Altman, Josh — Douglas Elliman Real Estate
THE LATEST: Josh Altman and his brother Matt, stars of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing L.A.,” make up one of the top broker teams in Los Angeles County. Josh was No. 7 on the Business Journal’s list of top residential agents by sales volume with $448 million in sales 143 properties in 2019. His notable sales include the Razor House in La Jolla, which Alicia Keys purchased for nearly $21 million; a Hollywood Hills home sold by DJ Calvin Harris; and a Beverly Hills house once owned by actor Mark Wahlberg.
BACKGROUND: To date, the Altmans have sold more than $4 billion worth of real estate. They specialize in high-profile candidates with a net worth of nine figures and celebrities. Josh attended Syracuse University and was a kicker on the school’s football teams that reached both the Orange Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Antrobius, Rob — Prologis Inc.
THE LATEST: In 2019, logistics real estate company Prologis agreed to purchase Industrial Property Trust for $4 billion and Liberty Property Trust for $13 billion. Both deals closed in 2020. The transactions added more than 2.1 million square feet of facilities to the company’s L.A. portfolio. Antrobius is president-elect of the board of the Southern California chapter for the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. He also serves on boards for the Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors and the American Industrial Real Estate Association.
BACKGROUND: Antrobius oversees 34.7 million square feet of real estate across 287 buildings in L.A. and Orange County. More than 490 customers occupy the spaces. Prior to joining Prologis, he was senior vice president at Trammell Crow Co. Antrobius was formerly an industrial broker with Colliers International Group Inc. He has a degree in real estate science from USC.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Arana, Santiago — The Agency
THE LATEST: Arana ranked No. 17 on the Business Journal’s list of top residential agents in L.A. with $249 million in sales in the county in 2019. He sold 31 homes in L.A. during the year, including 565 N. Tigertail Road, a property Arana also developed that sold for $22.7 million, and 23768 Malibu Road, which sold for $18.4 million.
BACKGROUND: Born and raised in Bolivia, Arana now calls Pacific Palisades home. He joined The Agency in 2014 as a principal and partner. He leads the group’s Westside offices in Brentwood and Pacific Palisades. Arana specializes in high-end homes and construction in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Holmby Hills, the Sunset Strip, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Santa Monica and Malibu. He has closed more than $3 billion worth of real estate in his career. Notable clients include Lady Gaga, LeBron James, Larry David and Alessandra Ambrosio.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Astani, Sonny — Astani Enterprises Inc.
THE LATEST: Since founding his eponymous Beverly Hills-based company in 1997, Astani has acquired and developed more than $2 billion in multifamily buildings and condos. He has more than 26 years of real estate experience in Southern California and Baja Mexico.
BACKGROUND: Astani came to the United States from Iran more than 40 years ago. A USC alum, Astani sits on the boards of the university’s Viterbi School and the Lusk Center for Real Estate Development. He also supports the Skid Row Housing Trust. Astani gave $17 million to USC in 2007, which created the USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Belisle, Peter — Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.
THE LATEST: In 2019, Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. acquired HFF, a brokerage with a focus on capital markets, for $2 billion. Belisle supervised the integration with JLL in L.A. He also helped grow JLL’s diversity and inclusion efforts with the Women’s Initiative Network and the Women’s Business Network.
BACKGROUND: With 22 years of experience in commercial real estate. Belisle joined JLL in 2000 after leaving the Walt Disney Co., where he was the director of development and program management. His previous roles at JLL include president of the firm’s Energy and Sustainability Services and its Project and Development Services Group. Belisle now manages 12 JLL offices and nearly 1,900 employees in Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii. He oversees talent representation, agency leasing, project and development services, capital markets, public institutions, and a 78-million-square-foot property and facilities management portfolio. Belisle has a bachelor’s degree and MBA from UCLA.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Bendheim, John — Bendheim Enterprises Inc.
THE LATEST: Bendheim was part of a team of local investors that acquired the Beverly Hills Courier newspaper in August. Founded in 1965, the publication had changed hands twice before. He sits on the boards of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, USC Sports Business Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, American Fidelity Corp., Lowenstein Foundation, Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, Beverly Hills Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission.
BACKGROUND: Bendheim Enterprises provides equity funding for real estate transactions in California and Nevada. The company has invested in apartment buildings, office buildings, industrial buildings, convenience centers, recreational vehicle parks and more. Bendheim left a career as an apparel manufacturer to move into real estate investing. He founded Inland Homes in 1994. He holds an undergraduate degree and an MBA from USC.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Black, Stanley — Black Equities Group Ltd.
THE LATEST: During his career, Black has acquired some 18 million square feet of commercial real estate in more than 30 states. His Black Equities Group, which he started with son Jack and Robert Barth in 1985, is one of the nation’s biggest real estate investors. Black last year sued Barth in Los Angeles County Superior Court in a dispute over the sale of an estate in Beverly Hills.
BACKGROUND: An L.A. native, Black has more than 60 years of real estate development experience. He was a co-founder of KB Development & Management where he developed more than 10 million square feet in multifamily, office and retail properties in Southern California. In addition to founding Black Equities Group, he and Jack joined with Barth to form SB Management to invest in income-producing real estate. Black is an active philanthropist, having supported groups such as Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Union Rescue Mission and Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Blanchard, Jon — BLVD Hospitality
THE LATEST: Last year was particularly busy for BLVD Hospitality, which opened several trendy hospitality options. Besides being the landlord for the Arts District building that’s home the Soho House outpost, Soho Warehouse, the company also opened the downtown Hoxton Hotel in October. Currently under construction: California’s first CitizenM hotel, on which BLVD is partnering with the eponymous Amsterdam-based hotel chain.
BACKGROUND: Under Blanchard, BLVD Hospitality has developed more than 1.2 million square feet with more than 950 hotel rooms across $700 million worth of real estate transactions. Blanchard founded the company in 2009 with the goal of restoring and transforming historically significant buildings into unique hospitality experiences. One of his best-known projects is the 2014 conversion of the 1920s-era Spanish Gothic United Artist Theatre and office building into the 182-room Ace Hotel. Together with co-founder Nicolo Rusconi, Blanchard also oversees investments and strategies for BLVD Cos., which includes BLVD Hospitality, Chicas Tacos, and Roadhouse Hotel and Junction.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Brodkin, Phil — Newmark Knight Frank
THE LATEST: Brodkin is based at Newmark Knight Frank’s downtown office. He focuses on recruiting top brokers, increasing the company’s market share and developing better infrastructure for Newmark Knight Frank. Hires in the fourth quarter of 2019 were focused on beefing up the firm’s industrial services.
BACKGROUND: Brodkin joined Newmark Knight Frank in 2017, and he oversees the firm’s five L.A. offices. Previously, Brodkin was a director of real estate at IWG-owned flex workplace company Regus where he supervised the company’s expansion to 1.5 million square feet of space. Before that, Brodkin spent nine years at CBRE Group Inc., specializing in landlord advisory, tenant representation and investment acquisitions. He is a member of the Los Angeles Commercial Real Estate Association, Westcoast Sports Associates and is a founding board member of The Lilabean Foundation for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 4
Burton, Sean — Cityview
THE LATEST: Burton is the chief executive of Cityview, a multifamily developer. In December, the company sold an equity stake in the 346-unit The Pearl on Wilshire in Koreatown, valuing the property at nearly $171 million. Cityview also sold the Mira, a 174-unit project at the Warner Center, for $70.5 million. Burton is also president of the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, which oversees LAX, and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization and the Real Estate Roundtable.
BACKGROUND: Cityview has invested and developed more than $4 billion and more than 100 projects assets to date. The firm works in the Western United States, Colorado and Texas. Before he joined Cityview in 2003, Burton was a vice president of corporate business development and strategy at Warner Bros. and an attorney at O’Melveny & Myers. He attended UC Irvine and the New York University School of Law.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Caruso, Rick — Caruso
THE LATEST: Retail real estate developer Caruso is set to break ground this year on 333 La Cienega, a mixed-use 145-unit apartment building across from the Beverly Center. The new development will also have a 28,000-square-foot neighborhood market, a restaurant and a 7,000-square-foot green. Caruso was No. 10 on the Business Journal’s annual Wealthiest Angelenos list with a net worth of $5.7 billion, up 19% over the previous year. In 2019, Caruso committed $50 million to Pepperdine University’s School of Law, the largest the law school has received.
