CRE's Fifty Under 40

We have never claimed that choosing an influencer, or in this case a 50 under 40 nominee, was easy. But what we haven’t told you is that each year the selection process is getting progressively harder. Candidates seem to be better qualified with each passing year and the numbers of high-caliber men and women seem to increase exponentially as well. The number of applications we received this year was probably a record for us, each one highly credentialed. So in addition to qualifications we also look for intangible features such as integrity, an orientation to the community and, this year in particular, resiliency. The economy and the commercial real estate sector, simply put, is tough right now and it takes more than just market intelligence to make it. We are confident that the men and women we selected for this year’s 50 under 40 have what it takes to navigate these challenges.

BENJAMIN BIRNBAUM On a whim, Benjamin Birnbaum and a few of his college friends signed a lease for an apartment in Manhattan following their graduation in Boston. Birnbaum then secured what would become his first, and only, job working as a broker at Newmark. Sixteen years later, Birnbaum has become one of the country’s top-performing retail tenant brokers. As vice chairman at Newmark’s New York headquarters, Birnbaum specializes in landlord and tenant representation. During the pandemic, he focused on revitalizing high-street retail with a big-picture mentality, reassuring guidance and a belief that people would return to in-person experiences. He realized heightened engagement was important and remained accessible. To provide counsel during this period, Birnbaum and his five-person team developed and hosted recurring 25-person discussions for their landlord and tenant clients. As a result of these efforts, Birnbaum secured multiple notable transactions, including a series of med-retail outposts for City MD and Alo Yoga at Rockefeller Center during a period when few leases were being signed along Fifth Avenue. The close of multiple leases for high-end retailers spurred a steady stream of activity with middle- to low-end retailers leasing space. Within the past three years, Birnbaum’s most significant accomplishments include his work with Jeff Goral and Aritzia for their SoHo location; Alo Yoga at Rockefeller Center amid the pandemic; and Ding Tai Fung at 1633 Broadway, the dumpling restaurant’s first-ever NYC outpost. He says his most rewarding project was with Café Joyeux – a solidarity restaurant concept created in 2017 that employs and trains people with cognitive conditions such as Down syndrome or autism. Immediately drawn to the company’s mission and team, Birnbaum represented the tenant pro\ bono and negotiated a highly favorable rental agreement for its space.

CLIFFORD BLANQUICET JR. After concluding a professional golf career, Clifford Blanquicet Jr. became the property manager, janitor, handyman and leasing agent of 100,000 square feet of office and retail properties. One tenant, who was a commercial broker, observed his work ethic and encouraged him to become a licensed commercial real estate broker. He earned his license in 2014 and after a successful two years, he co-founded Blanq Real Estate, where he now serves as president. Since launching the firm in 2015, Blanquicet has grown the business to more than 45 employees, sold more than 140 properties, executed more than 400 leases and closed more than $400 million in transactions. In 2021, he earned his SIOR designation, becoming one of the youngest designees in the world, and has earned several recognitions as a dealmaker and broker to watch. Blanquicet mentors other brokers through interactive daily deal and investment calls, regular office meetings and team-building events. He regularly prospects with other brokers, co-brokers deals to the benefit of his colleagues, shares opportunities with his team and helps everyone around him close more deals more efficiently. Blanquicet also spends a significant amount of time brokering deals that focus on industrial investments, and in 2021 he had a record-breaking year in price-per-square-foot industrial sales. Blanquicet serves as a certified adviser for eXp Commercial and mentors commercial agents and brokers all over the country.

TRAVIS BOOTHE After graduating from Texas Tech University with a degree in finance, Travis Boothe had two key mentors who encouraged him to build a career in brokerage. Since beginning his brokerage career in 2010, Boothe has never had a year of negative production, and at only 35 years old, he is a top-producing office tenant representation broker in Cushman & Wakefield’s Dallas office, where he is an executive director. Boothe focuses on advising clients on office relocations, lease renewals and subleases. Described as disciplined and thoughtful, Boothe generated more than $2.2 million in production last year, completing 101 office transactions, totaling more than 1.5 million square feet – double his production volume in 2021. His key transactions in 2022 included a 214,336-square-foot lease renewal for State Farm, a 52,759-square-foot renewal for BGE Inc., and a new 39,892-square-foot lease for Third Bridge Group. During his career spanning more than a decade, Boothe has advised on more than 400 transactions valued at more than $650 million in total consideration. He was recently named a co-chairman of the firm’s TAG Accelerator committee, which provides quarterly meetings for more than 150 Tenant Advisory Group members to learn and continue to advance their careers. He is dedicated to helping cultivate young talent through the company’s Wildcat Mentor Program. Boothe and two other brokers mentor newer members of the office tenant representation team. In addition, Boothe sits on the board of directors for Touchdown Club of Dallas, a nonprofit organization that supports the Ashford Rise School of Dallas.

CHASE ROBERT BOURDELAISE During his 15-year career in commercial real estate, Transwestern managing director Chase Robert Bourdelaise has developed a reputation for performing sophisticated analyses for clients at every stage of the real estate transaction process. As part of Transwestern’s tenant advisory and workplace solutions practice, Bourdelaise leads a distributed team of experts as the head of the firm’s consulting services group and he provides advanced financial analytics, deal structuring, site selection and labor analytics, portfolio management and optimization, and workplace strategy to national and international companies. Managing more than one million square feet for multimarket clients with more than 150 locations, Bourdelaise closed more than $1.4 million in revenue in 2022. He notably played an essential role in advising on several high-profile projects, including Perry Homes’ relocation of its 77,000-square-foot headquarters in Houston, which won the 2022 Houston Top Lease Impact award from CoStar. As workplace strategy became increasingly critical during the pandemic, Bourdelaise took the initiative to build Transwestern’s workplace solutions capabilities. He developed a unique approach to forecasting space needs using Monte Carlo analysis to predict square-footage based on employee frequency in the office. He also created a model that optimizes the exact days that employees should come into the office to minimize seat count and maximize productive employee interaction on the days they are on-site. Furthermore, Bourdelaise helped develop Transwestern’s proprietary portfolio visualization tool, Curve, which is used to display real-time performance metrics across a company’s real estate portfolio. In addition to his real estate expertise, Bourdelaise is an entrepreneur, having launched two successful companies. He is ranked among the Top 101 LinkedIn Influencers in CRE and is currently writing a book to educate the industry on his unique approach to consultative tenant advisory.

MATEA BOZJA Matea Bozja has established herself as a go-to lawyer for complex and high-profile commercial real estate transactions. Bozja discovered her passion for commercial real estate while she worked as a summer associate at Skadden and since then, she has acted as the lead associate on numerous transactions, including complex joint-ventures with sophisticated tax structures, portfolio acquisitions, sales and restructurings, loan transactions and real estate heavy M&A transactions. In 2021, Bozja was promoted to counsel in Skadden’s Chicago office real estate group, and in 2023, she was promoted to partner. She has a broad practice with significant experience on both domestic and international deals, representing clients in diverse and sophisticated real estate matters, with a focus on REIT-related transactions. She is described as an outstanding lawyer who is smart, thoughtful, diligent and confident. Bozja played a leading role in representing GIC, the world’s sixth-largest sovereign wealth fund, in its $8.1 billion acquisition, JV formation and financing of a portfolio of industrial properties from IndCor Properties. She also recently played a leading role in representing GIC on its $15 billion acquisition, in partnership with Oak Street, of net lease REIT STORE Capital and the related $2.6 billion acquisition financing. Bozja serves on Skadden’s Chicago DE&I committee and the firm’s well-being committee, which focuses on offering emotional, financial and physical well-being opportunities. She also serves as the counsel co-chair on Skadden’s summer associate committee and she frequently leads training for incoming first-year associates. Bozja’s pro bono efforts have included working with the Foundation for Homan Square in connection with transforming the original Sears Tower into a new hub for arts, culture and community development.

