ATLANTA—Paul Wrights is only 31, but he's moved up the commercial real estate ranks quickly. And the executive vice president of Cortland Partners is especially savvy about multifamily real estate trends.

The primary renter demographic of individuals aged 22 to 34 has grown to a level not seen since the late 1980s. That's generating tremendous demand for multifamily housing, according to Wright.

“The demographic trends show there is more growth left to come for this primary renter cohort, which will continue to greatly benefit the multifamily industry,” Wrights tells GlobeSt.com. “The decrease in the home ownership rate, the increase in average student debt and the continued trend of men and women waiting longer to marry and form households, have all combined to push demand for rental housing even higher.”

Wrights has a passion for real estate that shows in everything he does. He leads a team of 15 investment professionals with direct oversight of all underwriting, business planning and asset management for Cortland's multifamily investment portfolio, comprising 25,000-plus apartments worth more than $2 billion.

“With my team at Cortland Partners, we are humbled by the opportunity to write part of the story in the future of real estate in the Southeast by providing outstanding apartment homes at a great value to our residents,” Wrights says. “The Southeast has all the qualities of a place with unlimited opportunity for real estate professionals. I continue to hold that view today and couldn't be more optimistic about our prospects for the future.”

Wrights is a member of the Urban Land Institute, a Nonprofit education and research institute with focus on the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. He also volunteers at the Atlanta Food Bank, an umbrella food bank that collects donations and distributes them to hundreds of area agencies and serves as a mentor to many investment professionals not only on his team, but locally and to candidates enrolled at his alma mater.