BACKGROUND: Caruso is known for developing high-end retail complexes, including the Grove, the Americana at Brand and Palisades Village. His company has grown nearly 20% annually since it was founded in 1987. Caruso is chairman of the board of trustees at USC, where he received a bachelor of science degree. He sits on several other boards, including those for Loyola High School, Pepperdine School of Law, Irvine Co., Providence St. John’s Medical Center and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Coleman, Victor — Hudson Pacific Properties Inc.
THE LATEST: Coleman’s Hudson Pacific Properties is responsible for some of the highest-profile projects in Los Angeles. Late last year, the company wrapped construction on the 13-story Epic tower in Hollywood; Netflix has leased the entire 300,000-square-foot complex. Google will be moving into all 584,000 square feet of One Westside, the massive makeover of the Westside Pavilion shopping mall, when the project is completed by Hudson Pacific in 2022.
BACKGROUND: Before founding Hudson Pacific in 2006, Coleman was the founder and managing partner of its predecessor, Hudson Capital. In 1990, Coleman co-founded Arden Realty, where he served as the company’s president, chief operating officer and director before selling the business to GE Capital Real Estate in 1996. Coleman is on the board of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, the Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics, the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission and the Young Presidents’ Organization Gold Los Angeles Chapter.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Cortazzo, Chris — Compass
THE LATEST: Longtime Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage agent Cortazzo joined Compass in 2019. Specializing in Malibu home sales, he was No. 9 on the Business Journal’s annual list of top residential agents by sales volume with $319 million in sales in 2019.
BACKGROUND: Cortazzo has done more than $5 billion in career sales in his 25-plus years in the business. While at Coldwell Banker, he was frequently named the top broker in the area. He is a Malibu native and focuses on the coastal market. His sales include notable homes such as the Johnny Carson estate on the Point Dume promontory. As a philanthropist, Cortazzo is involved in the Malibu Boys & Girls Club, Point Dume Marine Science School Farm Sanctuary, UNICEF, Operation Smile, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Cushman III, John — Cushman & Wakefield Inc.
THE LATEST: The grandson of Cushman & Wakefield’s founder, Cushman is a world-renowned commercial real estate veteran and oversees the firm’s global policies and initiatives. Cushman & Wakefield’s revenue for 2019 was $8.8 billion, up 6% from the previous year. In 2019, the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation presented Cushman with its Patriots Award, which recognizes superlative Americans who support the organization’s mission to help to the families of deceased or disabled intelligence officers.
BACKGROUND: Cushman started at the company’s New York office in 1963. Two years later, he was responsible for 60% of its offices in the United States. In 1967, he moved to Los Angeles to open Cushman & Wakefield’s Southern California office. In 1978, he and his twin brother, Louis Cushman, launched Cushman Realty Corp., which was acquired by Cushman & Wakefield in 2001. The company went public in 2018 and now has 400 offices in 70 countries and roughly 50,000 employees.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Dedeaux, Brett — Dedeaux Properties
THE LATEST: Dedeaux leads Santa Monica-based Dedeaux Properties, a logistics real estate investment development and asset management firm. The company’s portfolio is made up of more than 6.5 million square feet of properties in California — ranging from distribution centers and transportation terminals to parking yards and cold-storage facilities — with another 2 million square feet in the pipeline.
BACKGROUND: Dedeaux previously held roles as senior director at Binswanger/Realty Advisory Group and as an associate at PM Realty Group. He sits on the boards for the USC Center for Global Supply Chain Management and serves as executive director of the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, which supports inner-city youth baseball and softball programs. He is also a member of the Air Commercial Real Estate Association. Dedeaux, the grandson of legendary USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux, attended USC and played on the tennis team.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
DeMartini, Paul — Tishman Speyer Properties
THE LATEST: In 2019, Demartini helped bring Studio, Tishman Speyer’s coworking concept, to Beverly Hills. Managed directly by the real estate firm, the 36,000-square-foot space can fit up to 400 people and is Studio’s second location after Rockefeller Center in New York. Demartini also helped recapitalize a 635,000-square-foot office campus in Playa Vista, sold the 1.1-million-square-foot Wilshire Courtyard complex in Miracle Mile for $630 million and has entitled 225,000 square feet for development in the Arts District.
BACKGROUND: DeMartini runs Tishman Speyer’s activities in Southern California. Prior to joining Tishman Speyer in 2005, DeMartini worked in investment banking at Merrill Lynch and as a consultant for Andersen Consulting. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and vice chair of the Office Development Council. DeMartini has a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and an MBA from the Wharton School.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Dezzutti, Bert — Brookfield Properties
THE LATEST: Dezzutti manages Brookfield Properties’ Western Region portfolio, which includes more than 11 million square feet of Class A assets, primarily in Los Angeles. He is also overseeing the repositioning of the California Market Center and the recently opened atrium featuring eateries, a bar and seating, dubbed Halo, at the Wells Fargo Center. In addition, a handful of Brookfield properties in downtown have partnerships with workspace platform Convene to operate flexible office and amenity space.
BACKGROUND: With more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience, Dezzutti has worked with firms including Equity Office Properties, Cushman & Wakefield Inc. and CBRE Group Inc. Dezzutti graduated from USC and serves on the boards of the Central City Association, the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los Angeles and Orange County.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Doney, Todd — CBRE Group Inc.
THE LATEST: In 2019, Doney represented developer Hudson Pacific in the deal that saw Google lease all of One Westside (the former Westside Pavilion). He also represented Cedars-Sinai in expanding its office space at the Pacific Design Center, Brookfield Properties in the lease renewal with law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher at the Wells Fargo Center South Tower and the owners of Burbank’s Media Studios, where Insomniac Games leased additional office space.
BACKGROUND: Doney is a 36-year real estate veteran who has completed more than 100 million square feet of office transactions. He has represented tenants including Walt Disney Co., Southern California Edison, General Electric Co./NBC, KPMG and AECOM. Before CBRE, Doney spent four years as executive managing director at Insignia/ESG and 15 years as senior vice president with Cushman Realty Corp. Away from the office, Doney has served on multiple boards, including the San Gabriel Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Metropolitan YMCA.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Duran, Jamie — Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
THE LATEST: Duran oversees 75 offices, 4,400 sales associates and 226 employees in a territory that includes Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties. In Beverly Hills, where Coldwell is first in sales volume, the brokerage consolidated its two offices. Duran helped launch the RealVitalize pilot program, a no-interest home improvement program for sellers.
BACKGROUND: Previously, Duran served as Coldwell Banker’s president in Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties. She helped the company reach nearly $9 billion in sales volume, up 50% since 2014. Before that, she was regional vice president for the greater Los Angeles region for five years. In that time, she managed 15 offices and 1,000 agents. Duran grew up in Studio City and went to Cal State Northridge. Coldwell Banker was No.1 on the Business Journal’s most recent list of residential brokerage firms.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Flagg, Josh — Rodeo Realty Inc.
THE LATEST: Flagg sold $266 million worth of real estate in L.A. in 2019, good for the No. 12 spot on the Business Journal’s annual list of top residential real estate agents. He sold 54 properties in the county. Flagg is one of the stars of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles.”
BACKGROUND: The agent with the longest tenure on “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles,” Flagg has sold more than $2 billion worth of properties in his career. His clients include Shonda Rhimes, Adam Levine and Steve Aoki. Flagg is on the board of governors for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Temple of the Arts and Los Angeles Jewish Home. He is also involved with Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. His grandmother, sportswear designer Edith Flagg, was a Holocaust survivor. Josh Flagg and his husband, Bobby Boyd, run the Josh Flagg and Bobby Boyd Family Foundation.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Forster Jones, Sally — Compass
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5″
THE LATEST: Jones was No. 5 on the Business Journal’s annual list of top residential agents by sales volume with $502 million in sales in 2019, up from $373 million the previous year. She was one of the listing agents for the Spelling Manor, which sold for nearly $120 million in 2019. Other large sales in which Jones was involved include 1181 N. Hillcrest Road in Beverly Hills and 1966 Carla Ridge, which were listed for $85 million and $46 million, respectively. Her most notable current listing is 141 S. Carolwood Drive in Holmby Hills, which is currently listed at $115 million.