JONATHAN BRODY Ever since he was a teenager, Jonathan Brody knew he wanted to work in real estate, going after the thrill of landing a deal. At 19, while still in college, Brody worked for two years for a New York real estate management firm managing 1,000 apartments across 15 buildings. In 2014, while still in college, he landed his dream job, a commission-only sales position at Rosewood Realty Group. Promoted to president of the firm’s investment sales division in 2020, Brody has grown the formerly New York-centric brokerage to a player in the national multifamily scene. At 28 years old, Brody has personally closed more than $1.2 billion in off-market deals, and in the past two years alone, he has more than tripled Rosewood’s national sales from $400 million in 2020 to $1.45 billion in 2021 and $1.3 billion in 2022. Brody leads a team of 15 brokers who work across 18 states. Highlights from his recent transactions include the sales of the Lifestyle Communities portfolio for $230 million; the Kairoi portfolio for $109 million; the Gallery at New Hampshire for $117 million; the Whitney & Harrison portfolio for $133 million; the Avalon Norwalk for $103 million; and the Creekside & Cottonwood portfolio for $78 million. Brody also mentors new brokers in the firm’s New York and Long Island offices; teaching skills required to source and close deals. During the nine years that Brody has been with Rosewood, he has created a broker crash course, which is now taught to all new members of the firm.

RAYANNE CHARLES Rayanne Charles started at Foundry Commercial in 2016 as an accounting supervisor, overseeing business unit accounting and was promoted to controller in 2017. At the same time, she moved to Foundry’s development & investments platform, where she manages 15 professionals. Charles recently became one of the youngest partners in the firm’s history. She is known for handling a technically difficult job involving multiple stakeholders with a refreshing attitude and a consistent smile. Team members say she has transformed D&I accounting into a weapon for deal principals in sourcing transactions while simultaneously advancing the firm’s accounting infrastructure to support the rapid growth in transaction volume. Foundry Commercial is recognized as an industry standard for its draw process which Charles developed, and she has been asked by lenders to train other partners on how the process works so that others can model it. In 2021, Charles was integral to the firm’s successful acquisition and integration of Spring Arbor, a 1,500-person senior housing entity, while also closing $1 billion in development, onboarding 24 real estate assets and 1,500 new employees, building an accounting team of four, and overseeing the accounting software conversion. A native of Trinidad, Charles moved to the US in 1996. She graduated college and entered the workforce during the Great Financial Crisis of 2008 at a small woman-owned CPA firm before moving up the ranks of the industry to her current position.

GARY M. CHOU As a microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics major in college on track to earn his doctorate in dental surgery at UCLA, Gary Chou instead took a nontraditional path into the commercial real estate business. He found his profession in the sciences intellectually stimulating but knew something was missing for him. He had an interest in commercial real estate, and after careful consideration, he decided to pursue brokerage. Chou now serves as a partner at Berkeley Capital Advisors, where he leads the firm’s West Coast office with a focus on single-tenant net lease, net lease portfolios and corporate sale-leasebacks. Chou and his partners established the Berkeley Capital Advisors West team and opened the Orange County office in 2021 to lead the national expansion of Berkeley’s net lease division. Chou is responsible for business development, managing the office, establishing long-term strategy and mentoring future leaders. He and his team have brokered more than 1,400 transactions totaling more than $4 billion. Not only is he recognized for his own achievements but also for the time he dedicates to mentoring new agents, passing on his knowledge and bringing up those around him. Before joining BCA in 2021, Chou co-founded Matthews Real Estate Investment Services, where he consistently ranked within the firm’s top three producing agents and was recognized as Matthews’ top producer for three consecutive years.

PENNY PHUONG CHUNG Penny Phuong Chung’s story is one of resilience and determination. A first-generation immigrant, Chung overcame obstacles, earned a degree at Harvard University and has built a successful career in the commercial real estate industry. She chose to pursue commercial real estate because of her passion for entrepreneurship and her desire to work with a diverse group of people. Chung got started in the business by joining a local CRE brokerage firm in Austin, TX, and within two and a half years, she obtained her CCIM designation. She manages the investment sale division for LT Commercial Group and has made a significant impact on commercial real estate in the Austin MSA region; closing 5% of total investment sale transactions in the area in 2022. As principal, Chung is responsible for leading an investment sales team and handling various acquisition and disposition transactions for her clients. Her team focuses on investment sales, including buying and selling office buildings, retail centers and industrial properties. As team leader, Chung manages the transaction process from start to finish, including negotiating deals, conducting due diligence, and coordinating with other industry professionals, such as attorneys, lenders and property managers.

IAN CLAGSTONE Ian Clagstone advises those entering the commercial real estate business to have integrity and find good mentors. He says that deals will come and go, but building trust is paramount for long-term success and a good mentor will teach the right way to do things. Clagstone’s career began as an office leasing and sales broker, building his book of business and client list. After six years with a national firm, where he achieved top producer for three years in the Hawaii market, he co-founded Standard Commercial LLC in 2013 at the age of 29 and now serves as its president. He is one of only a few brokers in the Hawaii market who successfully transitioned to real estate investing. After taking full ownership of Standard Commercial in 2018, Clagstone created a property management subsidiary that grew rapidly from four to 29 properties. He also has aggressively expanded his investments in Hawaii real estate as a principal, including value-add retail, office and multifamily properties. By accessing private equity, he has led the firm to expand into larger properties, making it more vertically-integrated by leasing and managing properties that it also owns. Clagstone leads Standard Commercial’s leasing, sales and property management divisions, and is CIO of its principal investments/joint venture division, SC Capital. He has logged office building transactions totaling $350 million in recent years and has extensive experience advising clients in tax-deferred 1031 exchange strategies.

GABRIEL COE Gabriel Coe’s interest in commercial real estate started in high school while working for his friends’ parents doing landscaping work at properties. He connected with his future partner, Brett Hatcher, during his sophomore year of college at Ohio State University and spent the rest of his college career interning for Hatcher. He became a licensed sales broker going into his senior year of college. Coe is senior managing director at Marcus & Millichap where he leads the Hatcher Coe Group with Hatcher and his brother Nathan Coe. The brokerage team includes 12 sales agents and eight analysts specializing in self-storage brokerage. In 2022, they sold more than $2 billion in commercial real estate, consisting of 294 properties in 36 states, and ranked among the top 10 brokers companywide. Coe is known for his consistency, expertise and relentless pursuit to provide the best for clients. He spends most of his time as a lead listing agent, procuring new listings, advising clients, analyzing deals and marketing his active listings all over the country. He spends much of his time managing and mentoring a team of eight junior agents as well as attending trade shows, meeting clients and traveling on property tours. During the past three years, the team has added six sales agents and has grown its market presence every year. Coe’s advice to those entering the industry is to find a mentor and get started.

BRENNEN DEGNER After working for free for the landlord who owned the building where he lived in Arizona, Brennen Degner secured an internship with Champion Real Estate Co. in Los Angeles. A few months later, he landed a job at MJW Investments in Santa Monica, where less than a year later, he was promoted to director of asset management overseeing a diversified portfolio of assets valued at close to $1 billion. His new position allowed him to work closely with the firm’s principal Mark Weinstein, and Degner credits this mentorship with giving him the tools he needed to successfully found and grow his own company. He founded DB Capital Management with his partner Devin Antin, and now serves as CEO of the Denver-based vertically-integrated real estate investment firm, which has more than $600 million in assets under management. Antin credits Degner with leading the organization with adaptability, especially in the face of adversity. In addition to his duties as CEO of DB Capital Management, he is also the president of Peak Renovation Partners and an active board member of Skyline Management Group. His involvement with all three companies requires him to wear many hats. Degner oversees the acquisitions, asset management and back office teams while also running point on fund-raising and general relationships with the company’s equity and debt partners. For Peak Renovations and Skyline Management, he serves as an advisor and provides input on managing growth and overall strategic direction for both entities. Under Degner’s leadership, DB Capital has increased its portfolio in the Denver MSA to more than 500 units and has made significant acquisitions in its target markets in Colorado, Texas, Utah and Nevada.

