Real Estate Executives, Start Your Engines

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Jim Howard lives in the fast lane. Or at least he did for a few minutes last month when he and three friends jumped into race cars at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The senior vice president at real estate investment advisory Bentall Kennedy’s Woodland Hills office clocked in a top speed of 133 miles per hour during his first high-speed race.

But Howard, 48, who said he likes to drive the speed limit, didn’t fully understand what he was getting himself into when he buckled up.

“As I was banking into a turn going 120 miles per hour, I heard a little voice in my head say, ‘This is real,’ ” Howard joked.

The race was planned by friend and fellow driver Michelle Schierberl, managing director in Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.’s Orange County office. They were joined by SEG Advisors Owner John Gephardt and Jones Lang LaSalle broker Donald Ellis.

The race was not part of anything official; the four raced eight laps just for fun, with Schierberl posting the fastest speed of 136 miles per hour.

Howard said he’d enjoy an adrenaline-pumping race again. Though, he added, one might not need to travel to Vegas to get the same rush.

“It was definitely fun,” he said. “It’s pretty quick, but it’s a race track that was designed with banked turns to accommodate speed. I imagine if you tried to turn at 50 miles an hour in your home neighborhood, that would seem just as fast.”

Revving Up Father’s Day

After spending every Father’s Day at a car show for nearly two decades, Bruce Meyer finally got his entire family to attend this year.

Meyer, president of Beverly Hills real estate firm Meyer Pacific, is chairman of the annual Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance auto show. He has helped organize the event, which is held on Father’s Day, since it started in 1993.

This year his three adult children and all his grandchildren attended the show.

“I went to their swim meets and soccer games and dance recitals,” he said. “So they can come to my car show.”

Meyer, 70, said his children grew up knowing not to schedule family dinners or parties on Father’s Day because he would be busy with cars. It’s a tradition he thinks other families should adopt.

“If it’s their special day, they can do what they want,” he said of fathers. “We put it on Father’s Day because they can come without feeling guilt about missing some family obligation. I’ve been a car buff my entire life, so dedicating Father’s Day to cars is nothing new for my family.”

More than 30,000 people attended the free event June 19. The theme was “La Dolce Vita” and only Italian autos were displayed. The lineup included models by Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lamborghini, Lancia and Maserati. Meyer said several of the cars were valued at more than $9 million.

Staff reporters Jacquelyn Ryan and Joel Russell contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].

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