. A former member of the New Jersey Real Estate Advisory Board and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's Economic Development and Growth Transition Subcommittee, Hersh serves on the board of trustees of Montclair State University as well as the New Jersey chapter of NAIOP, and is a founding member of Baruch College Newman Real Estate Institute's Real Estate Advisory Board. In addition, he is a board member of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey.

DANIEL HOFFLER

Daniel Hoffler launched Armada Hoffler, an East Coast commercial real estate development, construction and asset-management firm, in 1979. He has guided the firm from its earliest years of building office-warehouse space to constructing and leasing corporate headquarters, five-star hotels, apartments and premier retail centers. Among Armada Hoffler's most noted achievements is the development of Town Center, the centerpiece business district in Virginia Beach that includes Virginia's tallest building, as well as the construction of the Harbor East section of Baltimore. He has established a corporate ethos founded on integrity, trust and civic responsibility and remains active in Armada Hoffler's strategic operations, continually fostering the company's growth. Hoffler has received several community awards for his public service and personal accomplishments, including being named a Distinguished Alumnus by his hometown of Portsmouth, VA. His post-college career included working for Dun & Bradstreet and developer Eastern International Inc. He has also served on several public and private boards.

ERIK E. KOLAR

A founding partner and president and CEO of Patriot Equities, Erik Kolar is instrumental in shaping the direction and vision of Patriot and managing acquisitions, development and client relationships. Prior to forming Patriot, Kolar was president and principal of Preferred Real Estate Investments, where he was primarily responsible for building the firm's portfolio. During his tenure, he developed in excess of 12.5 million square feet of space, with project costs in excess of $1 billion. Kolar also served as SVP at CB Commercial (now CBRE) in its suburban Philadelphia office, specializing in the sale and leasing of office, flex and R&D properties. While there, he sold more than 50 properties and sold or leased more than six million square feet of space, earning him a place in the Chairman's Club four straight years from 1994-1997. He was distinguished as one of the youngest SVPs in the firm's history. A commissioned officer in the Army, Kolar retired at the rank of Captain after serving under the Special Operations Command and serving in the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

ROBERT D. MOSER

As president and CEO of Clark Construction, a provider of construction services with annual revenue in excess of $4 billion, Robert Moser provides executive direction for Clark's family of companies on a national scale, including the acquisition of work and operations, for both building and civil construction. He began his career at Clark in 1997 as a field engineer, and by 2003, as a senior project manager, he led Clark's efforts to complete more than 80 construction projects and the closure of four regional offices of a bankrupt national general contractor for Fireman's Fund Insurance and AIG. Under his leadership, the company successfully completed a number of complex concrete projects, including the Dulles International Airport East Automated People Mover, DC Nationals Ballpark, Department of Transportation Headquarters and DC USA Mall. A member of the William Preston Society at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, he is involved with a variety of building industry organizations, has served on several advisory boards and is a winner of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award at Virginia Tech.

CHARLES K. NULSEN III

After serving as co-founder and CEO of Atlantic Realty Cos. of Vienna, VA, for 13 years, Charles Nulsen established Washington Property Co. in 2005 and now serves as president. Nulsen has more than 30 years' experience in commercial real estate and has been responsible for the acquisition and development of eight million square feet of commercial space in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Nulsen's expertise and focus is on development, acquisitions, sales, joint ventures and equity capital. Currently, Nulsen serves on the board of Children's Hospital Foundation and is a past board member of Episcopal High School of Alexandria, VA. He is the co-founder of the New Community Foundation Scholarship Program, which provides gap college funding for children in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC. He also sits on the American University Real Estate Council, is a member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the Advisory Council.