DEEPAK DEWANI During the height of the pandemic in 2020, CBRE chief strategy officer Deepak Dewani saw an opportunity to build a competitive advantage for the company based on making decisions using data, evidence and insights rather than market sentiment. He helped start CBRE’s business insights group in 2021, which combined proprietary internal data, external market insights as well as mental models such as first principles thinking to drive well-informed decisions. Given the impact of his work, the firm merged his group with CBRE’s corporate strategy team last year and gave him leadership of the expanded strategy & insights group. In his role, Dewani works with the senior executive leadership team to define and enhance the company’s strategy to accelerate growth and competitive advantage and oversees a diverse team of former management consultants, buy-side portfolio managers, researchers and data scientists. In addition to playing a key role in driving CBRE’s investments in Industrious, Turner & Townsend and VTS, Dewani’s team has explored how CBRE can use data and insights from its services segments to unlock higher investment performance and unique opportunities in its real estate investments business. In addition to his professional responsibilities, he is on the advisory board of the National Aquarium in Baltimore and frequently advises the organization on various elements of its growth strategy. Dewani was honored as one of CBRE’s most valuable partners in 2015 and 2020, an award that recognizes non-commission-based professionals for their material contributions in helping the company’s commission-based professionals win business and deliver exceptional client outcomes. Growing up in India and during his college days, Dewani wanted to build a professional career that combined his intellectual abilities with tangible real economic shifts and movements. He started at CBRE in India and worked there for eight years before he moved to the US for his MBA at Duke University.

ETHAN ELSER PACE Equity EVP Ethan Elser has led company growth from $5 million in closings per year to $150 million in closings annually along with expansion from two salespeople to 20 salespeople in 20 states. He is a key member of the PACE Equity senior leadership team, responsible for originations, credit and underwriting, and policy. Elser joined the firm shortly after it was founded to create an originations team and has steadily taken on increasing responsibility in the seven years since. He touches most parts of PACE Equity’s day-to-day operations and every transaction that comes through the sales pipeline. He manages the company’s sales and originations group, including sales management, sales training and coaching, and product governance. Elser also manages preferred banking relationships and sits on the firm’s investment committee. Under Elser’s guidance, PACE Equity created a private financial product with a differentiated cost of capital for low-carbon buildings, CIRRUS Low Carbon. Elser serves on the legislative and policy committee for the C-PACE Alliance, where he monitors and analyzes national, state and local government policies that have implications for the firm’s operations and growth opportunities. He has been a champion for C-PACE financing by advocating for stronger education for lenders. He has joined webinars and association events as a speaker and panelist to communicate how PACE programs can bring sustainability to communities. Elser oversaw the largest PACE funding project in Texas – a luxury hotel under construction that faced mid-construction cost overruns. Elser and PACE Equity applied a unique financing approach that helped keep the project moving to completion, allowing the developer to leverage the project’s energy efficiency investments to free up capital. Elser was instrumental in working with the state of Texas PACE Authorities to get this option approved for this project and others in the future.

SCOTT EVERETT In his early twenties, Scott Everett took an interest in flipping single-family houses and formed Royal Ventures LLC to pursue distressed commercial real estate deals and provide land and brokerage services to local investors. He spent most of his free time studying, researching and learning the nuances of real estate investing. Four years and dozens of unsuccessful deals later, Everett had perfected a business model that cemented him as a successful entrepreneur and led him to create the S2 brand, which encompasses both S2 Capital, his private investment firm, and the S2 Foundation, the firm’s philanthropic arm. As the firm’s CEO, Everett has overseen the growth of the firm into one of the top multifamily investors in the Dallas/Ft. Worth market with $10 billion in transactions and hundreds of employees. Everett founded the firm at the age of 23 with little more than his own determination and the belief that the steady economic growth of Texas and the Sunbelt would not only continue but accelerate, with multifamily real estate benefitting. Everett has deep expertise in all facets of the residential investment lifecycle, which has led him to develop a customized data analytics platform at S2 that monitors the firm’s entire portfolio. The platform offers real-time tracking of financial performance down to the property level and assists in risk mitigation strategies, allowing S2 to stay ahead of key trends in the real estate sector. For example, from mid-2021 to Q1 2022, S2 sold or refinanced into long-term debt the majority of its portfolio to position the firm for market turmoil and future opportunities.

DOUG FARON Shoreham Capital co-founder and managing partner Doug Faron spent the first 15 years of his career on the institutional investment side of the business, first in investment banking, then corporate private equity and finally in the real estate private equity world. Before launching Shoreham Capital, he spent 10 years at CIM Group, rising quickly from a deal execution role to a managing director position, overseeing all new and existing East Coast equity investments across five funds while also overseeing the management of the junior investments team. At CIM, he was repeatedly the top producer of new investments and oversaw more than $5 billion of real estate investments and developments across multiple asset classes and markets across the US. Striking out on his own took courage, especially walking away from a partnership opportunity and moving his family, but Faron believed becoming an entrepreneur would allow him to build a business that could drive best-in-class performance. Nearly 12 months into that vision, the firm had achieved more than $250 million of investments capitalized to date. By July 2022, the firm completed its first acquisition, a 26-acre, 412-unit multifamily development site in Cape Coral, FL, that will soon become a $120 million, class A residential rental community. Faron’s first introduction to commercial real estate was through his college roommate, whose father was a real estate developer in California. While attending Brown University, Faron and his friends launched the Brown Real Estate Investment Club, which brought industry experts to speak at the school and eventually successfully lobbied to expand the real estate curriculum.

LAUREN R. FEDERGREEN Lauren Federgreen’s first job after college was selling ad space in a toy and game trade publication. When she demonstrated an ability to sell, her father, a commercial real estate attorney, urged her to move toward commercial real estate brokerage. She worked for Marcus & Millichap before deciding to apply her expertise and relationships to launching her own shop. Federgreen owns independent brokerage firm Rose Real Estate LLC, where she provides a full-service offering including asset pricing, creation and distribution of marketing materials, conducting showings, and negotiating contracts and closings. Day to day she interfaces with tenants, attorneys and municipal inspectors, visiting local municipal offices and the state oversight agency. She is described as a living example of the fact that a young woman who learns the industry, works hard and puts clients first can succeed in real estate and life. She feels her greatest accomplishment is having built relationships during the past 15 years that allowed her to continue to close transactions. These relationships have resulted in closed transaction value exceeding $100 million since she opened her firm. Federgreen leads by example through good times and tough times like the pandemic.

JACE GAN As an intern, Colliers vice chair Jace Gan was advised by his mentors to learn about the then-new industrial asset class, which was where the firm’s top producers were focusing. Shifting away from his planned specialization in office, Gan took their advice, and in hindsight, he believes he chose well, saying the country’s supply chain needs make industrial real estate resilient as it is essential to society’s health. Gan started as a member of the firm’s top industrial team and rose from the role of associate to his current role as vice chairman, earning four major promotions along the way. He now co-leads the team and ranks among Colliers’ top 10 producers nationally. As vice chair, Gan specializes in advising and representing high-profile institutional clients in the sale and leasing of big-box industrial projects. In 2022, he focused on industrial outdoor storage, working in this growing niche with several institutional investors seeking deals in transportation and logistics. One such property included 17 acres in unincorporated LA County, and in an even larger deal, Gan and his team represented Heartland Express on a sale-leaseback deal for more than $95 million of its 19-acre truck terminal in Rancho Cucamonga. Overall, Gan led his team to complete 32 transactions totaling nearly $770 million in 2022, his most profitable year to date. He attributes this success to the foundation laid in those first three years in business and his drive to never become complacent. “I look at brokerage as a sport,” he explains. “If you win a championship one year, you must come back the next year and make those goals again. In this business, every year you start at zero, and you work hard to achieve another winning year.”