BACKGROUND: Jones has racked up $7 billion in sales in her career and more than 5,000 real estate transactions. She is the founder and chief executive of the Sally Forster Jones Group. Her team currently has 24 agents and 13 support staff.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Frankel, Michael — Rexford Industrial Realty Inc.
THE LATEST: Brentwood-based Rexford Industrial Realty Inc. had an active year under Frankel’s guidance. The company, which owns and buys properties exclusively in Southern California, completed roughly $971 million worth of acquisitions last year, adding 5.4 million square feet to its portfolio. In addition to portfolio purchases, the company buys smaller assets and does one-off deals.
BACKGROUND: Frankel is a 28-year veteran of the real estate business and has served as Rexford Industrial Realty’s co-chief executive and sits on the board of directors since 2013. Previously, he was CFO of Rexford Industrial Realty & Management Inc. and managing partner of Rexford Industrial and Rexford Sponsor. Prior to joining Rexford, Frankel oversaw investments at C3, a private equity firm and subsidiary of Comcast Corp. Previously, he worked with LEK Consulting and Melchers & Co. Frankel attended UC Berkeley and received an MBA from Harvard Business School.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Gilmore, Tom — Gilmore Associates
THE LATEST: Gilmore Associates develops commercial real estate properties and is credited with being an early and significant player in the redevelopment of downtown’s historic core, where its offices are located. The company has completed 230 market-rate rental lofts and 266 condos. Last year, Pasadena’s ArtCenter College of Design moved into an 11,500-square-foot exhibition and event space in the Hellman Building that was restored and is currently owned by Gilmore.
BACKGROUND: Gilmore and his business partner, Jerri Perrone, formed Gilmore Associates in 1998. The company’s work on four downtown buildings — the Continental, Hellman, San Fernando, and Farmers and Merchants National Bank — restored the anchors of the Old Bank District at 4th and Main streets. Gilmore’s other projects include redeveloping the former St. Vibiana’s Cathedral into Vibiana, a performing arts center and event facility. Gilmore is the immediate past chairman of the Central City Association.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Hackman, Michael — Hackman Capital Partners
THE LATEST: In recent years, Hackman Capital Partners has increased its studio production holdings. In 2019 alone, the Culver City-based company closed two purchases worth a combined $1.4 billion — the iconic Television City it purchased from CBS Corp. for $750 million, and MBS Group, which runs MBS Media Campus in Manhattan Beach, for $650 million. The company also owns Culver Studios, where Amazon Studios has leased 530,000 square feet.
BACKGROUND: Since it was founded by Michael Hackman in 1986, Hackman Capital Partners has completed more than $3 billion of real estate transactions across 41 states. The company has owned more than 400 buildings and 35 million square feet in its more than 30 years in business. Before forming Hackman Capital Partners, Hackman worked in land acquisition, development and leasing of industrial buildings in Southern California at Majestic Realty. From 1983 to 1986, he worked at CBRE Group Inc., focusing on industrial real estate.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Halton Pardee, Tami — Halton Pardee and Partners
THE LATEST: With $520 million in sales in L.A. in 2019, Pardee ranked No. 4 on the Business Journal’s list of the year’s top residential agents. Recent notable sales include former Scissor Sisters singer Jake Shears’ Los Feliz home, which was listed for nearly $2.3 million, and former William Morris Chief Executive Walter Zifkin’s Ted Tokio Tanaka house in Marina del Rey, which was listed for nearly $10 million. Tanaka is best known for his Project Gateway LAX pillar installation.
BACKGROUND: Pardee earned a marketing degree at Boston University and worked at Paramount Pictures before opening Pardee Properties in 2004. In 2016 she joined forces with her brother, realtor Tony Halton, to create Halton Pardee and Partners. She has sold more than $4.3 billion in real estate. Pardee also established Life Change Warriors, a foundation that helps people achieve their dreams through coaching and workshops.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 4
Hardy, Bret — Newmark Knight Frank
THE LATEST: In 2019, Hardy was involved in several significant sales, including UNFI’s Pacific Northwest Distribution Center for $195 million, the Slauson Commerce Center for $41.3 million, the 90-acre manufacturing plant in Long Beach that once housed Boeing Corp.’s C-17 facility for an estimated $200 million and Colony Industrial’s 455,951-square-foot portfolio for $84.5 million.
BACKGROUND: Hardy has been in the industry for 27 years. In 2017, he joined Newmark Knight Frank’s downtown office, where he focuses on institutional industrial investment sales in the company’s Western Region. Hardy has been the lead broker on eight single-tenant portfolio sales and has been responsible for $4.6 billion in transactions. Prior to joining NKF, he spent 16 years at Colliers International Group Inc.’s L.A. office. Since 2008, Hardy has focused on institutional industrial investment sales. Before Colliers he was a director at Cushman & Wakefield Inc. and a controller for Irvine Co.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Hart, Robert — TruAmerica Multifamily
THE LATEST: Hart leads TruAmerica, an apartment community investor with $10 billion and 43,000 units under management. He helps the company select value-add properties to acquire and reposition. TruAmerica eventually sells the properties. Hart is on the leadership board for UCLA’s Ziman Center for Real Estate.
BACKGROUND: Over the past 30 years, Hart has overseen the acquisition and disposition of more than $12 billion worth of properties. Prior to founding TruAmerica in 2013, he was chief executive of the Kennedy Wilson Multifamily Management Group, where he launched the company’s value-add apartment portfolio strategy that acquired and sold 20,000 units — worth more than $4.5 billion — in 13 years. As senior vice president of portfolio management for Heitman, he renovated and sold a $500 million property portfolio. He was director of real estate marketing for Executive Life Insurance Co. where he liquidated more than $1 billion in real estate assets and securities.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Havner Jr., Ronald — Public Storage
THE LATEST: After 17 years, Havner stepped down from his role as chief executive at Public Storage in 2019 but stayed on with the company as its chairman. Joe Russell has moved into the chief executive role at the giant self-storage company.
BACKGROUND: Havner joined Public Storage in 1986 and has been chairman since 2011. After holding a variety of senior management roles, he was named chief executive in 2002. Glendale-based Public Storage was founded in 1972. It now has thousands of locations in the United States and Europe with more than 170 million net rentable square feet. Since 1998, Havner has also been chairman of Public Storage affiliate PS Business Parks Inc. Havner, a UCLA alum, is a member of the Urban Land Institute and NYU REIT Center board of advisers.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Hilton, Rick — Hilton & Hyland Real Estate
THE LATEST: Hilton was one of the listing agents for the April $19.5 million sale of Lee Iacocca’s Italianate Bel-Air mansion. In March, Hilton & Hyland also listed Steve Wynn’s Beverly Hills estate for $135 million. Other recent wins include the $50 million sale of promontory property that set a record as Malibu’s highest-priced land sale. He also developed Brentwood Country Estates, where luxury home values exceed $40 million.
BACKGROUND: Hilton is co-founder and chairman of Beverly Hills luxury brokerage Hilton & Hyland and has been selling residential real estate for more than three decades. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married for more than 30 years, have four children and are actively involved in social and philanthropic circles in Los Angeles and New York. Hilton served as a producer on several TV series starring his daughters, Paris and Nicky.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Horne, Lewis — CBRE Group Inc.
THE LATEST: Horne oversees downtown-based CBRE Group Inc.’s business in Southern California, Arizona and Hawaii. The firm ranked No. 1 on the Business Journal’s 2019 list of commercial real estate brokerages with $14.3 billion in deals in L.A ($9 billion in sales and $5.2 billion in leases).
BACKGROUND: Horne joined CBRE as an industrial broker in 1984 and has held a range of leadership positions at the company. He’s also active outside CBRE, serving as co-chair of the Homelessness Task Force for the Central City Association. In addition, Horne is a past chairman of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. He’s on the boards of the Los Angeles Business Council, World Trade Corp. Los Angeles and Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters. Horne holds a bachelor’s degree in applied science from USC.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Hyland, Jeff — Hilton & Hyland Real Estate
THE LATEST: Hyland has handled more than $3 billion in real estate transactions in his career. In June, he broke the record for the highest sale price in L.A. history as one of the listing agents on the $120 million transaction for The Manor, the largest home in L.A. County with 123 rooms. He broke that record in October with the sale of the Chartwell Estate, also known as “The Beverly Hillbillies” mansion, to Lachlan Murdoch for $150 million. That record has since been eclipsed.
