People

Leadership Qualities and Other Life Lessons: Interviews with 2013 CREW Winners

Commercial Property Executive magazine interviews 2013 CREW award winners regarding their life experiences.

May – Briefs/People

Boston Properties Taps Lehman’s Thomas as CEO; Duncan to Retire from USAA Real Estate Co.; Kilroy Chairman Hands Reins to Son; Fascitelli Resigns as Vornado CEO; Crescent Names Sustainability Director; Centerline Promotes Levy to CEO; Hirsch to Head CMBS at Arbor; Related Names Jacobsson EVP; Cantor Commercial Names Milner Head of Investment Management.

World View

These days, Matt Khourie is finally getting a breather from a task that has taken up a hefty portion of his three years as CEO of CBRE Global Investors: assembling a gigantic jigsaw puzzle.

Stars to Watch: Toby Bozzuto

President, The Bozzuto Group Memorable Achievements: Working with the development group to start more than 2,500 apartment units valued at over $650 million in the past one-and-a-half to two years—the most prolific in the Mid-Atlantic developer’s 25-year history. Formulating a $150 million equity fund in partnership with Pritzker Realty Group in 2010, during the depths of the recession. Since then, Washington, D.C., has taken off as a favorite market among investors, and the wisdom of the partnership has been vindicated. “We recognized this as a contrarian play—that it was a good time to find development opportunities when others were on…

Stars to Watch 2013: John McDonald

Vice President of the Portfolio Bids Group, Hudson Realty Capital L.L.C. Memorable Achievements: In 2012, Hudson Realty acquired $175 million in outstanding principal of mortgage loans. The portfolio bids group acquired the assets in six separate transactions, three of which closed in the same month. McDonald was involved in the underwriting, analysis and bidding of the transactions, and in the creation of the new portfolio bids platform. What Others Say About Him: “John has an ability to synthesize a great amount of data and still be able to look at the big picture of the transaction. That is a strength…

Stars to Watch 2013: Matt Mousavi

Director of the Investment Advisory Group, Faris Lee Investments Memorable Achievements: Last year, he closed $213.4 million worth of deals, including work on “the marquee assignment of my career,” a long-term assignment to dispose of about $150 million worth of Ruby Tuesday properties through sale-leasebacks. The deal, gained through a referral by a client for which he had closed an $800,000 deal, represents the largest restaurant sale-leaseback offering in the country and the first time a publicly traded restaurant company has offered a sale-leaseback to the private market. Mousavi has sold about 35 of the properties thus far, working through…

Stars to Watch 2013: Chad Buchanan

Chief Investment Officer, Tryko Partners L.L.C. Greatest Accomplishments:“Leaving Atlanta to come up here.” Also, refinancing the then foundering Sears Tower in 2006-07 while working for Carlton Group. And at the beginning of this year, closing the purchase of the Crestbury Apartments in Camden, N.J., a very complex transaction two years in the making and requiring rehab work. Wells Fargo financed the affordable housing property with Freddie Mac financing through the HUD risk-share program. What Others Say About Him: Wells Fargo Multi-Family Capital managing director Thomas Schissler calls him very professional and efficient, someone who “gets it.” Best Advice: Mark Snyderman told…

Stars to Watch 2013: Larry Sajdak

President, Inland National Real Estate Services L.L.C. Memorable Achievements: Sajdak’s first major task after rejoining Inland was moving 100 employees from Inland’s main corporate office into an adjacent building, which he called “baptism under fire. I got thrown in with very little experience, and it really sparked my interest and I moved on up from there.” Another big moment for Sajdak came at Retail Properties of America Inc. in 2009 working as the vice president of asset management. On a Thursday afternoon, he and two peers (along with their chief investment officer) were tasked with building valuation models for 55…

Stars to Watch 2013: Robert Hodge

Vice President, Behringer Harvard Memorable Achievements: Acquisitions his company made in 2009, during confusing times for investors. His team decided to be brave during that period, and invested when prices were at an all-time low, and today, they are watching the fruits of that labor prosper. Last year, Beringer Harvard’s three biggest deals were 22 Water St. in Massachusetts, another one in Wakefield, Mass., and a purchased fund in Pembroke, Mass., setting the stage for a flood of development. Secret to Success: Being a team player. Best Advice Received: Mentor Mark Alfieri told him: “Understand the intrinsic value of an asset.” Advice to…

Stars to Watch 2013: Malcolm Marshall

Executive Director of Brokerage Services, Cushman & Wakefield Inc. Memorable Achievements: For the past two years, Marshall’s team completed 2.1 million square feet of lease transactions and $4.9 billion in aggregate lease value.  Last year, he was named one of the top 10 brokerage professionals in Washington, D.C., by  GWCAR (The Greater Washington Commercial Association of REALTORS). Best Advice Received: From his high school teacher: “Things are never as good as you think they are, and they’re never as bad as you think they are.” That advice gave him a balanced perspective on a business that changes on a daily…