SEAN GILBERT As one of Saxum Real Estate’s first employees, Sean Gilbert has built out the firm’s acquisitions platform from scratch, including developing a network of brokers and owners to source new deals, implementing due diligence procedures to analyze deals and creating processes to execute closing activities. Gilbert’s expertise has been a leading factor in Saxum’s growth within two key sectors: Opportunity Zones and cold storage. He is currently heavily focused on the expansion of Saxum’s cold storage platform, which has more than 2.5 million square feet of active projects. Under Gilbert’s leadership, the platform developed the second speculative cold storage building in US history, located in Burleson, TX, and he is leading the active development of six projects nationally with four additional projects planned for 2023. These projects collectively represent more than $1 billion in portfolio value. As an industry expert, Gilbert was selected as the co-chair of NAIOP’s cold storage conference and has been working to put on one of the first-ever cold storage dedicated real estate conferences. Separately, he launched the firm’s OZ fund and the firm has since completed 10 opportunity zone projects across the country in creative office, multifamily and cold storage totaling more than $465 million in total project capitalization. Gilbert was named a principal of Saxum in 2021 after serving as the inaugural director of acquisitions for four years. In this role, Gilbert is responsible for overseeing all origination, financing and closing activities for Saxum’s acquisition and joint-venture opportunities. During Gilbert’s tenure, he has closed on more than 35 value-add and development transactions across multiple verticals and asset types with capitalizations totaling more than $2 billion and encompassing more than six million square feet.

MATTHEW GOTTESDIENER Matthew Gottesdiener was attracted to the fast-paced and intellectually challenging nature of investment banking, along with the general prioritization of merit over experience, characteristics that carry over into his role as CEO of Northland. Gottesdiener graduated from Yale University and worked as an investment professional at Goldman Sachs before joining Northland in 2016. In his current role, he leads the national real estate private equity firm with $8 billion in assets under management, including a portfolio of 26,000 apartments, 2.1 million square feet of commercial space, and a $3 billion development pipeline. In the past year under his guidance, Northland completed 35 transactions, including 11 acquisitions, seven dispositions and 17 refinances. One of the most notable was the historic acquisition of THEA at Metropolis, a 59-story, 685-unit residential tower in Downtown Los Angeles. Before Gottesdiener’s leadership, Northland primarily owned wood frame and garden-style multifamily homes. Today, the firm’s portfolio consists of a diversified high-rise, mid-rise and garden-style mix, as well as a stand-alone residence community and an adult active community. A leading voice in the real estate industry, Gottesdiener has built a robust and growing Twitter following of more than 14,000, where he provides thoughtful commentary and garners engagement from fellow industry peers and thought leaders. Gottesdiener takes an active role in developing solutions to deep-rooted issues that face the industry, including serving as a board member and treasurer with HomeStart, a Boston-based nonprofit that aims to eradicate homelessness in the region through a housing-first approach.

GAUTAM GOYAL As a first-generation American and the son of Indian immigrants, Gautam Goyal’s path to entrepreneurship and success has been riddled with hardships and roadblocks, however, he has successfully navigated these barriers, carved a niche for himself, and emerged as a leader within his field. Goyal founded Three Pillars Capital and its sister company Greenline Apartment Management in 2017 to transform workforce housing by adding luxury amenities and exceptional property management, a model he believes creates success by increasing an asset’s value and driving down management costs while handling issues quickly and efficiently. As CEO, Goyal has played an integral role in the firm’s rapid growth and has established himself as a prominent player in the Houston and Oklahoma multifamily markets. Under his leadership, Three Pillars has amassed more than $350 million in class B and C assets and more than 3,000 residential units under management since acquiring its first property in 2017. In 2022, Goyal oversaw the acquisition of two multifamily properties in Houston and led the firm in the disposition of several properties in the Houston area. In addition to his professional endeavors, Goyal founded the charitable organization World Will Be Better to leverage the firm’s real estate resources to give back to the surrounding communities. He also personally committed $1 million to the Gautam Goyal Family Scholarship, which is awarded annually to students attending the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business.

BRIAN HIRSH Mesa West Capital VP of originations Brian Hirsh loves the fact that in the bridge lending space, there are no cookie-cutter financing solutions, which challenges him to customize solutions for clients and his team. In his role, Hirsh’s primary responsibility is to originate loans on behalf of Mesa West Capital’s investment vehicles given specific investment guidelines and strategies. His primary area of responsibility is Texas, as well as supporting the overall southwestern region, including Southern California, Arizona and Nevada. He is involved in sourcing, screening, underwriting, performing due diligence, driving internal communications, issuing term sheets, preparing and presenting to the investment committee, negotiating loan documents and managing all third parties. During the past three years, Hirsh has originated more than $1.3 billion in floating-rate bridge loans and has been responsible for forging new borrower relationships with institutional sponsors. He is described as driven, hard-working and proactive as well as a great manager and mentor. He always looks to discuss deals with peers, brokers or anyone else who can expand his knowledge of the industry and potentially give him a leg up on his competitors. He studied economics at the University of Colorado. After graduating in 2009 at the height of the recession, Hirsh got a job helping buy distressed bank assets. He then joined Mesa West Capital in 2012.

MIKE JAMES During his 15-year career, Mike James has found himself in the role of industry disrupter as the founder of companies that specialize in specific niches. He got his start in the commercial real estate busness at Marcus & Millichap, where he earned promotions to VP and senior managing director. His success led him to launch James Capital Advisors, where he applied his experience and knowledge to create a specialized and technology-driven brokerage firm focused on net lease and multifamily investment sales. His most recent venture, Ascension, specializes in sale-leasebacks. Under his leadership, Ascension’s growth has earned it a spot on the Inc. 5000 list, which recognizes the fastest-growing private companies in the US. As CEO, James guides the company’s vision, culture and commitment to success. He is involved in all aspects of the firm’s operations, from strategy development to day-to-day management, and he works closely with his team to ensure they provide the highest level of service to clients and brokers. James has also achieved notable accomplishments as a founder and CEO of Guernsey Holdings, a private investment firm that owns and operates Sonic restaurants throughout the US. Under his leadership, Guernsey Holdings has continued to expand its portfolio, acquiring new locations and increasing profitability. For those entering the industry, James advises them to keep their head down, learn the market, make cold calls and know the ins and outs of the business. He emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships and developing a reputation for being a trustworthy advisor. Additionally, he suggests staying up to date with the latest technologies and trends in the industry to remain competitive and provide the best service possible to clients.

MICHAEL A. KAZMIERSKI Michael Kazmierski honed his entrepreneurial skills during high school in Detroit while running a lawn care business and built upon that when he created a business plan and feasibility study for a high-end mansion rental service to provide alternative lodging to high-end clientele, including entertainers and athletes, visiting the metro-Detroit area. This initial entrepreneurial idea and exposure led to an interest in the real estate industry and a finance and real estate focus in college, related internships and eventually a real estate development degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Today, Kazmierski is president and principal of Kaufman Investments, the youngest person to attain this position in the 110-year history of the company. During his tenure, he has led more than $2 billion in acquisitions, dispositions and financings of New York City office transactions and strategic direction of all new investments. He attributes his success to a continual focus on relationship building and a niche focus in the competitive New York real estate market, particularly the Flatiron/NoMad Midtown South submarket. Kazmierski has led the acquisition and redevelopment of nearly a dozen office buildings in the area during the past seven years and helped attract tenants such as Anheuser-Busch and restaurants including Oscar Wilde. Kazmierski formulated an idea for the area that included providing a public work of art that embodied its history while educating the public on the key people and stories of the Gilded Age. The project was carried out by New York City historian and renowned artist Tristan Eaton after more than a year of planning, approvals and execution led by Kazmierski. The 120-foot mural, completed in 2019, is one of New York City’s largest public works of art.

ANDY KLEIN Andy Klein began his career in residential mortgage origination and later worked for a large broker-dealer performing research into equity markets with a specific focus on alternative asset classes. Inspired by the experience, he pursued a Master of science degree in real estate with a concentration in finance and investment at NYU’s Shack Real Estate Institute. His first job in commercial real estate was with a large, publicly traded asset management firm where he was involved in both credit and equity investment across a range of property types, geographies, security interests and return profiles. Today, Klein is managing director and co-head of investments at Lionheart Strategic Management LLC, where he has been integral in helping establish the firm as an SEC-registered investment advisor that was formed in 2017 as the asset management affiliate of Fisher Brothers. He has personally sourced and closed many of Lionheart’s transactions, primarily in ground-up construction projects located in growing markets. In his role, Klein oversees underwriting, origination, negotiation, closing and ongoing asset management of highly structured credit investments in value-add strategies while co-managing all corporate and capital-raising functions for Lionheart. He also serves as the company’s chief compliance officer. His major accomplishments during the past 18 months have included helping Lionheart increase investor capital from $130 million to more than $1 billion, while simultaneously closing more than $300 million in new originations across various fund vehicles and separately managed accounts.

