SAN DIEGO—More than 2500 were in attendance at Monday's general session last week at MBA's CREF/Multifamily Housing Convention and Expo 2018. Titled “An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future,” the panel focused on topics from rental affordable, and the continuum of housing, and other ways to deal with affordable lending and access to housing to difference ways to recruit younger millennials. Speaker David Stevens, president and CEO of MBA, talked about how this is an “awesome time to be involved in this institution. One thing is clear, when you don't need us, you don't need us, but when you need us, we need you.”

In looking at the vision of MBA's future, Stevens said that “one voice is how you kick ass in Washington, DC. It is how you get legislation changed.” How long will the run last? “We will look at things like M&A activity and GSE Reform” he said, in talking about examples of things MVA will be working on going forward.

Up next was speaker Steve Case, chairman and CEO of Revolution LLC, who also co-founded America Online. Case's discussion focused on partnering with visionary entrepreneurs to build significant and lasting businesses. “Revolution invests and builds companies which leverage technology to disrupt existing markets.”

When discussing AOL, he said that the idea that the world would be a better place if connected was something he truly believed in, but he said he could never have imagined how it would break through. “A lot of things that we thought would happen, have since happened, but the key takeaway is that it isn't so much about having the idea, it is about how you make it happen.” An important lesson is to embrace the future and lean into the future, he explained.

Case told attendees that they should rethink their relationships with customers, competitors and governments alike, and offered a roadmap for navigating in the new paradigm.

“We started as attackers. We had this idea and were going to think of a way to build something. As we got larger from a dozen people to thousands of people, we had a different mindset. Instead of what might go right, we focused on what might go wrong. As companies get scale, you have to figure out how to strike the right balance.”

Not losing sight and having a sense of where things are going and putting more emphasis on where things are going, is key, Case added. “Partnership, policy and perseverance is critical to a successful business.”

To read more coverage from the MBA event, check out the stories below.

What Can Humans Do That Computers Can't?

The Evolution of Private Debt Funds

The Blurred Lines of Financing Sources

Capital Firms Remain Bullish on Multifamily

Why Do Many Investors Still Prefer Urban?

'Headwinds and Tailwinds' in CRE Finance

Bank Lending Appetite Continues Strong

Instant Insights /

Steve Case: Revolution Invests, Builds Companies

Related Stories

Recommended For You