DAVID POLLIN

Dave Pollin is co-founder and president of the Buccini/Pollin Group, which focuses on office, retail, multifamily and sports/entertainment development and management. He also serves as chairman of Pollin/Miller Hospitality Strategies, the hotel-management affiliate of BPG. Pollin leads BPG's hotel-acquisition, development and financing efforts and has led the firm's development or acquisition and renovation of 30 hotels valued at more than $1.3 billion. His relationships with Hilton, Starwood, Marriott and Choice Hotels have led to BPG winning numerous industry honors, including being named Hilton's Multi-Brand Developer of the Year. Pollin is currently serving on or has recently served on the Federal City Council of Washington, DC; Starwood Hotels & Resorts North American Owner's Advisory Council; Owner Advisory Council of Hilton's Embassy Suites brand; and several others. Prior to co-founding BPG and PMHS, Pollin was a consultant with Laventhol & Horwath, worked in operations with Westin and Sheraton and graduated from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration.

STEVEN J. POZYCKI

Steven Pozycki is founder, chairman and CEO of SJP Properties, a privately held, vertically integrated commercial and residential real estate development, investment and management company. Under Pozycki's leadership, SJP Properties has established itself as one of the leading developers of class-A office and luxury residential properties in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. Pozycki started his career at MetLife in the mid-1970s, and from 1978 and 1981 worked with Equitable Life Insurance, after which he served as regional partner with Lincoln Property Co. He formed SJP Properties in 1981, and initial development projects included corporate build-to-suits as well as speculative developments. In 2004, the firm entered the New York marketplace and now has completed $2 billion of development projects in New York City. Pozycki is also very active in a number of civic and charitable organizations. He serves as a member of the council of trustees of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and as chairman of the development committee for the Center of Civic Responsibility. He was also a member of then-NJ Gov. Jon Corzine's Real Estate Advisory Board.

RAYMOND RITCHEY

EVP and head of the Washington, DC, office and national director of acquisitions and development for Boston Properties, Raymond Ritchey is responsible for all business development, leasing and marketing as well as new opportunity origination in the Washington, DC area. Prior to his appointment to this position in April 1998, he served as SVP and co-manager of the firm's Washington, DC office. In his current position, he also directly oversees similar activities on a national basis. Ritchey joined the firm in 1980, leading its expansion to become one of the dominant real estate firms in the area. For four years prior to that, he was one of the leading commercial real estate brokers in the area with Coldwell Banker. He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and the US Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA. Last year, Ritchey won a ULI lifetime achievement award.

DAVID A. ROSS

Atlantic Realty's partner and president, David Ross is an expert in acquisitions, land use, development and leasing, with more than 31 years of experience in the commercial real estate business. He has been responsible for the development of approximately 10 million square feet of commercial, industrial and retail property throughout the Washington, DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas. In addition to his founding role in Atlantic Realty, Ross maintains a very active presence in the community and local organizations, serving on the board of directors of Easter Seals Greater Baltimore-Washington Region and on the board of trustees of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA. He also chairs the property, building and grounds committee for the board of that institution and serves on the board of directors for the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, where he acts as treasurer. Ross is a member of ICSC, the Northern Virginia chapter of NAIOP and the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce.

B. FRANCIS SAUL II

Bernard Francis Saul II has been the chairman and CEO of Saul Centers Inc. since 1993; president, COO and chairman at B.F. Saul Co. since 1969; and CEO and chairman of the board of trustees at B.F. Saul Real Estate Investment Trust since 1969. He also serves as the chairman, president, and CEO of Chevy Chase Preferred Capital Corp. and has been the chairman and CEO of Chevy Chase Bank, F.S.B. since 1969. In addition, Saul is the chairman of the board of directors at Chevy Chase Financial Limited and Chevy Chase Property Co. Ltd. and serves as a director at ASB Capital Management Inc. He has also served as a trustee at B.F. Saul Real Estate Investment Trust since 1964 and is a director at Derwood Investment Corp. Saul has been a director of Saul Centers Inc. since 1993 and is a director emeritus at Colonial Williamsburg Hotel Properties Inc. and a member of the Folger Shakespeare Library. He serves as a trustee of the National Geographic Society and is a member of the Trustees Council of the National Gallery of Art, Johns Hopkins Medicine Board and an Honorary Trustee of the Brookings Institution. In addition, Saul is CEO of Saul Centers, which owns 9.5 million square feet of real estate, and owns BF Saul Hotels, a private company operating more than 3,400 rooms in 19 hotels.

