CPE’s Rising Stars Are Leading the Way

From a globe-trotting economist to a psychology major who found success managing the day-to-day needs of commercial tenants, CPE’s 2025 Rising Star Influence Award winners represent a wide range of backgrounds and career paths. What unites them is a shared momentum. Each of these eight professionals is helping shape the future of commercial real estate. 

Together, they reflect the breadth of talent driving the industry forward. Here’s a closer look at how these professionals are making their mark.

Wei Luo, 34 

The explorer

Gold winner

As a senior member of CBRE Investment Management’s insights and intelligence team, Wei Luo plays a central role in shaping how the firm and its clients understand the global economy. She leads the development of the CBRE’s macroeconomic outlook, tracks capital markets intelligence and oversees a range of AI-driven research initiatives, operating at the intersection of data, markets and innovation.

Luo traces that multidisciplinary path back to Penn State University, where she found a program that allowed her to combine a talent for economics with a growing fascination for real estate, architecture and global travel. Touring trophy office buildings along the way only deepened that interest.

“Penn State had a good undergrad real estate program—not every university has that.” 

One of her professors was a real estate developer who encouraged students to apply for CBRE’s summer internship program. Luo was accepted and that opportunity led to a full-time role in 2014, when she graduated with a degree in economics and a minor in real estate. In 2021, she transitioned to CBRE Investment Management, where her scope and influence continued to expand. As her work evolved, so did her focus. 

“AI naturally became a topic of interest because it was the groundbreaking technology advancement,” she said. “I had to study it as an economist and also because I was curious about its impact on real estate.”

That curiosity led to a breakthrough. Luo spearheaded what became the firm’s first AI-driven research initiative, an effort widely regarded as the first of its kind in the industry. Until 2024, the prevailing view was that the global real estate secondaries market totaled roughly $10 billion. By applying
AI-backed analysis to uncover data in an opaque market, Luo and her team demonstrated that the true size was closer to $25 billion. In doing so, she defined an entirely new benchmark, creating a reference point now used by clients, competitors and the press alike. 

Rachel Gines, 31 

The problem solver

Gold winner

An innate curiosity and a genuinely collaborative approach have helped propel Rachel Gines into her leadership role as senior vice president of capital markets at CenterSquare Investment Management. Since joining the firm in 2017, immediately after graduating from The Wharton School, Gines has distinguished herself by building strong, trust-based relationships with institutional consultants and large investors.

“I see myself less as a salesperson and more as a consultant and problem solver,” said Gines. “My job is to understand what your problems are and see if I have a viable solution for you. I go into conversations not seeking to get anything out of anybody but to really understand what problems they’re facing and how our products could be a great fit.”

Gines’ early success leading fundraising and consultant relations efforts in the Western U.S. helped earn her a promotion to vice president in 2023. Today, she oversees CenterSquare’s business development and consultant relations efforts across the Central U.S., while also playing an increasingly influential role within the firm’s private equity real estate platform. She serves as the primary capital markets contact for the value-add team and leads execution for future product launches.

Over the past few years, Gines’ impact has been especially visible. She played a key role in the successful $100 million close of Fund VI and built a $1 billion pipeline of investment opportunities, drawing on her strength in sourcing deals and cultivating long-term relationships. She also onboarded and managed the only analyst for the company’s capital markets team in 2024. 

“It’s exciting to be named a Rising Star,” said Gines. “Rising stars need propulsion to a certain extent. Some of that’s innate and some of that’s from the environment in which we exist. I give a ton of credit to the firm and the team.”

Tyler Waller, 31

The entrepreneur

Silver winner

Tyler Waller, senior director of capital markets at Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp., starts every day with a pipeline call alongside his junior partners. “This way we know where everything stands, who needs help where and if I have to intervene,” said Waller. “Then, I work through my own pipeline backwards—all the deals I have in processing—to ensure all lenders have what they need in order to meet the close of escrow date if it’s an acquisition.”

That daily cadence reflects the entrepreneurial culture Waller has embraced during his nearly eight years at Marcus & Millichap, where autonomy and accountability go hand-in-hand.

“While interviewing at firms, Marcus & Millichap really resonated with me because they have a tremendous sales program and they provide you with all the tools to be successful. The rest is up to you,” he said. Waller liked the fact that the company offered a more direct route to earning a spot on a specific team instead of the traditional, slow-moving analyst track. 