MICHELLE KLINGENBERG Michelle Klingenberg started her JLL career as a lobby receptionist with little background in real estate. After two years in this role, her drive and initiative to learn the industry earned her a commercial real estate position in JLL’s corporate solutions business. In less than a decade, Klingenberg had ascended to the role of SVP, the youngest JLL professional in that role in the firm’s Cincinnati office. She has supported the sale and leasing of more than 100 active market listings and is responsible for more than two million square feet of leasing in Cincinnati. Last year, she completed 98 transactions, leased 1.7 million square feet and sold more than 500,000 square feet. She also secured some of the largest Cincinnati listings, including leasing 89% of the Strietmann Center in less than one year. During the past decade, Klingenberg has received numerous local and regional awards, including the CoStar Power Broker Award in 2017 and 2018. As someone who built her career through the help of senior executives, Klingenberg prioritizes mentorship in her day-to-day operations. She moved a young broker into her office to observe her daily responsibilities more closely, and she regularly invites young professionals to shadow her. She also is a lead mentor in several of JLL’s nationwide mentorship programs, including its Protégé Program and the EmpowHERment program, which allows her to help nine female brokers around the country specializing in agency leasing to positively impact their careers. Klingenberg’s mother, who worked at JLL, inspired her to choose a career in commercial real estate. She viewed her mother as a mentor, and she knew she wanted to follow in her footsteps and help open new opportunities for future female leaders.

NICK KREJCI After being promoted to principal quickly at his previous firm, Nick Krejci co-founded his own brokerage firm, Core Industrial Realty, at the age of 29. As a partner in the firm, Krejci is responsible for leading business development initiatives in addition to his brokerage responsibilities. Described as patient, knowledgeable and committed to his clients, he plays a major role in sourcing and sustaining relationships with both private and institutional clients. Krejci also plays an integral role in both the hiring and professional development of young brokers. He has completed more than 3.3 million square feet of transactions totaling more than $200 million, including more than $65 million in 2021 and more than $87 million in 2022. Some of his notable transactions include a 29-acre land sale to Panattoni Development Co. in 2022, and he is currently leasing a 356,462-square-foot speculative warehouse development on behalf of the developer client. He worked with and counseled the landowner for three years prior to the transaction. Another notable transaction in 2021 was a 352,338-square-foot lease consolidation in Bolingbrook with apparel retailer AKIRA, representing the tenant. Krejci says he chose a career in brokerage because it allowed him to build his own business and network with other entrepreneurs and businesses. He joined the industry in 2016 and benefitted from the mentorship of industry veteran and Core co-founder Noel Liston, who began mentoring Krejci right out of college.

ALI KRIMMER Both of Ali Krimmer’s parents were attorneys, so becoming a lawyer was a natural career path for her. In addition, Krimmer’s father owned a title insurance agency, so she grew up hearing about real estate concepts and deals. While in law school, Krimmer took a variety of real estate electives, which solidified her love for the industry. Upon graduating, Krimmer applied to the then Kaye Scholer firm and that is where she has remained for her whole career, through its merger with Arnold & Porter. As a partner at the firm, Krimmer has a broad-based practice, representing both owners and operators, investment banks and other institutional lenders and capital partners and sponsors. During the past two years, Krimmer has been involved in real estate transactions totaling close to $1 billion and represents Arnold & Porter’s largest real estate clients. She serves as a mentor, sounding board and occasionally a therapist, and always advocates for associates’ wellbeing. Krimmer also has a robust pro bono practice. She negotiated forbearance agreements for two restaurant owners who were struggling as a result of COVID-19. She advised the Bowery Residents’ Committee, an organization that helps clients reclaim their lives from the challenges of homelessness, addiction and mental illness, on three leases for both internal office space and shelters for BRC’s clients. As a result of that work, Krimmer was invited to join the BRC’s junior board. She is a member of the firm’s recruiting committee, which is responsible for recruiting associate talent through on-campus interviewing and lateral hiring. For lawyers entering the real estate space, Krimmer advises doing the long, hard work as a junior associate to build a strong foundation so they can grow to take on more complicated tasks as they progress in the job.

CASEY LASDA In 2017, 26-year-old Casey Lasda joined TheGuarantors, a guarantor of residential leases, as the company’s seventh employee. Today, he is the company’s SVP of underwriting and customer success. During his tenure with TheGuarantors, his team has issued $2 billion in coverage while experiencing revenue growth each year and receiving industry-leading customer satisfaction ratings. Lasda developed a scalable, machine learning-based solution to automate the approval decision without the collection or manual analysis of a vast number of documents. The model allows the company to precisely manage and understand risk within its portfolio. Lasda also manages the sales operations team and is responsible for all customer support and underwriting decisions, renewals and accounts receivable for the company. Prior to joining TheGuarantors, Lasda worked as an analyst at the Office of the New York State Attorney General, conducting public corruption investigations in conjunction with the FBI. While grateful for his experience in the public sector, he wanted to build and grow something from the ground up, so he pivoted to the startup world. His opportunities were limited to early-stage companies, and at the time, TheGuarantors had only six employees, however, it was proactively working to address potential renter fraud, which it quickly experienced success in. Lasda benefited from ample room to take on more responsibility and high-level work at the company.

GARRETT LEE Garrett Lee’s advice to young people is to embrace every new opportunity. He is a firm believer in hard work and doing your best every day in your job, but also that work should not define who a person is. While growing up, Lee’s plan was always to get into the family business, but initially, he thought that would mean being a doctor like his mother and father. Lee studied film production as an undergraduate with the thought of directing movies and eventually graduated from the USC Gold School of Law. But when he completed his studies, the Lee family’s commercial real estate empire blossomed, so Lee opted to follow in the footsteps of his older sister Jaime and older brother Phillip and help grow the commercial real estate empire that their father started. Lee’s vision as a filmmaker has been an asset when it comes to having a strong vision for new multifamily properties that Jamison continues to develop. Lee is president of Jamison Properties, the development arm of the Jamison organization, which controls 18 million square feet of commercial and residential properties throughout Southern California. Lee spearheads its multifamily operation which is the most active division in the company. Seeing the growing need for housing in Los Angeles, in 2014 Lee and his siblings decided to convert one-third of the firm’s existing office buildings into residential properties. The success of its projects in Koreatown has led to the company’s involvement in multiple large-scale multifamily projects around the city, including being part of a joint venture in the building of Circa LA, a two million-square-foot development that includes two 35-story towers spanning 648 luxury residences located in downtown Los Angeles across from Staples Center and LA Live.

CHRIS LOGSDON Chris Logsdon is passionate about building unique and exciting spaces for people to work and live, and he has always strived to create office environments that entice workers to leave their homes. He draws inspiration from his team and feels fortunate that commercial real estate affords him the opportunity to interact with hundreds of people every year. Logsdon is VP of construction within the real estate services division at the RMR Group. He is described as highly organized, self-motivated and reliable in his role overseeing construction projects from concept to completion. During his five years with the RMR Group, he has managed more than 160 construction projects totaling $35 million in project spend and ranging from 500 to 15,000 square feet. Logsdon established the firm’s Washington D.C. and Virginia region construction division and project management system, leading to an increase in business development as well as an improvement in the quality, size and complexity of construction projects. He has expanded the firm’s regional network of service providers to more than 15 general contractors and six architects. Among the construction projects that he has led in the past two years is 2677 Prosperity Ave. in Chantilly, VA, an 11,000-square-foot project that included a renovated main lobby, two lounges, fitness and conference centers and an outdoor terrace. It is being considered for multiple design and construction awards. Logsdon enabled savings of nearly $400,000 through vendor negotiations and project oversight. During the pandemic, he prevented a significant slowdown in construction projects and used the time when many tenants’ employees were working from home as an opportunity to renovate without inconveniencing them. None of the RMR Group’s approved capital expenditure projects were canceled due to COVID-19, and tenant projects were completed regardless of uncertain move-in dates.