BACKGROUND: Hyland grew up near UCLA and entered the real estate business in 1975 as a licensed broker with Coldwell Banker and Mike Silverman and Associates. In 1993, he joined with Rick Hilton to launch Hilton & Hyland. A historian with a passion for architecture, Hyland is the author of two books, “The Estates of Beverly Hills” and “The Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Josker, David — Colliers International Group Inc.
THE LATEST: Josker joined Colliers a little over a year ago. He is responsible for the company’s offices in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona to Southern California and Hawaii. Josker is focused on growing Colliers in the region.
BACKGROUND: Josker has more than 15 years of experience in commercial real estate. Prior to joining Colliers, he led a team of more than 200 people as managing director of CBRE Group’s north region in Glendale. In his role as CBRE’s managing director of asset services for greater Los Angeles, he oversaw more than 90 million square feet under management. Before that, Josker worked with retail real estate developer Rick Caruso at what was then Caruso Affiliated Holdings, where he was a vice president and general manager, and also as a senior general manager at shopping center giant Westfield.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Kilroy, John — Kilroy Realty Corp.
THE LATEST: Some of Kilroy Realty’s biggest redevelopment projects in L.A. include Columbia Square, a nearly 737,000-square-foot, six-building mixed-use project in development in Hollywood with office and residential components; 909 and 999 N. Pacific Coast Highway in El Segundo, a 372,000-square-foot office property originally built in 2002; On Vine, an under construction mixed-use project in Hollywood, the office component of which has been preleased to Netflix Inc.; and the Westside Media Center, a 378,000-square-foot office property built in 2002. In recent years, Kilroy has expanded to other West Coast markets, with an emphasis on LEED-certified properties.
BACKGROUND: A veteran of 50-plus years on the Los Angeles real estate scene, Kilroy has served as chairman of Kilroy Realty since 2013. Before that, he served in a variety of leadership roles at KRC and at its predecessor, Kilroy Industries. His experience includes commercial and industrial real estate development, including construction, acquisition, sales, leasing, financing and entitlement.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Kirman, Aaron — Compass
THE LATEST: Kirman is one of the top residential real estate agents in L.A., with $453 million in L.A. County sales in 2019 and more than $1.3 billion in active luxury inventory. He holds several records, including the highest-priced land listing in the United States, the highest-priced condo listing in Santa Monica and the highest-priced listing in Napa. Kirman also holds the record for the highest price per square foot in Hollywood, at $4,722 for the Pierre Koenig-designed Case Study 21 (the “Bailey House”), representing both the buyer and the seller in early 2019.
BACKGROUND: Kirman has generated more than $6.5 billion in sales in his career. He is also the star of CNBC’s “Listing Impossible,” a show that follows his team as they sell multimillion-dollar properties. His recent high-end sales include the Danny Thomas Estate in Beverly Hills, which sold for $65 million; the Edie Goetz Estate in Holmby Hills, which sold for more than $40 million; and the Liongate in Bel Air, which sold for $46.3 million.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Kuba, Shaul — CIM Group
THE LATEST: Kuba is currently the head of CIM Group’s development team and serves on its Investment and Real Asset Management committees. CIM has led more than $60 billion worth of projects since it was founded in 1994. Its current portfolio has roughly $30 billion in assets. In 2019, CIM sold the 460,000-square-foot Hollywood & Highland center for an estimated $325 million. CIM held onto the Dolby Theatre, known for hosting the Academy Awards.
BACKGROUND: Kuba co-founded CIM with Avi Shemesh and Richard Ressler. The company has redeveloped iconic L.A. areas such as Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and Old Town Pasadena. CIM employs nearly 1,000 people and develops projects across the country. Kuba previously co-founded Dekel Development, which developed commercial and multifamily properties in Los Angeles.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Lane, Kamini — Compass
THE LATEST: From 2018 to 2019, Lane increased sales volume for Compass in Southern California by 81%, not including Pacific Union. She also added 66 new staff members and 634 new agents, including top producers such as Chris Cortazzo. In 2019, Lane launched Compass’ Manhattan Beach and Palm Desert offices and expanded the agency into California’s northern central coast.
BACKGROUND: Lane oversees the Business Journal’s No. 2 ranked residential brokerage firm in L.A. by sales volume. Prior to joining Compass, Kamini was the chief marketing officer of Tradesy, an online fashion marketplace. She has more than a decade of experience in marketing, communications and operations, and has worked with companies such as Interbrand and Rapp. Previously she ran the men’s and women’s accessory category at eBay.com. Lane has an MBA from Harvard.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Larsen, Jonathan — Avison Young
THE LATEST: Earlier this year, Larsen was named to Avison Young’s U.S. Executive Committee. In 2019, he led the Business Journal’s Broker Team of the Year with his son, Chandler Larsen, a principal at Avison Young. The team completed in excess of $500 million in deals in L.A. County and across the U.S. with tenants including Lewis Brisbois, Wells Fargo Bank, BDO, Squire Patton Boggs and USC.
BACKGROUND: With more than 30 years of real estate experience, Larsen specializes in representing tenants for office and industrial properties. He leads Avison Young’s Los Angeles operations, overseeing client services, developing new business and recruiting employees. Before joining Avison Young in 2015, Larsen worked at DTZ Co., Transwestern, Trammell Crow Co. and CB Richard Ellis (now CBRE). He is a graduate of the University of Washington and attended USC’s Gould School of Law.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Lee, Garrett — Jamison Properties
THE LATEST: Lee runs Jamison Properties, the development arm of Koreatown-based Jamison, where he oversees acquisition, entitlements, design, permitting, construction and marketing for the company’s multifamily projects. Jamison Properties recently completed roughly 2,200 apartment units and 125,000 square feet of retail, mainly in downtown and Koreatown. The group has 15 projects currently under construction, totaling approximately 3,000 units and 150,000 square feet of retail space. Of the apartments under construction, 150 are affordable units. An additional 5,000 units are in development.
BACKGROUND: Lee, a native Angeleno, has a BA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and a JD from the USC Gould School of Law. He attended Harvard-Westlake. Lee has served on the board of the Korean American Coalition since 2016.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Lee, Jaime — Jamison Realty Inc.
THE LATEST: Lee runs the leasing and brokerage arm of Koreatown-based Jamison. The company controls roughly 18 million square feet of commercial and residential properties in Southern California. The family-owned company has been one of the largest office landlords in L.A. for the last 25 years.
BACKGROUND: The daughter of David Lee, a practicing physician who founded Jamison in 1995 as a side business, Lee grew up in Encino with siblings Brian, Garrett and Phillip. Garrett and Phillip oversee Jamison Properties and Jamison Services, respectively. She attended Harvard-Westlake and earned BA and JD degrees from USC where she has been an active alumna. Lee serves on the school’s Board of Trustees and is a former president of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors. She was instrumental in moving Jamison into multifamily properties throughout Koreatown along with high-profile projects such as Circa LA, a massive mixed-use development across from Staples Center with two 35-story towers, 648 luxury apartments, 2,000 parking spots, and 48,000 square feet of retail space.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Leibovitch, Syd — Rodeo Realty Inc.
THE LATEST: Leibovitch founded Rodeo Realty Inc. more than 30 years ago. The Beverly Hills-based company has since grown to include more than 1,200 licensed agents and brokers, and 12 offices in L.A. and Ventura counties. In 2019, Rodeo Realty closed more than 5,000 transactions totaling roughly $5 billion in sales.
BACKGROUND: Leibovitch received his real estate license while still a senior at UCLA; he started during his winter break, selling three homes in his first two weeks. The decision not only led him to withdraw from the UCLA track team to focus on selling real estate but also prompted him to skip law school. In 1986, at the age of 25, he started what became Rodeo Realty. Within one year, the company grew to nearly 100 realtors, some of whom are still there. It remains one of the largest single-owner residential real estate companies in California.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Litwin, Kevin — L&R Auto Parks Inc.