In 2024, he closed 35 transactions totaling more than $135 million, demonstrating both volume and versatility across deal types. One of his most impactful transactions was a
$14 million hotel acquisition loan in Fayetteville, Ark. Initially awarded to a competing broker, the deal returned to Waller with less than 30 days to close. With the transaction at risk, Waller stepped in, met directly with the listing broker and seller and successfully negotiated a critical 15-day extension.

To accelerate execution, he partnered with a colleague in the Dallas office to support third-party inspections and lender site visits. The team secured full loan approval and was on track to close early—until a major equity partner unexpectedly withdrew, creating a $2.5 million shortfall. Acting quickly, Waller sourced a bridge lender and structured a cash-out refinancing on another one of the client’s assets. The refinancing funded in just five days, allowing the acquisition to close on time.

Lukas Huberman, 30

The bespoke landlord

Bronze winner

Lukas Huberman has already developed a distinct approach to commercial real estate ownership and management, which has earned him recognition both within BLT Enterprises and across the industry. Based in Santa Monica, Calif., Huberman serves as vice president & director of acquisitions at the firm, which focuses on industrial and creative office assets and has owned and developed more than 5 million square feet of property throughout the West.

Huberman’s philosophy builds on the legacy of his late father, BLT Founder Bernie Huberman, and the firm’s “lifetime-landlord” strategy, which emphasizes long-term relationships over transactional ownership.

“My dad’s investment and operations thesis was that our tenants aren’t just people paying rent,” said Huberman. “They’re our customers, and they deserve a white-glove experience. That lifetime-landlord approach also means growing and/or subtracting with our tenants. If their business is heading in the wrong direction, we’ll try to figure out a creative way to get them into something a little smaller. If they’re expanding, we expect to be their landlord in the next building. It’s a bespoke service.”

Over the past three years, he’s played a key role in more than $165 million in acquisitions totaling 364,000 square feet across California, as well as over
$150 million in dispositions spanning more than 240,000 square feet. In 2024, Huberman also led the firm’s first out-of-state acquisition of an industrial property in Las Vegas. The deal strengthened BLT’s long-term relationship with PepsiCo.

Known as a creative dealmaker with strong instincts, Huberman balances calculated risk-taking with careful preparation. “Keeping an eye on global market trends and the geopolitical situation in the world helps us understand what’s happening in the marketplace in our asset class and other asset classes, and how that’s going to affect BLT’s portfolio.”

Jonathan Huynh, 32

The frontman

Bronze winner

Sometimes the strongest tenant-facing talent comes from outside traditional real estate pipelines. That was the case in 2017, when Columbia Property Trust followed its instincts and hired Jonathan Huynh, a psychology major from Sacred Heart University with a background in hospitality, a passion for fashion and no prior real estate experience. He joined the firm as a tenant service coordinator, starting at the front desk and quickly taking on a wide range of responsibilities.

“Everything has helped prepare me for the work I do today,” said Huynh, who has since risen to the role of tenant engagement manager across Columbia’s premier Manhattan portfolio.

His early tenure coincided with a pivotal moment for the office sector. “I started at 315 Park Ave. S. and 799 Broadway when we were responding to the post COVID-19 workplace,” he recalled. “Columbia Property Trust was at the forefront of elevating the workplace experience to get people back to the office.”

Drawing on his own experiences with hospitality brands through dining and travel, Huynh began applying those touchpoints to the office environment. Over time, he helped curate a wide range of programming at Columbia’s properties, including high-profile pop-up events that activated buildings beyond traditional office use. Fashion runway shows, in particular, generated media buzz while positioning the assets as culture-forward destinations.

Today, Huynh leads activation efforts at Terminal Warehouse, a 1.3 million-square-foot redevelopment in Manhattan’s West Chelsea neighborhood. In that role, he oversees amenity buildouts, coordinates large-scale marketing activations and supports leasing efforts. Valued by Columbia Property Trust for his tenant retention magic, Huynh recognizes the importance of face-to-face time with tenants—even when there’s no immediate issue to address.

“Human beings want to be taken care of everywhere they go, whether it’s a hotel, a restaurant or the workplace,” he said. “My role is to listen closely.”

Charlotte Elstob, 37

Playing the long game

Bronze winner

Charlotte Elstob knows a good deal when she sees one. She joined JLL more than 14 years ago and has remained with the firm ever since. “I’m a JLL lifer,” she said. “I came straight from Oxford Brookes University into a graduate training program with JLL in London.”