STEVEN MAJICH BentallGreenOak managing director Steven Majich contributed significantly to the creation and launch of the firm’s cold storage business, providing subject matter expertise during fundraising; managing the pipeline and maintaining partner relationships to source new deals; negotiating terms with venture partners; and hiring, training and managing the team. He also is leading the expansion of BGO’s build-to-core development platform with a particular focus on the logistics/industrial and cold storage sectors. His current portfolio consists of more than 80 projects and more than $5 billion of project value. As head of US development, Majich leads a 12-person team and directs the oversight of both joint venture and self-managed real estate development and construction management activity for a variety of asset types. According to those who work closely with him, Majich has an incredible work ethic, attention to detail and a high degree of urgency to get things done. Majich grew up in a family that was deeply entrenched in the construction industry. His father was in the building trades as a union plumber and later owned a construction company specializing in underground utility construction. His grandfather was a pension fund manager for a trade union and oversaw the investment, development and operations for a diversified real estate portfolio. Majich started his career in general contracting after graduating with a finance degree but quickly transitioned to an owners’ rep role on several high-profile projects in Los Angeles. He then moved to Washington D.C. for business school where he explored other career paths but ended up drawn back into real estate.

ANNA MALHARI Early in the pandemic, Anna Malhari was asked to consult with Mack-Cali Realty Corp., an established REIT with a $4.5 billion portfolio of office and multifamily properties largely in New Jersey and Boston. The organization was undergoing challenges, in part due to the destabilization of commercial real estate, and the board had decided the company was overly complex for a public REIT. It was also interested in exploring how the company’s ESG performance could be improved — a project that Malhari was leading. Just a few years later, Malhari now serves as COO of the completely rebranded organization known as Veris Residential — a forward-thinking, environmentally and socially conscious REIT. When Malhari became COO, she was responsible for unifying two separate entities, Mack-Cali Realty Corp. and Roseland Residential Trust under the Veris Residential umbrella. In addition to her operational accomplishments, Malhari has been at the forefront of Veris Residential’s ESG-focused transformation and had a leading role in the creation of Embrace by Veris Residential, an ESG program designed to support properties, people and the planet. Malhari is also an active member of the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment and was recently appointed to the New Jersey Governor’s Clean Buildings Working Group. At Malhari’s direction, Veris Residential has committed to achieving green building certifications for all new developments and expanding certifications across wholly-owned multifamily properties. There is a piece of advice that was particularly helpful to Malhari in her career: never shy away from doing something that is not your job. She suggests that if you do that, especially in the early days of your career, then you limit the long-term potential of your career.

PAUL McMANUS Colliers vice chair Paul McManus has been a top 10 producer every year for the past decade and manages several high-profile technology companies’ real estate portfolios. In one highly publicized negotiation, he represented LinkedIn in its real estate swap with Google — a significant transaction that was recognized as Commercial Real Estate Deal of the Year by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. He also represented LinkedIn in its acquisition of 440,000 square feet from the Jay Paul Co. and negotiated Nvidia’s lease renewal of 500,000 square feet in Santa Clara. In his representation of LinkedIn and Nvidia alone, McManus has been involved in more than three million square feet of sales and leasing, 700,000 square feet of which took place in 2022. His success has led to five promotions since he joined the firm as an associate. McManus initially became interested in commercial real estate during high school through talks with his dad’s friend who is a successful industry professional. After majoring in real estate finance and earning his real estate license immediately after graduating, McManus was hired and mentored by John McMahon at Colliers’ Silicon Valley office. He leads a 30-person team of professionals specializing in occupier services that complete an average of 350 transactions and seven million square feet per year. McManus’ team maintained a steady stream of high-profile transactions that sustained their clients’ success throughout the pandemic’s many challenges, especially those affecting occupier services. From 2020 through 2022 the team transacted more than 1,000 deals totaling 17.7 million square feet. Colleagues say he is an extremely hard worker who starts his day early and ends it late so he can work with international teams, while putting in a full day at the office and always making time for family.

TOMMY MELLO As EVP of A10 Capital, Tommy Mello is responsible for sourcing new business opportunities for the firm and leverages his personal network to deliver bespoke, complex solutions for his clients. Mello was a top producer for Morgan Stanley’s real estate private equity vehicles with more than $1 billion of acquisitions and $300 million of dispositions throughout the US before joining A10 Capital in mid-2021. Mello’s first industry experience occurred during the infancy of A10 Capital’s business in 2012 when he joined as an intern. He was fascinated by residential real estate, particularly development, after living in Boise for most of his life. He witnessed his native city transform dramatically but wanted to understand how this rapid change and thought process occurred during the growth phases. Mello worked for an alternative investment firm in London the following summer, followed by internships in New York and Philadelphia before moving to New York full-time. During the pandemic, Mello assisted or individually asset managed nearly $9 billion of assets. He focused on monitoring, structuring and analyzing rent relief requests by the dozens. Well-versed in the financial solutions available nationally, Mello was tapped for an opportunity to help A10 Capital grow its temporary Paycheck Protection Program platform and administered nearly $500 million such loans. A10 approached him about moving into its core real estate business based in Boise, ID. Since then, he has been one of the most productive members of the A10 Capital platform, including participating in two of the most significant transactions in A10’s history.

LAURA MURPHY After graduating from college, Laura Murphy was interested in anything related to mathematics and was unaware of what commercial real estate was. She began applying for jobs in 2010, during the Great Recession and was offered a job in credit risk management at M&T Bank, where she attended a year-long management development program. As she grew within the company, she was fortunate to have managers and supervisors who supported her, acted as mentors and encouraged her to apply for a position in the New York City CRE group. Murphy fell in love with commercial real estate because it involves complex financial and legal structures of the business while ultimately tying back to a concrete asset that people can experience. She then rejoined M&T to work at the platform level in its commercial real estate innovation office. In her role as senior strategic initiatives manager, she has developed a strategy and led the launch of a new institutional commercial real estate line of business at M&T Bank, focused on corporate lending to REITs and funds. During the pandemic, Murphy was still in her previous role as director of finance at TF Cornerstone. Working at a New York City- and Washington D.C.-focused owner-operator was challenging from a cash flow perspective, but that did not stop her from accomplishing ambitious goals. She closed $1 billion and six deals at the beginning of the pandemic.

KRISTI NOOTENS Conversations about the intricacies of real estate were common in the Nootens household when Kristi Nootens was growing up. Her dad was a mechanical engineer at a large REIT and her mom was a property manager. This foundation inspired her interest in the CRE industry at a young age. Her first job was at Boston Properties, where she helped manage 1.8 million square feet of office and retail space at a trophy mixed-use town center. Working at a vertically-integrated owner, operator and developer exposed Nootens to many different sides of the industry. She joined CP Capital in 2012 as a senior analyst and was promoted to VP of investment management, where she was responsible for sourcing new investments and managing a team of junior analysts. With only one other VP on the investment team at the time, Nootens’ coverage area consisted of half of the country. She built a consistent track record of ensuring smooth investment processes — from underwriting to closing, through construction and lease-up to disposition of the asset. During the past three years, CP Capital has announced 10 joint-ventures with best-in-class development and management partners, four of which were secured by Nootens, resulting in 1,205 multifamily rental units being delivered in several target high-growth markets. Upon being appointed co-head last year, Nootens now jointly manages day-to-day operations and leads the firm’s investment strategies alongside CP Capital veteran Paul Doocy. She has been invited back to her alma mater, the University of North Carolina, on multiple occasions to be a guest lecturer for its MBA program’s capstone real estate development courses. She also is a mentor for CP Capital’s corporate partnership with Project Destined – an education platform that trains underserved youth for careers in the real estate industry.