THE LATEST: Litwin leads L&R Auto Parks, better known for its Joe’s Auto Parks brand. Joe’s recently secured a seven-year parking operating agreement with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to provide services along light rail across the county, expanding Joe’s presence in more than a dozen cities.
BACKGROUND: Litwin has spent the last five years expanding L&R beyond parking structures and operations, diversifying the company into retail and residential properties. Downtown, L&R has leased retail space in conjunction with its parking lots to brands such as CVS and West Elm. Litwin has been the company’s chief operating officer for roughly eight years, having previously served in the Marine Corps. He had a part-time job as a parking lot attendant while attending college at Arizona State University. Litwin sits on the Old Pasadena Parking Meter Zone Advisory Commission.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Lowe, Robert — Lowe
THE LATEST: In 2018, Lowe sold its hospitality management affiliate Two Roads Hospitality to Hyatt Corp. for $480 million. Last year, the company signed Warner Media to occupy 240,000 square feet of its Ivy Station project in Culver City near Metro’s Expo Line. When completed by the end of 2020, Ivy Station’s 500,000 square feet will comprise office space, 200 apartments, outdoor courtyards and The Shay, a 148-room boutique hotel.
BACKGROUND: Lowe founded his company in 1972. The private real estate company has developed, acquired or managed more than $32 billion of assets nationwide. It currently has more than $2 billion of projects in the pipeline or under development. Lowe has held roles outside of real estate as well, including as a trustee and past chairman at the Los Angeles Metropolitan YMCA. He attended Claremont McKenna College and has an MBA from Stanford University.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Luchs, Jay — Newmark Knight Frank
THE LATEST: In 2019, Luchs’ team at Newmark Knight Frank completed more than $325 million and 500,000 square feet in retail transactions. Among the most significant sales: the Melrose Place Collection at 8436-8552 Melrose Place, which sold for nearly $48 million. Luchs’ team was also involved in the Brooks Brothers lease of 7,800 square feet at 425 N. Canon Drive in Beverly Hills.
BACKGROUND: Luchs specializes in retail real estate. Over the past seven years at Newmark Knight Frank, he has been involved in the sale and leasing of investment properties, focusing on representing international fashion brands looking for local store locations. His team also represents retail brands, restaurants, office tenants and landlords. Luchs is a big player in the Beverly Hills triangle, especially Rodeo Drive, as well as the Westside, Malibu and Hollywood. He is also growing his presence in New York and Washington, D.C.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Maguire III, Robert
THE LATEST: Even in his 80s, iconic developer Maguire continues to make his mark on L.A. WE3, the third office building under development at the Water’s Edge campus in Playa Vista, is extending Maguire’s vision for the area. Two other buildings that Maguire developed there opened in 2002. The WE3 project, estimated to cost $70 million, started as a joint venture by Maguire Partners and DivCo West Properties. It was later acquired by Rockwood Capital for $190 million. It is expected to open later this year.
BACKGROUND: Maguire is credited with building many of the iconic buildings that defined downtown’s growing skyline in the 1980s and 1990s, including the 73-story U.S. Bank Tower, the Wells Fargo Center, KPMG Tower and the Gas Company Tower. Maguire previously ran Maguire Properties with Nelson Rising, but in 2008 he split with the company, which was later renamed MPG Office Trust and acquired in 2013 by Brookfield Office Properties Inc.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
McDonald, Andrew — Cushman & Wakefield Inc.
THE LATEST: McDonald runs Cushman & Wakefield’s brokerage businesses in California, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Utah. He is also a frequent guest lecturer at USC’s Marshall School of Business and serves on the board of the California Hospital Medical Center Foundation and The Los Angeles Coalition.
BACKGROUND: McDonald has been with Cushman & Wakefield for roughly 19 years. Prior to overseeing West Region operations, he served as the company’s executive managing director and regional managing principal for the Greater Los Angeles/Orange County region, managing the area’s eight offices. McDonald started his career at Beijing-based private equity firm ASIMCO, which was acquired by Bain Capital. In 1999, McDonald returned stateside to work for John Cushman III at Cushman Realty Corp., which became Cushman & Wakefield in a 2001 merger.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Meruelo, Alex — Meruelo Group
THE LATEST: In July, Meruelo became owner, chairman and governor of the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes. Two years ago, the Meruelo Group purchased the SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino for an undisclosed sum, changing the name back to the Sahara and implementing plans to update the iconic Strip hotel’s rooms, pools, casino and entertainment venues. The property’s renovated poker room reopened in February. Meruelo also recently acquired a number of radio stations in Los Angeles, including 95.5 KLOS FM.
BACKGROUND: The son of Cuban immigrants, Meruelo was born in New York but raised in L.A. He attended Long Beach State. In his 20s, Meruelo opened a chain of pizza parlors catering to Latinos and offering toppings like chorizo and jalapenos. Before Meruelo reached the age of 30, his company, La Pizza Loca Inc., had expanded to 12 locations and had $10 million in sales. He founded the Downey-based Meruelo Group in 1986. The company’s portfolio includes construction companies, engineering firms, radio stations, private equity and food services.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Mills, Jade — Coldwell Banker
THE LATEST: Unlike some of her high-ranking competitors, Mills works as an individual instead of on a team. In 2019, she was No. 8 on the Business Journal’s list of top residential agents by sales volume with $362 million in sales, as well as the No. 1 agent worldwide for Coldwell Banker. Mills was a listing agent in three recent record-setting sales, including the Chartwell Estate, also known as “The Beverly Hillbillies” mansion ($150 million), the Spelling Manor ($120 million), and the Playboy Mansion ($100 million).
BACKGROUND: In her 30-plus years in real estate, Mills has sold more than $5 billion worth of homes. She specializes in areas such as Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Holmby Hills, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and the Hollywood Hills. Mills is also the co-chairman of the International Luxury Alliance, which focuses on high-level client services that allows sellers to reach buyers worldwide. Mills has four children, three of whom also have real estate licenses, as well as seven grandchildren.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Needleman, Steve — Anjac Properties, The Orpheum Theatre
Owner and Operator, The Orpheum Theatre
Owner, Anjac Properties
THE LATEST: Needleman runs downtown’s Orpheum Theatre, which hosts live concerts and events and is often used for filming. He’s also active in neighborhood improvements. Needleman is chairman of Los Angeles Streetcar Inc., a nonprofit public-private partnership focused on bringing a tram line back to L.A. In 2019, the organization received environmental impact review approval for the streetcar project; construction is set to begin in 2021.
BACKGROUND: Needleman has an extensive background operating sports and entertainment venues, but he also oversees his family’s Anjac Fashion Buildings, which have more than 800 tenants. Needleman’s CAST Real Estate Holdings and Kids from the Valley entities own and operate industrial, office, and retail properties in L.A., Ventura, and Orange counties.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
O’Hern, Thomas — Macerich Co.
THE LATEST: O’Hern became chief executive of Santa Monica-based Macerich Co. in 2019. The company is working with Hudson Pacific Properties on One Westside, the conversion of the former Westside Pavilion shopping center into a creative office campus, which Google has already preleased. Macerich also has a joint venture with Simon Property Group Inc. to operate the 600,000-square-foot Los Angeles Premium Outlets development in Carson, which is set to open in 2021. The two companies have reportedly filed a lawsuit agains the city of Carson over its handling of the site.
BACKGROUND: Before becoming CEO, O’Hern was the company’s chief financial officer, senior executive vice president and treasurer. He has held the CEO role for a number of other real estate development companies as well. O’Hern is a certified public accountant and worked with Arthur Andersen & Co. from 1978 to 1984. He is on the boards of the USC Marshall School of Business, Torrance Memorial Medical Foundation and Douglas Emmett Inc.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Palmer, Geoffrey — G.H. Palmer Associates
THE LATEST: Founded in 1978, G.H. Palmer’s portfolio includes more than 15,000 Southern California apartment units valued at more than $5 billion. Recent projects include Sea View Villas in Pacific Palisades and the in-development Ontario West complex. The company is looking to enter other markets and is developing multifamily properties with lenders and underwriters. Palmer was No. 25 on the Business Journal’s 2019 Wealthiest Angelenos list, with an estimated net worth of $3.1 billion, up 11% over the previous year.
