SINCE 1993, REAL ESTATE FORUM HAS RUN anannual feature on influential women in commercial real estate. Theapproach may have varied and the number of professionals that werefeatured may have fluctuated, but one thing remained constant: thewomen on the pages on this magazine were among the top in theirfields.

That hasn't changed, but many other things have. For one, thenumber of women nominated has gone up year after year. The caliberof executives has also risen, and they're coming from a growingpool of fields. So much so, in fact, that narrowing down thenominees to the select few has become an increasingly dauntingtask. It may have made our editors' jobs a bit harder, but in termsof what it has to say about women in this industry, it's a greatsign.

Commercial real estate has long been known as an all-boy's club,one of the last bastions where deals were struck over cigars,whiskey and steak in dark, wood-paneled rooms. (Okay, I exaggerate,but you get the picture). But those days are if not long gone, thensoon to be.