GUILLERMO PERALTA A first-generation college graduate and classically-trained violinist, Guillermo Peralta graduated from Yale with a degree in architecture and started his commercial real estate career at JLL’s public institutions group with a desire to help cities. Since then, he has worked in real estate advisory, development and finance, and technology, and he currently leads corporate strategy at Hines. Early in his career, Peralta worked for Corvias, structuring some of the largest commercial real estate transactions in a public-private partnership format. While at Corvias, Guillermo served as project executive for Howard University, where he led a team in developing and operating more than 2,000 student housing units and managing more than $300 million in development in Washington D.C. Aiming to gain experience in the technology sector, Peralta merged his real estate background with tech at Lyft, leading a team focused on developing ways to leverage Lyft’s real estate footprint to advance sustainability, micromobility and user experience — all throughout the pandemic. In his current role at Hines, Peralta heads the firm’s strategic projects office. Reporting directly to co-CEO Laura Hines, Peralta is responsible for leading internal coordination, strategy and internal transformation for high-priority projects across Hines’ central and regional teams. His key projects include growing the firm’s ESG team and ensuring Hines’ ESG priorities are embedded throughout all regions and investment management. Prior to Hines, Peralta led the global sustainable infrastructure team at JLL, where he used his background in sustainability to enable JLL to fully integrate renewable energy into all new projects and programs.

DAVID M. PLUMMER Retail Specialists VP of leasing and brokerage David Plummer is one of the top tenant representation brokers in Alabama, representing clients including BJ’s Wholesale, Dave and Buster’s, AutoZone, Dutch Bros Coffee, Heartland Dental, Fresenius Medical Care and Kay Jewelers. Plummer had been the tenant rep in Alabama for BJ’s Wholesale for nearly a decade, and though the retailer had done multiple site tours over the years, it hadn’t signed a lease to open a store in the state. True to his approach to building lasting relationships with clients, Plummer remained patient and attentive. Recently, the wholesaler announced its first store in Madison, AL with Plummer serving as the tenant rep broker for the deal. As VP of leasing and brokerage, Plummer is a part of Retail Specialists’ leadership team, acting as the voice for the leasing and tenant rep teams. He regularly mentors younger associates who are starting their careers in commercial real estate, helping to define their goals, and outlining the path to achieve them. When there was a slowdown during the pandemic, Plummer made sure each of his clients knew that he was there to help renegotiate leases and was there to act as a strategic advisor when tenants changed their real estate strategy. For example, his long-time clients Kay Jewelers and Zale’s chose to shift from inside malls to off-mall locations. Plummer carried out that strategy in Louisiana and Alabama, finding the right off-mall locations that made monetary sense for his clients. Plummer got his start in commercial real estate working as an office leasing agent for Boxer Properties in Houston in 2011, where he says he found his passion in life. He returned to Birmingham in 2012 to begin his career with Retail Specialists, focusing on the retail sector.

OHAD PORAT During the past decade, Faropoint chief investment officer Ohad Porat has helped build the firm from the ground up and played a critical role as the firm’s chief strategist while overseeing the acquisition and sale of hundreds of industrial properties. Faropoint has grown into one of the most active buyers of last-mile industrial real estate in the country, amassing more than 20 million square feet of industrial assets under management. Porat says his career in real estate chose him because he was drawn to the physical nature of the industry. In 2012, he joined CEO Adir Levitas in creating Faropoint. When they realized the Israeli real estate market was not creating opportunities, they began to explore investment opportunities in the US. Originally from Israel, Porat had to overcome cultural and language barriers when building Faropoint and familiarizing himself with the US market. Coming from a different country, figuring out how to execute deals and creating the right real estate networks in the US posed a challenge, but Porat’s passion for the industry and willingness to take risks contributed to Faropoint’s success and rapid growth during the past decade. As CIO, Porat designs and executes all investment strategies across the firm, creating differentiated approaches for each market based on economic trends and local fundamentals. He leads a team of 55 employees and is responsible for onboarding employees and filling investment-focused roles across the company. Porat has built a prolific industrial acquisition team that has deployed more than $730 million in total acquisitions in 2021 and more than $680 million in 2022. Since joining Faropoint, Porat has facilitated the acquisition of 400 industrial properties, conducted more than 300 leases, and overseen the purchase and sale of more than 500 buildings.

BRETT REESE Brett Reese brings 12 years of experience to his role as a managing director of CP Group, where he helps the firm identify underutilized office properties, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, and unlock their hidden value. Since joining the company in March 2016, Reese has led the acquisition of more than seven million square feet of office space and directly contributed to CP Group’s acquisition of more than $2 billion of commercial real estate in the past two years, almost all of which are office properties in high-growth markets such as South Florida, Texas and Colorado. He was directly responsible for two-thirds, or $1.45 billion, of the company’s total acquisition volume during this time. The past 12 months marked a banner year for Reese. He led the acquisition of Las Olas Square, a 267,000-square-foot mixed-use complex in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and oversaw CP Group’s purchase of the well-known 636,000-square-foot Miami Tower. In September, Reese executed the acquisition of Democracy Center, a three-building, 709,313-square-foot office campus in Bethesda, MD, which marked CP’s entry into the market. Perhaps his most significant recent accomplishment is the recapitalization of CP Group’s flagship investment property — Boca Raton Innovation Campus in Boca Raton, FL. The recapitalization was the largest real estate investment deal in South Florida in 2021. Reese always aspired to work in commercial real estate but started his career as an investment banking analyst before transitioning to commercial real estate in 2011. In early 2015, Reese established his own firm — White Oak Capital — which focused on value-add office investments across Florida, and in 2016, he joined CP Group as VP of asset management and acquisitions.

MARIANA ROBINA By training, Mariana Robina is a chemical engineer, but as she began her professional journey, she decided she wanted to be part of an industry that was tangible. She was exposed to the real estate industry from a young age as her family was involved in residential real estate. After graduating from college in Mexico City with a bachelor’s in chemical engineering, she began working at a real estate investment platform in Mexico, managing more than $500 million of institutional equity. After working there for five years, Robina obtained an MBA in business administration from Babson College, intending to work in commercial real estate in the US. She joined Eagle Property Capital as an analyst, where she expanded her responsibilities and built each of the firm’s operating departments from scratch. She established the practices and procedures and hired the teams responsible for EPC’s investment/acquisitions, investor relations, property management and accounting/HR platforms. Today, Robina is SVP of investments and finance and has helped the firm close on more than $1 billion in multifamily assets in Florida and Texas and raise and deploy close to $500 million in investor capital during the past decade. In her current role, she oversees investments, investor relations, property management, accounting and finance, legal and human resources, and she also oversees EPC’s property management arm, Vidalta, which manages more than 6,400 apartment units. She is an active member of ULI and has been a member of the women leader initiative committee of ULI SE Florida/Caribbean.

JACLYN SCARINCI Jaclyn Scarinci originally went to law school to become an environmental lawyer, but while in law school she developed an interest in land use and development and how she could impact communities through affordable housing and sustainable projects. After law school, she realized she wanted to work in New York City, where she was born and raised, and she began her legal career at a small boutique law firm that specializes in affordable and inclusionary housing. This early experience proved beneficial following NYC’s passage of Mandatory Inclusionary Housing zoning text amendments in 2016. Today, Scarinci is a partner at Akerman LLP in its real estate land use and zoning practice with a specialty in inclusionary housing and tax incentives. She recently played a key role with a team that represented a realty management corporation in securing land use approvals from the NYC Planning Commission and City Council to rezone an existing residential district to a higher-density commercial district. She also recently handled a controversial and landmark rezoning application for multiple landowners in the Bronx, which will bring nearly 400 units of housing, a new supermarket, commercial space and a community center. The project gained the attention of NYC Mayor Adams because of the city’s need for affordable housing opportunities. Described by colleagues as a knowledgeable and adept practitioner, Scarinci regularly advises architects, engineers, designers and environmental consultants to achieve strategic results for clients.