BACKGROUND: Palmer is a third-generation California builder and lawyer, with degrees from the University of Colorado and Pepperdine University School of Law. His properties include the Italianate DaVinci, Lorenzo, Orsini and Medici apartment complexes around downtown. Palmer is a member of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s board of trustees, and his charitable and civic work has included endowment of the Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law at Pepperdine University.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Penner, Ethan — MREC Management
THE LATEST: Penner is the founder and managing partner of MREC Management, better known as Mosaic Real Estate Investors. Mosaic originated 17 loans totaling $1.23 billion in 2019. The company has offices in Calabasas and New York. Penner is also a member of the company’s investment and executive committees. He is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, and was previously an adjunct professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business. Penner is also a board member of the CRE Finance Council’s Executive Committee of the Board of Governors.
BACKGROUND: Penner is a real estate finance veteran with more than 35 years of experience. Over his career he has helped with more than $30 billion of mortgage originations. Penner is credited with helping create the Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities market when he was at Nomura Securities. In 2008, Penner founded and served as CBRE Capital Partners’ president. The debt investment platform has raised and managed more than $600 million.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Porter, Gerald — Cresa
THE LATEST: Porter is founding principal and past chairman of Cresa, which specializes in tenant representation and corporate services. The company has more than 55 offices in North America and 17 around the globe. Clients include Twitter, Oracle Corp., DreamWorks and Activision Blizzard Inc. Porter frequently talks about the use of technology in real estate.
BACKGROUND: Porter has been a broker for more than 35 years. He was on the board of the Los Angeles Business Council and sits on Los Angeles Commercial Realty Association’s board. He is also an associate member of Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA. He is an executive board member as well as the past chairman of Kidsave International, a nonprofit dedicated to finding permanent families for older orphans and foster children. Porter has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA in real estate finance from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Rappaport, Kurt — Westside Estate Agency Inc.
THE LATEST: Rappaport was No. 1 on the Business Journal’s list of top residential agents with $909 million in sales in L.A. in 2019, nearly $175 million more than the No. 2 agent. His clients include Larry Ellison, Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre, Bono, Madonna, Sean Parker, Ellen DeGeneres, Ryan Seacrest, Steven Cohen, Peter Guber, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen.
BACKGROUND: Native Angeleno Rappaport started his real estate career at the age of 19, working at Merrill Lynch. In 1999, he started Beverly Hills-based Westside Estate Agency with Stephen Shapiro. With offices in Beverly Hills, Malibu and Miami, the company today has annual sales of more than $3 billion. Rappaport volunteers at Children’s Hospital and Cedars Sinai Los Angeles and is on the board of the Larry King Cardiac Foundation. He is a USC grad.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Ratkovich, Wayne — Ratkovich Co.
THE LATEST: Downtown-based Ratkovich Co. was selected by the city of Los Angeles to develop the San Pedro Public Market, a 42-acre waterfront development that’s being built in two phases and will have restaurants, shops and events. In 2018, the company sold its stake in downtown’s Bloc complex to National Real Estate Advisors, a financial partner in the project that plans to eventually add a residential tower.
BACKGROUND: Ratkovich founded Ratkovich Co. some 40 years ago. The company developed Playa Vista’s Hercules Campus, an 11-building complex of historic former Hughes Aircraft Co. buildings leased to Google. Ratkovich was also the key developer for The Alhambra, a 45-acre mixed-use urban community, and 5900 Wilshire, a 30-story office tower in the Miracle Mile. Ratkovich has been named by The Urban Land Institute as a life trustee and is a trustee emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Ressler, Richard — CIM Group
THE LATEST: Ressler is the chair of CIM’s Executive, Investment, Allocation and Real Assets Management committees. He also serves on the firm’s Credit Committee. CIM Group has a portfolio of roughly $30 billion of real estate and has led a total of $60 billion worth of projects.
BACKGROUND: Ressler co-founded CIM Group with Shaul Kuba and Avi Shemesh in 1994. Prior to CIM, he founded the investment firm Orchard Capital Corp. in 1993. Ressler was vice chairman at Brooke Group Ltd., an investment banker at Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. and an attorney at Cravath Swaine & Moore. He serves on the boards of CIM Commercial Trust Corp. and J2 Global Inc. In 2016, Ressler helped launch OCV Management, a venture fund that raised approximately $260 million. He has a BA from Brown University and a JD and MBA from Columbia University.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Rising, Christopher — Rising Realty Partners
THE LATEST: In 2019, Rising was named chief executive of Rising Realty Partners, the company he co-founded in 2003 with his father, veteran developer Nelson Rising. The company is particularly active downtown, signing leases with clients including Jerde Partnership, TubeScience, Citigroup and H&M Group Inc. It also recently recapitalized the CalEdison building, an art deco landmark downtown in a deal pegged at more than $100 million, and brought GreenOak Real Estate on as a partner for the project. Rising Realty also finished restoring the Trust Building on Spring Street.
BACKGROUND: Rising has held a number of roles at respected real estate firms. He began his career as an associate at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro. He then worked at Cushman Realty Corp. and later served as a director at Cushman & Wakefield of California, Inc. As the senior vice president of asset transactions at MPG Office Trust, Inc., Rising worked to improve the company’s finances. Rising earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his J.D. from Loyola Law School. He serves as the treasurer and a board member of River LA and chairs the group’s finance and fundraising committee.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 4
Rising, Nelson — Rising Realty Partners
THE LATEST: Rising stepped down as chief executive of Rising Realty in 2019 but stayed on as chairman and as a member of the company’s investment committee. He sits on the boards of the Irvine Co., Foley Timber & Land Co. and the W.M. Keck Foundation. He is also a member of the Caltech Board of Trustees.
BACKGROUND: During his 40 years in the real estate industry, Rising has overseen development of some of the most iconic buildings in Los Angeles, including the U.S. Bank Tower and Gas Company towers downtown as well as the development of Playa Vista. He was previously president and chief executive of MPG Office Trust Inc., chief executive of Catellus Development Corp. and a senior partner at Maguire Thomas Partners. He also managed mayoral campaigns for former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Roski Jr., Edward — Majestic Realty Co.
THE LATEST: Roski leads privately held Majestic Realty Co., which owns, manages and leases more than 83 million square feet of property nationwide. The company has been expanding beyond California, with projects in Oregon, Texas, and Arizona, including the December 2019 acquisition of one of the last available development sites in the southwest Phoenix submarket. He was No. 11 on the Business Journal’s annual Wealthiest Angelenos edition with an estimated net worth of $5.6 billion in 2019.
BACKGROUND: Roski graduated from USC before serving as an officer in the Marine Corps where he earned two Purple Hearts. He launched the Majestic Realty Foundation in 2002 with a charitable mission focused on youth, family, education, health and violence prevention. In 2007, he helped start the Land of the Free Foundation, which supports veterans. He’s also a minority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings and played a key role in the development of Staples Center. Roski serves on the boards of the Bowers Museum and the National Geographic Society and is chairman emeritus of USC.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Rubano, Rob — Cushman & Wakefield Inc.
THE LATEST: Rubano is based in Cushman & Wakefield’s West L.A. office where he leads the group’s National Debt Placement & Structured Finance platform. In the six-month period from June 2019 through the end of 2019, he completed 24 financings for more than $4.6 billion. The transactions included the $1.4 billion acquisition financing of 30 Hudson Yards in New York, the $450 million refinancing of a national hotel portfolio, $365 million in construction financing for luxury hotel and Class A office and retail destination Robertson Lane in West Hollywood, the $115 million refinancing of Marriott Burbank, and the $182 million construction financing of multifamily project AVA Arts District.
