Executive Watch

Perspective

While preparing for a presentation I am giving this week at the ULI Fall Meeting, I uncovered an interesting factoid from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job tenure for men between the ages of 45 and 54 is 9.6 years, versus an average tenure of 5.2 years for 35-to-44-year-olds. (Women in general showed a shorter tenure, and their retention habits will be treated in a future column.) That translates into a more than 50% longer tenure for the “more mature” professional population. On one hand, this was not terribly surprising because one would expect that by the time men are 45-ish, their careers are beginning to reach a plateau and moves are less necessary or attractive. However, the shorter tenure for the 35-to-44-year-old highlights an issue on which employers are increasingly focused: retention. It costs a bundle to replace well-established and top performers, and they are the ones most highly sought after by competitors. All too often, employers do not address what keeps the “keepers” on the job, beyond the dollars. At the top of the list is growth potential and challenge. Is your organization on top of this issue and focusing on retention, or are you feeding the turnover statistic?

Tony LoPinto is CEO of Equinox Partners, an executive search firm specializing in the real estate industry, and parent company of SelectLeaders. The views expressed in this article are the author's own.

Job Opportunities

CB RICHARD ELLIS
VP, Project Management:
(BELLEVUE, WA) This VP is responsible for the leadership of the bottom-line success of a significant business unit, customer relationship, functional unit, department or transaction activity, and more.

CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD
Senior Financial Analyst–Real Estate
(TAMPA, FL) This analyst will prepare complex and sophisticated cash flow analysis for a broad range of real estate transactions including lease comparisons, lease restructures, lease vs. buy, acquisitions/dispositions, relocations and more.

SELECTLEADERS
Director of Leasing/Leasing Agent–Commercial Properties
(LAKEWOOD, OH) Manages and actively participates in all efforts necessary to identify and secure lease contracts with prospective customers for space in existing properties, new developments and build-to-suits.

APOLLO EQUITY PARTNERS
VP–Acquisitions
(CHICAGO) The hire will be responsible for initiating, structuring, negotiating and affecting the closing of all lower tier transactions, and collaborate with the staff in the syndication process with equity investors.

AMB PROPERTY CORP.
Director, Construction
(SAN FRANCISCO) Duties include the coordination of site plan reviews for specific projects, assisting with the pre-construction entitlement process, working with outside consultants and local municipalities, and more.

PROLOGIS
Real Estate Financial Analyst
(DENVER) Create sophisticated cashflow discounting models used in acquisitions; analyze leases, financial statements, contract negotiation (business level), tenant credit, expense and income analysis, and more.

MINDLIN COS.
Asset Manager
(LOS ANGELES) This hire will coordinate with the property managers and lease administrators and work closely with construction managers, contractors, subcontractors and vendors on construction projects, tenant improvement projects, deferred maintenance and other like projects.

TORTO WHEATON RESEARCH
Research Strategist
(BOSTON) This position will report directly to the Director of ISS at Torto Wheaton Research with the responsibility of maintaining client relationships and guiding ISS analysts as they complete projects on behalf of clients. The ISS group provides customized research services to owners and investors in private equity real estate.

Promotions

HALSTEAD PROPERTY
(NEW YORK CITY) Abby Plitt Gellert and Richard J. Grossman become executive director of sales for the Westside and Downtown offices, respectively. Both had been sales directors.

THE MORGAN GROUP
(HOUSTON) Lonnie Spraberry rises to executive vice president of construction from regional vice president.

CB RICHARD ELLIS
(PHOENIX and HOUSTON) Brothers Bill and Jim Bayless are named senior vice presidents. In Houston, John Simons rises to vice president and Will Hedges becomes associate broker.

HGA ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS
(LOS ANGELES) Sean Collins rises to senior associate from project manager.

OPUS ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS
(MINNEAPOLIS) Ed Gschneidner, Dean Newins and Dale Wenkus become principals. Gschneidner has been director of architectural services since 2004. Newins has been director of architecture for the Washington, DC office for the past four years. Wenkus has been director of architecture in Minneapolis since 2005.

GRUBB & ELLIS
(NEW YORK CITY) Alan Weisman rises to executive managing director. He joined the company after its merger with N. Peter Burton & Co. Inc., where he was president and founder.

JONES LANG LASALLE
(PARSIPPANY, NJ) In the brokerage division, Brian Cass and Aaron Ellison earn berths as vice president, rising from leasing specialists. In the project and development services group, Robert H. Krizman goes to senior vice president from vice president while Jerry Sullivan and Pedro Coto become vice presidents.

JONES LANG LASALLE HOTELS
(NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO) Jeffrey Davis is promoted to executive vice president and Amelia Lim climbs to senior vice president. In San Francisco, Anwar Elgonemy also earns a senior vice president's promotion.

New Hires

JONES LANG LASALLE HOTELS
(MIAMI) Fernando Garcia-Chacon starts as senior vice president of the advisory services team to focus on Florida and Latin America. He has held management positions with national restaurant chains, financial groups and advisory firms.

WRIGHTWOOD CAPITAL
(SAN FRANCISCO) Sharon Groenendyk begins as senior director of investments. She most recently was regional director with GE Real Estate, focusing on the Bay Area, Sacramento and Pacific Northwest.

