Consider our recognition of this year’s selection of financial influencers within the commercial real estate market. In ways big and small, these men and women have contributed to that $6 trillion marketplace with their expert and creative channeling of capital to worthy projects and investments. It is no easy task as any one of them will tell you, especially as the capital markets are starting to change in response to tech and other trends. Indeed our article “The Finance Function is Getting Smarter” delves into that topic. Read it for more information and while you are at it, check out the financial influencers. The stories of these individuals and teams and companies are truly inspiring.
Speaking of stories that are truly inspiring we also are featuring our annual Best Bosses of the Year in this issue. After shifting through numerous nomination forms we selected the best of the leaders in commercial real estate. Their expertise in guiding companies, making and keeping them profitable all the while still earning accolades from employees and colleagues, are profiled within this issue. We would be proud to work with any one of them, we at Real Estate Forum eventually concluded as we set about the complex task of judging the nominations.
How else did we capture that $6 trillion within our pages? We took a look at the emerging neighborhoods and markets around the US—namely digging into the how and why a particular submarket emerges as the next Nashville or Denver. We also provided a guide to thought leadership. Many leaders, we realized as we dug through the nomination forms, are actually self-effacing and unlikely to grab at the spotlight. These men and women, though, have ideas that should be shared. So we examined the process of becoming a thought leader within the CRE community.
There is much more within these pages. We hope you enjoy the issue.