James N. Travers

Founder/President

Travers Realty Corp.

Age: 50

Specialty: Commercial Real Estate

Recent deal: Relocated Countrywide Home Loans to 220,000-square-foot headquarters

When James N. Travers moved to Los Angeles in 1974 he didn’t like what he saw in the tenant side of the brokerage business. There was too much attention being paid to landlords, he thought, and not enough to tenants.

So four years after coming to town, Travers founded his own brokerage firm one that would specialize in representing tenants.

“It wasn’t well accepted in California,” says the New York native. “I went against the grain.”

Travers clearly was in the right place at the right time. Since his humble beginnings in a 600-square-foot office in Westwood, Travers now heads a company with 25 employees and four offices in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. He estimates that his company has negotiated lease transactions totaling more than 10 million square feet.

“He’s kind of a legend,” says Cindy White, director of real estate at Warner Bros. “Jim has a boundless enthusiasm for the business and his clients love him.”

His company recently spearheaded the relocation of Countrywide Home Loan’s headquarters from Pasadena to Lockheed Corp.’s former 225,000-square-foot headquarters in Calabasas.

Travers also obtained 80,000 square feet of office space for SunAmerica Inc.’s New York location and relocated the company’s headquarters to a new 100,000-square-foot building in Century City.

In addition to managing four offices, Travers is the Southern California representative for Oncor Worldwide Real Estate Service, an organization of top-ranked independent real estate firms, 180 in all. Its offices are around the world, including Japan, Hong Kong, France, and Germany.

Hildy Medina