BACKGROUND: Rubano joined Cushman & Wakefield in 2018. He was previously with Eastdil Secured. In his career, Rubano has been involved in transactions totaling more than $50 billion. He works on commercial mortgages and secondary loan sales. Rubano has an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and a BS in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech. He is on the advisory board of Adopt Together.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Schwartzman, David — Harridge Development Group
THE LATEST: Schwartzman is overseeing the $1 billion Crossroads Hollywood development, a 950-unit, 1.4-million-square-foot mixed-use project that will also feature a 300-room hotel. In late 2019, he sold the Los Angeles Times’ printing plant industrial property in downtown for $242.5 million. He is also converting the former I. Magnin & Co. department store in Koreatown into a 160-room hotel and a 170-unit residential building. Other new projects include a 700-unit residential project dubbed Ponte Vista in San Pedro and a 75-unit project in Northridge.
BACKGROUND: Schwartzman got his start in real estate development as a residential homebuilder in 1990. He has developed more than 5,000 homes and mixed-use projects across Central and Southern California. Harridge Development Group was incorporated in 2010 and focuses on vacant or underutilized sites in Southern California neighborhoods. Schwartzman has a degree from USC and supports a number of philanthropic organizations, including the University of Judaism, Therapeutic Living Centers for the Blind and the American Cancer Society.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Schwimmer, Howard — Rexford Industrial Realty Inc.
THE LATEST: Schwimmer serves as co-chief executive of Brentwood-based Rexford Industrial Realty and also serves on the company’s board. Rexford, which owns industrial properties throughout Southern California, acquired $971 million of properties in 2019. Those deals added 5.4 million square feet to Rexford’s portfolio.
BACKGROUND: Schwimmer is a real estate veteran of more than 30 years, with a focus on the industrial sector. Prior to Rexford, Schwimmer held several roles, including executive vice president at Daum Commercial Real Estate. He is a USC grad and is on the USC Lusk Center Real Estate Leadership Council. Schwimmer is also chairman of USC Hillel and is involved with the Los Angeles Jewish Federation, Real Estate Principals Organization.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Shannon, Kevin — Newmark Knight Frank
THE LATEST: Shannon, who has been with Newmark Knight Frank for four years, focuses on capital markets in the West. In 2019, he did $8.23 billion in deals across 138 transactions and more than 27 million square feet, up from 112 transactions valued at $5.96 million in 2018. Shannon’s biggest L.A. deals include C3, 101 Continental and Corporate Pointe at West Hills. Morgan Stanley sold a 49% partial interest in C3, valuing the property at $260 million, to PNC and IDS Real Estate Group. 101 Continental, in El Segundo, sold for $138.5 million in May. Corporate Pointe, in the San Fernando Valley, sold for $163 million.
BACKGROUND: Shannon is based in Newmark Knight Frank’s El Segundo office. He oversees a team of 30 people focused on investment properties. Over the past 24 years, he has sold more than $73 billion of office, industrial, self-storage, retail, land and mixed-use assets. Shannon was previously a vice chairman and managing director for the West Coast Institutional Investment Group at CBRE Group Inc., where he also led the Western United States Office Vertical.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 3
Shea, John — J.F. Shea Co. Inc.
THE LATEST: J.F. Shea Co. has a $5 million-square-foot portfolio of office, industrial and retail properties in California, Colorado and Washington. Shea Homes has opened projects in San Mateo, Oakley and La Habra while Shea Properties recently opened a 28-story apartment building in Denver. The company is also currently working on the Crenshaw-LAX Metro line extension. Shea no longer handles day-to-day operations of the firm. He was No. 40 on the Business Journal’s most recent Wealthiest Angelenos list, with an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion in 2019, up 12% over the previous year.
BACKGROUND: Founded in Portland, Ore., in 1881 by Shea’s grandfather, John Francis Shea, the J.F. Shea Co. moved to Los Angeles in 1933. The company built the foundations for the Golden Gate Bridge and was involved in construction of the Hoover Dam and the Interstate Highway System. Shea and his wife, Dorothy, donate to charities and institutions, including Loyola Marymount University.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Shemesh, Avi — CIM Group
THE LATEST: In 2019 and 2020, CIM Group sold a handful of large properties, including the Hollywood & Highland center for an estimated $325 million and the 147-unit Elevate apartment and retail building in West L.A. for an undisclosed sum. With more than $60 billion in development under its belt, the firm currently has a portfolio of more than $30 billion.
BACKGROUND: Shemesh, who co-founded CIM Group with Shaul Kuba and Richard Ressler in 1994, serves on the firm’s investment and asset management committees. He leads CIM’s day-to-day operations, including strategic initiatives, property management and leasing and investor relations. Prior to launching CIM, Shemesh and Kuba were co-founders of Dekel Development, a real estate development firm that handled commercial and multifamily properties in Los Angeles.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Sigal, Sandy — NewMark Merrill Cos.
THE LATEST: NewMark Merrill owns or manages 75 shopping centers in California, Colorado and Illinois accounting for 11 million square feet valued at more than $2 billion. Its tenants include Whole Foods, Walmart, Regal Cinemas and CVS. The company has offices in Thousand Oaks, Norwalk, Anaheim, Oceanside, Sacramento, Chicago and Colorado, and a corporate office in Woodland Hills.
BACKGROUND: Sigal, a UCLA graduate, has been in the real estate industry for more than 30 years. In 1997, he founded NewMark Merrill Cos., and the company has since acquired, developed or managed more than 100 retail centers. Sigal is also chairman of BrightStreet Ventures, a technology company he co-founded to provide opportunities to shopping center owners and tenants. Prior to founding NewMark Merrill, Sigal worked at West Venture Cos.’s commercial retail division, where he was named president and chief executive in 1993.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Somer, Stephen — Eastdil Secured
THE LATEST: Some of Somer’s biggest 2019 sales in L.A. include the $750 million sale of CBS Television City, the $630 million sale of the Wilshire Courtyard, the sale of the Lantana North Campus for $321 million and the Lantana South Campus for $220 million. He was also involved in the sales of The Brickyard in Playa Vista and The Collective apartment complex near MacArthur Park. Neither property’s price has been disclosed.
BACKGROUND: Somer has been with Eastdil Secured’s Los Angeles office since 2003. Previously, he ran Eastdil Secured’s European and Middle Eastern operations from its London office. His career includes a stint in the real estate capital markets group of Cushman & Wakefield Inc. He is a USC graduate and a board member of the Los Angeles Commercial Realty Association, a member of the Urban Land Institute, founding member of The Wilshire Club and a member of The Legends Club for the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Sterling, Donald — Donald T. Sterling Corp.
THE LATEST: Real estate heavyweight Sterling owns more than 160 apartment buildings in Los Angeles and is the former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. He and wife Shelly were No. 13 on the Business Journal’s Wealthiest Angeleno list in 2019 with an estimated net worth of $5 billion.
BACKGROUND: A Chicago native, Sterling trained as a lawyer before moving to Los Angeles and turning to real estate in the 1960s. He bought the San Diego Clippers in 1981 and moved the basketball team to L.A. three years later. He sold the team to former Microsoft Corp. chief Steve Ballmer in 2014 in a deal driven by the National Basketball Association after a tape of Sterling using racial epithets became public. In 2016, he settled with the NBA, after claiming that the league and Shelly conspired to sell the team. Sterling and Shelly have been married for six decades although they have been separated for years.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Sterling, Rochelle “Shelly” — Donald T. Sterling Corp.
THE LATEST: The wife of real estate magnate Donald Sterling, Shelly was instrumental in reaching an agreement in 2014 for the Sterling Family Trust to sell the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion to former Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer. She was given the titles “Clippers Number One Fan” and “Owner Emeritus” as part of the sale of the Clippers. Sterling and her husband have an estimated net worth of $5 billion, good for No. 13 on the Business Journal’s 2019 list of Wealthiest Angelenos.
BACKGROUND: Shelly and Donald Sterling married in 1955. She has an interest in the Donald T. Sterling Corp.’s real estate portfolio and was part owner of the Clippers until the NBA forced a sale of the team. The couple live apart but have reportedly not divorced.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Sullivan, Mark — Savills Inc.
THE LATEST: Sullivan has been with Savills Inc., recently rebranded from Savills Studley Inc., for nearly 35 years. He currently oversees the firm’s seven West Coast offices — six in California and one in Washington. He is responsible for headquarters leases for Comcast, Westfield Corp., Panavision, ICM Partners, the City of Los Angeles, Inland Empire Health Plan, the State Bar of California and Canyon Partners.