ZAK SCHWARZMAN With a decade of experience primarily investing in high-growth real estate and property technology startup companies, Zak Schwarzman is a general partner at MetaProp, an active venture capital firm in the PropTech space. Since joining the firm in 2016, Schwarzman has led the growth of the firm’s venture capital platform, which has invested in more than 125 high-growth PropTech startups. He also oversees MetaProp’s portfolio planning, sourcing, diligence and execution efforts and sits on the firm’s investment committee as well as the boards of several portfolio companies. On average, Schwarzman oversees the evaluation of more than 200 potential portfolio companies per month, totaling more than 2,000 investment opportunities per year. He works closely with MetaProp’s portfolio companies post-investment, helping them build commercial relationships with leading real estate firms — including within MetaProp’s investor base, representing 20 billion square feet of diversified real estate across the globe. At the beginning of the pandemic, Schwarzman published “Real Estate Dislocation and Innovation in a COVID World,” which presented an initial frontline view of how the pandemic would change real estate and PropTech, and how leaders in both industries could position their firms to best navigate through the crisis and beyond. Prior to joining MetaProp, Schwarzman was an investor at Gotham Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm and an affiliate of the Draper Venture Network. He is a Kauffman Fellow, as well as an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, where he teaches the graduate venture capital seminar. Outside of his professional role, he does philanthropic work, including formerly serving as the board chair for Manna Project International.

BEN SCHWEITZER Legos fueled Ben Schweitzer’s passion for commercial real estate. Hours and hours of building Lego cities evolved into creating architectural drawings of houses in elementary school. Drawings led to obsessions with the built world and how towns and places are created. He started as a commercial real estate broker in New York City and spent most of his career advancing through the ranks at Freddie Mac Multifamily. Recently, he co-founded digital commercial real estate debt and equity brokerage GPARENCY and serves as its chief product officer where he is responsible for the strategy behind the firm’s digital marketplace. He enabled the commercial real estate industry’s first transactional membership model, which provides lower origination fees that challenge the traditional brokerage commission model. While leading the innovation lab at Freddie Mac Multifamily, he led external fintech engagement and structured a credit-building partnership between Freddie Mac and Esusu, a high-profile ESG initiative that has enrolled more than 150,000 households and established credit scores for the first time for more than 20% of participants. During the pandemic, Schweitzer built a virtual inspection platform that allowed site inspections typically conducted by underwriters, originators and appraisers to occur remotely. The solution allowed the credit department to continue to assess credit quality and kept capital flowing despite travel restrictions. He has closed billions of dollars in debt during his career and has been recognized by the Mortgage Bankers Association and other industry groups for his leadership and accomplishments in technology.

DAVID E. SEIFERT Velocis partner David Seifert originally planned to pursue a career in architecture, but after six months in a graduate architecture program, he realized the art side of the industry was less appealing to him than the science side. He pivoted to real estate finance and landed his first job as an analyst with L&B Realty Advisors. In this role, Seifert analyzed potential investments on behalf of L&B’s pension fund clients and gained experience in industrial, multifamily, office and retail as well as several niche categories including healthcare and hospitality. At Velocis, Seifert helped create the firm’s real estate secondaries platform from nothing two years ago to three investment vehicles with more than $200 million of equity raised and funds being deployed around the world today. This idea was created during the pandemic when Velocis was looking for ways to diversify its business and revenue streams. The firm’s real estate secondaries investment vehicles now represent about a quarter of its assets under management and are its fastest-growing business line. Originally interested in architecture and development, Seifert discovered that real estate finance and investments were a better fit for him after personal trial and errors and several months of meetings with industry experts to learn about their careers, which he suggests that new industry professionals do as well.

JIMMY SILVERWOOD Jimmy Silverwood has been involved with Affirmed Housing since childhood. In 1992, his father started the company, and Silverwood spent many childhood summers working on job sites doing project maintenance tasks like sweeping and picking up trash. These early experiences led Silverwood to become a project manager with Turner Construction after college, where he gained valuable insights into the construction side of the industry. Eventually, the opportunity to work and learn alongside his father took hold, and he joined the Affirmed Housing team, making it a true family business. Since he joined the leadership team as president, Affirmed Housing has experienced a 60% increase in production of homes and a 150% increase in total project funding secured. Key to the company’s success is Silverwood’s emphasis on community engagement. He believes, and his track record confirms, that there is an opportunity to educate neighbors and interested community members about the common misconceptions related to affordable housing. Under Silverwood’s leadership, Affirmed Housing takes on complex projects that other developers shy away from, including the Orchard at Hilltop, a mixed-use, urban infill development, delivering 113 affordable apartment homes for lower-income residents in San Diego. The project involved negotiating with state and federal environmental agencies to uncover creative solutions to bring housing and economic development opportunities to this community while also protecting existing natural resources. Another 2022 highlight was breaking ground on a project Silverwood is especially proud of, Tizon, an affordable housing development dedicated to low-income seniors in San Diego. He ensured Affirmed’s communities feature ADA-compliant residential living spaces coupled with specialized, on-site supportive care that meets the unique needs of senior occupants. Tizon is especially notable because it transforms an existing Radisson Hotel into affordable studio apartments for residents 62 and older and earning 40 – 60% AMI.

MILO SPECTOR SVP Milo Spector is one of the top producers at Northmarq and has become a thought-leader in the early education space. Spector joined Stan Johnson Co., now Northmarq, in 2016 where he opened the firm’s Walnut Creek office in the San Francisco metro area. During his career, he has sold more than 70 early education properties across the country in addition to several QSR and net-leased properties. In 2022, Spector sold 29 early education properties, including three portfolios, totaling more than $113 million in sales. Additionally, Spector has sold several QSR properties, working with some of the largest QSR operators in the space on sale-leasebacks. Spector has authored numerous articles and whitepapers during the past three years and has been featured in the media as a subject matter expert on the early education market. He got his start in the industry 10 years ago while he was finishing up college and doing a part-time internship at a global commercial real estate firm, where he ended up working with a net lease team. After college, he began work as an associate, where he continued to apply a strong work ethic to a focus on business development.

LAUREN VILLANO Lauren Villano serves as VP of acquisitions and originations at ACRE, a global real estate private equity firm, direct multifamily lender and owner-operator that manages capital for institutional and family office investors through a series of private equity and debt funds. Villano is responsible for credit underwriting, capital markets management, deal originations and transaction closings, and she has played an integral part in growing ACRE’s credit lending platform as one of the company’s first employees dedicated to the debt side of the business. In January 2023, she led the team to finalize two loans totaling $111 million with TerraCap Management LLC to support two multifamily properties in Pflugerville, TX. This deal, along with her work building the ACRE Credit 1 facility, is aiding the multifamily industry in meeting the need for more affordable, non-government-sponsored rental housing in growing markets around the country. During her career, Villano has closed more than $3 billion of financings spanning conduit, life company and debt fund execution. Before joining ACRE in 2020, she held positions at Guggenheim Partners and Cantor Fitzgerald. Villano was the first individual in her family to obtain an undergraduate degree, graduating from Cornell’s Art & Sciences school in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in real estate. She then pursued her MBA through Syracuse University’s full-time online program.

DON WENNER DLP Capital founder and CEO Don Wenner has developed an innovative impact investing strategy that has landed his company on the Inc. 5000 list for fastest-growing private companies 10 years in a row. In 2022 alone, he led DLP Capital to acquire more than $990 million in commercial properties, funded real estate loans totaling more than $850 million, and increased DLP’s assets under management from $2.25 billion to more than $4 billion. Following his graduation from Drexel University, he became ADT Security’s No. 1 sales rep nationwide, driven by tenacity and a strong work ethic. In 2006, he started DLP Realty and DLP Real Estate Capital — now Don Wenner Team with eXp Realty and DLP Capital — which has since grown into one of America’s fastest-growing companies with more than 280 team members across the country. In its 16th year, DLP Capital continues to grow and has expanded into the Texas and Florida real estate markets, adding more than 350 new investors, injecting $450 million in capital investment, and helping acquire more than 5,590 units in 2022. One of Wenner’s primary focuses is affordable housing, which led him to launch the DLP Positive Returns Foundation in 2019. Its mission is to provide affordable housing opportunities while fueling economic development and does so by pledging paid time along with a portion of fees to philanthropy. One of DLP’s core values is the 20-mile march, a term coined by Jim Collins in the book “Great by Choice.” It refers to a strategy of small consistent steps to reach the end goal. “In today’s society, instant gratification and distractions are a huge challenge,” says Wenner. “Finding a way to cut through the daily whirlwind and do the work is why our team is successful.”