Since then, Elstob has developed a global career spanning both the U.K. and U.S. markets, with experience across multiple asset classes. Before relocating to New York in 2019, she advised premier shopping mall owners and prestigious London estates, guiding retail development strategies and helping clients maximize value across diverse portfolios.

Elstob’s move to New York marked a fresh chapter. She stepped into a newly created role as vice president of global retail business development, where she focused on expanding JLL’s U.S. tenant relationship business with international retailers while also supporting U.S.-based clients pursuing global expansion.

In 2022, during a stint in Los Angeles, Elstob made a strategic shift from retail to industrial. She led occupier services business development for JLL’s Industrial group, helping build out the firm’s tenant representation platform. Recently, she returned to New York and now operates as a national tenant representation expert, acting on behalf of major JLL clients across the U.S. and internationally. Among her recent accomplishments is securing the national account with global logistics company DHL, which she now leads across the country.

“I have been across so many different sectors, and I’ve done so many different roles at JLL,” said Elstob, who is widely known for her consultative methodology. “I was fortunate that when I transitioned to the U.S., I was in a management business development role. I was able to take the time and build relationships and play the long game. I got to know people really well and understand their businesses before we were in there trying to pitch them.”

Timothy Aguilar, 35

The engineer

Bronze award winner

Timothy Aguilar, senior vice president of development for Link Logistics’ Northeast region, was drawn to development at an early age. He recalls a specific childhood moment when public infrastructure first captured his imagination.

“We were driving over the Verrazano Bridge going into New York,” he reminisced. “I was around 9. I remember thinking I wanted to be an engineer and be in development. That’s when it all started.”

Aguilar went on to major in engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. “I had always looked at civil engineering as a good stepping stone to get into the real estate development side,” he said. “That team carries so much of the projects that we work on from a development standpoint.”

At Link Logistics, Aguilar oversees the full life cycle of complex development projects, from entitlements and permitting to construction execution. His role includes managing budgets and schedules, coordinating construction teams and ensuring projects meet the firm’s quality standards. “I’ve had the good fortune to work on some of the most marquee development projects at Link, particularly very complicated brownfield redevelopments,” he said.

One of his most complex projects is Trident Maple Point Logistics Center, a 711,000-square-foot, three-phase Class A development in Revere, Mass., which Aguilar described as a “10 out of 10” in terms of difficulty. The former oil tank farm required extensive remediation, including the removal of 23 oil tanks, major ground improvements and compliance with flood resiliency requirements before construction could begin.

Aguilar is also leading development at Arrowwood Logistics Center, a 354,400-square-foot project built on a 30-acre former landfill site with proximity to the New Jersey Turnpike, Port Newark and Newark Liberty International Airport. “The New Jersey industrial development community has known about this very unique site for decades,” Aguilar said. “I don’t know that anybody thought it would ever actually get developed because of all the challenges. It’s my pride and joy.”

Garrett Fierstein, 37

The creative

Bronze winner

Real estate was not Garrett Fierstein’s first career. A graduate of Florida State University, he initially pursued a creative path in videography and photography before discovering commercial real estate. Since joining Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. in 2017, Fierstein has steadily advanced and now serves as senior director of capital markets.

“I’ve lived a few lives,” he said. “I’m very fortunate for where I landed. I was introduced to the real estate industry through a close friend who was already working in the space. Seeing his success really sparked my interest. I got an opportunity early on and, once I did, I knew it was the right fit.”

That unconventional background has translated to strong execution. In 2024, Fierstein closed 57 transactions totaling more than $126 million. His largest deal—a $9.1 million financing for a retail property in Georgia—highlighted his ability to structure complex transactions with both precision and creativity.

“A lot of my growth has come through trial by fire,” he noted. “Even nine years into my career, I’m still learning every day, which is one of the things I enjoy most about real estate. I love the puzzle-solving aspect of the work—understanding a client’s goals, identifying constraints and structuring a solution that works.”

That problem-solving mindset was also evident in the $9 million financing of Grand Oaks and North Point Apartments in Memphis, Tenn., which closed in 2024. The transaction facilitated a partnership buyout and was financed through a Florida-based credit union, despite the assets being out of state and the borrowers having no prior relationship with the lender. Fierstein sourced the lender for its more aggressive terms and negotiated a simplified insurance requirement—the lesser of replacement cost or loan amount, with no wind coverage—allowing the deal to close on time and under the original terms.

“The best part of my work is the opportunity to connect with people from different backgrounds,” he said. “Every transaction brings new personalities, new challenges and new ways of thinking, which keeps the work dynamic and rewarding.”