BACKGROUND: Sullivan joined Julien J. Studley Inc. in 1986 and was named to the company’s national board of directors in 2003. He remained with the tenant-focused brokerage after it was acquired by London-based Savills, a 160-year-old real estate company with 660 offices around the world. Sullivan is on Savills’ U.S. management committee and its law firm practice group.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 4
Travers, James — Cresa
THE LATEST: Travers specializes in tenant representation. His clients include AIG SunAmerica, Bank of the West, California Bank & Trust, Colony Capital, Edmunds.com, Gensler, Hogan Lovells, Houlihan Lokey, Lions Gate Entertainment, PennyMac, Preferred Bank, Broad Foundation, Warner Music Group, Wells Fargo, Western Asset Management, the W.M. Keck Foundation, TCW, Jeffer Mangels, Freeport-McMoRan, Macerich, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Leonard Green & Partners.
BACKGROUND: Travers founded Travers Realty Corp. in 1978 and served as company chairman until 2014, when the firm merged with Cresa Partners to form Travers Cresa. Travers Realty successfully negotiated more than $12 billion in real estate transactions. Travers has said that one of his career highlights was representing SunAmerica Life Insurance Co. for more than 20 years and relocating the company to the top of 1999 Avenue of the Stars in Century City, in a move that included top-of-the-building signage. Travers is a founder of Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and a member of the executive committee, governing board at FIDM.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Umansky, Mauricio — The Agency
THE LATEST: Umansky was No. 3 on the Business Journal’s list of residential real estate agents, ranked by 2019 sales volume. He sold $554 million in L.A. homes in 2019, up from $269 million in 2018. Umansky is one of the listing agents on the $125 million Beverly Park estate where William Randolph Hearst and actress Marion Davies once lived (the home also made an appearance in “The Godfather” and “The Bodyguard”). His recent notable sales include 822 Sarbonne Road, which sold for $75 million. The Agency has been expanding and recently opened offices in Aspen, Colo., and Healdsburg.
BACKGROUND: Born in Mexico, Umansky attended USC before going on to create The Agency, which counts as clients top developers and resort brands including One&Only, Six Senses and Ritz-Carlton. The Agency has more than 600 agents worldwide. Umansky is a board member for Giveback Homes and a supporter of Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and the National Breast Cancer Association.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Watt, Nadine — Watt Cos. Inc.
THE LATEST: In January, Watt became chief executive of Watt Cos., the company founded by her grandfather. Watt replaced her father, J. Scott Watt, who is now chairman. Watt had been president of Watt Cos. since 2011. As of March 2020, the company’s annual revenue was $160 million. Its portfolio comprises 3,000 multifamily units, 24 retail centers, 3.4 million square feet of office and industrial space, four master planned communities and 14 residential projects. The company has developed hotels, but no longer oversees them.
BACKGROUND: Prior to becoming CEO, Watt helped launch the company’s acquisition division, Watt Investment Partners. The unit has invested $60 million in real estate in the Western United States. Watt helped with the multimillion-dollar renovation of the 920,000-square-foot Watt Plaza in Century City and has overseen the company’s oil and gas operations. She is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and holds a master’s degree from the School of Cinematic Arts at USC.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 4
Weinstein, Mark — MJW Investments
THE LATEST: Weinstein is overseeing the adaptive reuse of Santee Village, a roughly 800,000-square-foot mixed-use project in downtown’s Fashion District. MJW Investments has roughly $800 million in real estate holdings. It has moved into student housing and now has properties at Michigan State, Washington State, Brigham Young University, UC Santa Barbara, University of Oregon, Arizona State and Texas Tech. It is also expanding its Southern California multifamily portfolio.
BACKGROUND: Weinstein founded MJW Investments, one of Los Angeles County’s 25 largest commercial real estate developers, in 1983. Under his leadership, the company has acquired $1 billion of real estate. He is also involved with many charities including a three-year term as chair of the Jewish Federation’s Real Estate and Construction Division and works with the Young Presidents’ Organization and the Guardians. Weinstein is also a founding member of the Real Estate Principals Organization (RPO) and is on the L.A. Mayor’s Council on Housing and Development.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Weintraub, Richard — Weintraub Real Estate Group
THE LATEST: Weintraub’s current developments include a handful of homes and a 28-acre property in Malibu being developed into a park. His company is also redeveloping the Sportsmen’s Lodge Hotel, the iconic Studio City property that dates to the 1880s.
BACKGROUND: During the past two decades, Weintraub has acquired, developed or entitled properties across Southern California worth about $1 billion. Some of his company’s best-known developments include the Malibu Lumber Yard, which Weintraub converted into a retail center; the restoration of downtown’s St. Vibiana Cathedral; and the Californian, a 24-story luxury high rise condo project on the Wilshire Corridor. Weintraub is a fourth-generation Angeleno and USC grad. He is on the board of the L.A. River and the Pilot Light foundations. He has also worked with the Valley Community Clinic in San Fernando Valley and The Boys and Girls Club of Malibu.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
Weiss, Justin — Kennedy Wilson
THE LATEST: Weiss joined Kennedy Wilson in 2014 to lead its brokerage platform in downtown. He and his partner, Lee Shapiro, have completed more than 590,000 square feet of retail, mixed-use, adaptive reuse and creative office transactions in the area. His clients include Atlas Capital, Berkshire Group, Bolour Associates, Gilmore Associates, Skid Row Housing Trust, Rising Realty Partners, Wolff Co. and Carlyle Group.
BACKGROUND: Weiss is a downtown market expert with 11 years of experience in commercial real estate, both on the leasing and sales side. He was formerly an associate director of economic development for the Downtown Center Business Improvement District and the Central City Association. While at the former, Weiss wrangled hundreds of retailers, developers, hotels, office tenants and residents downtown including Target Corp., Bottega Louie, Urth Caffé and Ace Hotel.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 2
Williamson, Michael — Sotheby’s International Realty
THE LATEST: Williamson, a native Angeleno, recently became the company’s Southern California Regional Manager. Recruited by Sotheby’s International Realty in 2018 as senior vice president of the group’s Pasadena office, he was quickly promoted to regional manager for Los Angeles and Ventura counties. He later became regional manager for Santa Barbara. In his current role, he is in charge of 12 offices and hundreds of agents.
BACKGROUND: Before joining Sotheby’s International Realtly, Williamson worked for agencies including Douglas Co., Prudential California Realty, Chartwell Escrow and John Aaroe Group. He was with the John Aaroe Group for nearly a decade but left not long after Pacific Union International acquired the company. (Pacific Union has since been acquired by Compass.)
YEARS ON THE LA500: 1
Worthe, Jeffrey — Worthe Real Estate Group
THE LATEST: Worthe currently has 3 million square feet under development across 11 sites. The company is working on two office towers with the Stockbridge Real Estate Fund as part of the Warner Bros. Entertainment Burbank headquarters expansion, announced last year. The 800,000-square-foot office complex has been named the Second Century Project. Other recent Worthe projects include The Reserve in Playa Vista, The Pointe in Burbank, The Post in Beverly Hills and Pinnacles I and II on West Olive Avenue.
BACKGROUND: Worthe presides over the Worthe Real Estate Group, a Santa Monica-based firm with nearly 100 employees that specializes in the development and refurbishment of office properties in Los Angeles. Its portfolio of roughly 5.6 million square feet is spread across 37 properties. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara. Worthe serves as the board chairman of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
YEARS ON THE LA500: 4
Ziman, Richard — Rexford Industrial Realty Inc.
THE LATEST: Rexford Industrial Realty is one of largest owners and operators of industrial real estate in Los Angeles, and Ziman has been on the company’s board of directors since 2013. Rexford has been on a buying spree of late, adding $971 million worth of acquisitions to its portfolio in 2019.
BACKGROUND: Ziman has more than 40 years of experience in the Southern California industrial real estate market. He was the cofounder of Arden Realty Inc., which was the largest owner of office space in Southern California until it merged in a $5 billion deal with General Electric. He was previously with the law firm Loeb & Loeb, was the founder and managing general partner of Pacific Financial Group Inc. and was the founding chairman of AVP Advisors. Ziman established the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate and is on the Board of Advisors at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 5
See the full LA500 list and features in the 2020 LA500 Special Edition.