EMANUEL STERN

While running Hartz Mountain Industries Inc. with a combination of keen business judgment and family tradition, Emanuel Stern actively pursues interests in New York public affairs and culture. Serving as president and COO since 1997, Stern oversees numerous and diverse development projects throughout the New York/New Jersey area and manages one of the largest privately held commercial real estate portfolios in the country. Totaling 38 million square feet, the Hartz portfolio includes more than 200 office, industrial, hotel, retail and residential properties. Initiatives Stern has directed include the speculative development of 70 and 90 Hudson St. at Colgate Center, a major catalyst in the renaissance of the Jersey City waterfront. In Downtown Manhattan, he created a market for posh hotels where none had previously existed by developing the Soho Grand and Tribeca Grand Hotels. He also embarked on a cutting-edge redevelopment project at the former Ford Motor Co. Plant in Edison, NJ. Among many community affairs positions, he was recently named director of the New York Historical Society and is a trustee of the esteemed Citizens Budget Commission of New York as well as a board member of the Jewish Community of Manhattan.

EDWARD A. ST. JOHN JR.

An avid participant in boating, skiing, fishing, golfing and weight training, Edward St. John Jr. founded St. John Properties in 1971 and currently serves as chairman, president and CEO. The firm has developed, constructed, and maintained ownership of more than 16 million square feet of office, research & development/flex, industrial and retail space valued at more than $2 billion. As a leader and active member of the community, St. John has served and continues to serve on numerous boards and committees, including the University of Maryland Medical Center R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center Board of Visitors and the Maryland Academy of Sciences/Maryland Science Center chair and board of trustees. Before founding St. John Properties, St. John served as a general partner with Patapsco Industrial Center. In 1998, he created the Edward St. John Foundation with a philanthropic focus on educational enrichment for children. To date, more than $50 million has been pledged and donated to more than 400 educational, medical, philanthropic and other nonprofit organizations throughout the Baltimore/Washington region.

ROGER A. WAESCHE, JR.

President and CEO of Corporate Office Properties Trust, Roger Waesche was elected trustee in April 2012 and has served as president since September 2010. Prior to that, he held the positions of EVP, COO and CFO at the firm. He has more than 25 years of real estate investment, operations and financing experience and has obtained more than $1.5 billion of real estate and corporate financing. Waesche has been directly responsible for or has overseen more than $2 billion of investments. A member of the Maryland Industrial Development Finance Authority and a board member of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, Waesche also serves on the Greater Baltimore Committee and is a member of the Board of Sponsors of the Sellinger School of Business and Management at Loyola University Maryland. In 2013, Waesche was instrumental in the firm earning several awards, including the 2013 National Commercial Real Estate Customer Service Award of Excellence for tenant satisfaction, presented by CEL & Associates Inc.

JON S. WHEELER

A real estate executive with 32 years of experience, Jon Wheeler serves as chairman & CEO of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust—the only REIT based in the Commonwealth of Virginia primarily focused on grocery-anchored shopping centers—and president & CEO of Wheeler Interests, a real estate acquisition, development, management and leasing company. Wheeler's real estate experience includes the retail leasing, marketing, acquisition, development, financing, management and disposition of strip centers, neighborhood centers, community centers, power centers and mixed-use retail space in both urban and suburban markets. He holds or has held real estate licenses in the states of Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Texas and the District of Columbia. An active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Wheeler is also a founding member of Old Dominion University's Industry Professional Advisors to the Center and on the Senior Advisory Board to E.V. Williams Center for Real Estate and Economic Development. Recently, he received the 2013 Corporate Volunteer Leadership Award from VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads, and he has received several other honors previously.