MAXWELL PEEK, 34
Senior Vice President
Waterton Associates
Chicago
Peek says those forward-looking agile firms
that can adapt to changing demographic
trends will outperform others with a less proactive approach. At Waterton, Peek has been
asked to serve on the company’s management
committee and is involved in the firm’s strategic planning, new
business development and fundraising efforts. As a senior member of the acquisition team, Peek leads a group acquiring multi-family properties on the East Coast and leads the company’s
Innovation Initiative, a program to encourage innovative concepts within the real estate industry. As part of the innovation
effort, Peek serves on the board of directors and is a mentor for
Elmspring, a Chicago-based real estate technology accelerator.
Peek has been proactive in taking leadership roles such as serving
as NMHC’s vice chairman of the tax committee. In 2012, he co-founded NMHC’s emerging leaders committee and currently
serves as vice chairman of that group.
GREG REED, 33
Senior Vice President
Capital One Multifamily Finance
Newport Beach, CA
Reed helped build the office from two people
to 12 in the four years that he has been with
Capital One. He is co-head of origination and
management of Capital One Multifamily’s
Newport Beach, CA office. While overseeing a
platform of nearly $700 million in annual originations, Reed manages office operations. During the past decade, Reed has originated more than $4 billion in multifamily loans, beginning with
more than $300 million in volume in his first year as an originator
at age 24 and more than $500 million in volume in 2014. Reed is a
key donor for Food on Foot, where he regularly participates in
providing food, clothing and assistance as part of the organization’s weekly Sunday activities. His passion for the cause stems
from the organization’s desire to go beyond providing nourishment by also helping individuals succeed in securing employment
and a full life after homelessness.
PATRICK SCHLEHUBER, 38
Director of Acquisitions
Rexford Industrial
Los Angeles
Real estate is Schlehuber’s passion and he
loves learning what makes tenants tick, diving
in to help industrial tenants with creative real
estate solutions. Schlehuber is directly responsible for purchasing more Southern California
industrial in-fill real estate than any other person or company. This
has grown Rexford from a small private equity real estate investor
to a publicly traded REIT worth more than $1 billion. Since joining
Rexford Industrial in 2009, he has led the acquisitions team
through 83 property acquisitions totaling nearly $856 million and
adding 7. 75 million square feet to Rexford’s portfolio. Schlehuber
has been a regular speaker at UCLA Anderson School of
Management and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and
CPA. His goal is to make Rexford the largest owner of Southern
California industrial in-fill real estate, a feat to which he is handsomely contributing.
ARIEL SCHUSTER, 37
Vice Chairman
RKF
New York City
A family friend gave Schuster an invitation to
the ICSC convention in 1999 as a college graduation gift. The deal making and networking
sparked his interest in real estate and he joined
RKF. Schuster is considered one of the most
active retail leasing specialists in the New York metro area and has
become the industry’s go-to-guy for national retail. In the past year
alone, he has leased space valued at more than $270 million. He has
arranged leases for more than 4. 5 million square feet of retail space
during the course of his career, valued at approximately $3.8 billion.
Schuster is responsible for completing one of the largest deals in
RKF history with his representation of the Gap in two retail leases for
the Gap and Old Navy’s side-by-side flagships in Times Square. He
was awarded REBNY’s Deal of the Year in 2010 for arranging the
largest supermarket deal, Fairway Market at 240 East 86th St.
S. DAVID SELZNICK, 38
Chief Investment Officer
Kayne Anderson Real Estate Advisors
Boca Raton, FL
While Selznick has proven himself as both a
dealmaker and real estate investor, what truly
differentiates him from his peers is his approach
to business, in which he prioritizes people and
relationships over transactions. KAREA has
proven to investors that it has tremendous deal-sourcing capabilities
with off-market opportunities, as evidenced by its recent fundraise of
more than $1 billion in just eight months. At KAREA, Selznick has
executed approximately $3 billion in acquisitions and $1 billion in
development of student housing, medical office, multifamily and
senior housing projects. At the end of December 2014, Selznick
executed an unprecedented single-sponsor financing with Freddie
Mac backed primarily by student housing to the tune of $816 million. He mentors a team of 40-plus professionals and contributes
generously to several organizations including Doctors Without
Borders and the Achievement Centers of Delray Beach.
LARRY SEROTA, 33
Executive Vice President
Transwestern
Chicago
Serota’s enthusiasm for his job is, quite simply,
contagious. This year, Transwestern promoted
Serota, who is LEED AP certified, to executive
vice president and to its board of directors,
making him the youngest professional ever to
achieve those titles. Serota brings a meaningful millennial voice,
which ties into his work as chair of Transwestern’s emerging leaders council and nonprofit advisory group. One of Serota’s most
notable career achievements is a recent project—Literacenter.
Serota forged a different way for nonprofits to work, providing the
country’s first shared workspace for organizations dedicated to literacy. Another example of marrying Serota’s passion for civic
responsibility and business has been his multi-location work with
City Year, an education-focused, nonprofit organization that partners with public schools and teachers to help keep students in
school and on track to succeed. Serota advises City Year on its
national portfolio. Serota serves as chairman and co-founder of the
Chicago Children’s Museum Metropolitan Board.