GVA WILLIAMS
(NEW YORK CITY) John Basile assumes oversight for a 23-million-sf portfolio as the firm's newest senior managing director. Basile spent the last seven years as director of the eastern regional office of BlackRock Realty.

SPERRY VAN NESS
(CHICAGO) William Rodney gets a managing director's title to lead the new office.

MOSES & SINGER
(NEW YORK CITY) Alan E. Linder joins the real estate practice. He most recently was affiliated with DLA Piper. Coming with him from DLA Piper is Michael N. Samuels, who specializes in lease transactions.

KEYSTONE PACIFIC PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
(RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA) Vincentia Davis joins as the master general manager and COO for Coto de Caza after spending the past year as a general manager for board of directors.

MASSEY KNAKAL
(BROOKLYN, NY) Valentin Presnov starts as an associate and Lauren Pollack as an executive assistant.

HARBOR GROUP INTERNATIONAL
(NORFOLK, VA) Brian Schaefgen comes on board as CFO, replacing Bob Childers who is planning to semi-retire at year's end. Schaefgen previously was CFO for Ambassadors International.

GOODWIN PROCTER
(PALO ALTO, CA) The firm brings on two partners, Gerald Dodson and Erica D. Wilson, former partners at Morrison & Foerster. The two attorneys are part of the IP group.

PLANNED COS.
(PARSIPPANY, NJ) Joining the team are Alan Hardney, Michael R. Kinney, Samir Regjaj and Melinda Maysonet. Hardney starts as operations manager for New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Kinney is named regional manager for Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia while Regjaj will work in same capacity in Northwestern New Jersey. Maysonet begins as an executive assistant.

DIRECT INVEST
(BOSTON) Brad R. Bevis becomes manager of equity, responsible for managing broker dealer relationships and raising tenant-in-common equity. He most recently was a commercial leasing broker for the Codman Co.

DTZ FHO PARTNERS
(BOSTON) The firm taps J. Duncan Gratton as its newest partner. The former leasing director of Equity Office Properties Trust, an affiliate of the Blackstone Group, is joining the asset advisory group.

ANGLO IRISH BANK
(BOSTON) Katherine Rowley is appointed vice president of inward investment to source commercial property acquisitions in the US for private banking clients in Ireland and the UK. Rowley spent the past decade at GE Capital in the GE Real Estate and GE Commercial Finance groups.

EMORY HILL REAL ESTATE SERVICES
(NEW CASTLE, DE) The property management group gets thee accountants: Terri Dubuque, Janie Shippen and Daniel R. Smith. Dubuque worked for the Buccini Pollin Group and Commonwealth Group. Shippen was an accountant for Coventry and PRG Real Estate Management. Smith previously was an accountant for Newark Concrete.

COLDWELL BANKER COMMERCIAL ALMAR GROUP
(CARLSBAD, CA Jerry Johnson is made senior sales associate. He most recently worked for Newmark Frank Knight in San Diego.

CB RICHARD ELLLIS
(STAMFORD, CT) Tim Donohue starts as senior associate. Most recently, he was an associate at Jones Lang LaSalle.

MB REAL ESTATE SERVICES
(CHICAGO) Pamela Rose joins the team as senior vice president of corporate services. The founder of Rose & Associates also brought Jonathan Goldman, who begins as a vice president.

EPIC/SAVAGE REALTY PARTNERS
(NILES, IL) Terri K. Alexander starts as managing director after working as a consultant for Administaff Inc. Also joining are Lisa Lattuca and Joshua Altman as associates. Lattuca previously was business development director for Meridian Design Build in Deerfield, IL and Altman most recently was a sales representative for Advantage Freight Network in Northbrook, IL.

HEITMAN
(CHICAGO) Christina Polito begins as senior vice president for the client services and marketing group. She previously was with LaSalle Investment Management in London, rising to national director and European fund manager.

UGL EQUIS CORP.
(CHICAGO) Carole Randolph Jurkash is named senior vice president and general counsel. She most recently was vice president and deputy general counsel for Oak Brook Bank.

GROSVENOR
(SAN FRANCISCO) Jonathan Carr takes his place as development manager. He most recently worked for Liberty Property Trust.

HARRIS HOTEL GROUP LLC
(SARASOTA, FL) Brian Jungling comes on board as vice president of operations, brining more than a decade of multi-property experience. He most recently was regional vice president of operations for Hyatt Select Hotels Group and Prime Hospitality Corp.

GVA WILLIAMS
(NEW YORK CITY) Martha Pellegrino is made district manager and Matthew Seltzer becomes an associate. Pellegrino was a property manager for Executive Property Management in New Jersey. Seltzer was a portfolio administrator for Callidus Capital Asset Management.

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Tony LoPinto is the Global Sector Leader of Korn Ferry’s Real Estate Practice and founder of SelectLeaders. For the past 18 years LoPinto has been serving his clients with deep knowledge and perspective on talent needs and organizational challenges to public and private companies – knowledge gained from a 25-year career in real estate. Prior to his current position, he founded and served as chief executive officer of a boutique real estate executive search firm, where he oversaw offices in New York, Chicago, Washington, DC, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He has successfully led several high profile search engagements for chief executive officers, directors and a wide-range of executive level positions across all industries and sectors. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in European history from Loyola University in Chicago.