RABBIE BANAFSHEHA, 32
Senior Associate
Azzi Advisors
Los Angeles

A senior agent for Azzi Advisors, Rabbie Banafsheha cultivates client relations and new business development with real friendships and connections. He facilitates and negotiates between buyers and sellers in order to secure the best deal for all parties involved so that transactions close seamlessly. Banafshesha has closed approximately $1.5 billion in sales transactions since his start in the industry 10 years ago. In June of 2015, he facilitated the closing of a 22-unit, double-lot property located in Beverly Hills, which sold nearly $1 million above list price. In the same month, he also contributed to the closing of a 75-unit property in West Hollywood for $21 million. In October of 2014, Banafsheha rolled up his sleeves to help generate 18 offers for a Santa Monica asset, which closed at $7.3 million just a few days after it was listed. Over the past decade, he has facilitated the closing of 34% of multifamily properties available in the city of Santa Monica. Additionally, in March of this year, he took on 1944 Whitley Ave. in the historic Hollywood market, securing the property in escrow in under 72 hours and closing it at $8.5 million.

SETH BARNETT, 32
Vice President, Investments
Director, National Multi Housing Group
Marcus & Millichap
Southfield, MI

Seth Barnett is establishing himself as one of the leading affordable housing brokers in the nation. The volume and breadth of successful transactions that he has brokered are remarkable for someone in the early stage of his career. He is not a high-pressure salesperson, but establishes relationships and builds trust with his clients by following up with detailed and actionable information. His team is constantly networking within their industry in an effort to learn and understand the continual changes to their product type. Barnett takes that information and is able to communicate it with owners who may not be as sophisticated or on top of regulatory changes in their market. On his rise to the top, Barnett says: “One of my mentors, Paul Davis, has taught me that constantly doing the right thing, which means putting your client before yourself, is the best way to ensure a business can be built to sustain. My career goal is to continuing to make sure my clients are able to achieve success while simultaneously growing our brand, the Affordable Housing Advisors.”

WILL BEAM, 32
Vice President
Heitman
Chicago

What distinguishes Will Beam is his willingness to be a team player in his respect for others coupled with his intense sense of competitiveness and the ability to get deals done. In the past two years Beam has reportedly closed the two largest multifamily deals in Chicago (111 Wacker at $330 million and 1225 Wells at $235 million) effectively on his own, winning a competitive bidding contest. He is now fully on his own sourcing, negotiating and closing deals nationally for both separate accounts and Heitman's $6-billion core fund, HART. To date in his career he has closed a total of 26 transactions accounting for 9,570 units and $2 billion in volume. On the market in the future, Beam says, “This market has had strong fundamentals for the past five years and, and I expect this to continue for at least the next two years.”

JOEL BEHRENS, 35
Principal
Trammell Crow Co.
Dallas
Joel Behrens was a part of Trammell Crow's Dallas office for just five years before being promoted to principal in recognition of how he's grown into a strong leader and developer in a short amount of time. With a deep background in urban, infill mixed-use residential development and redevelopment, Behrens is leading the development of three high-rises, one in Houston and two in Dallas, and two midrises in Dallas and Austin. The complexity and size of the projects sets Behrens apart from the vast majority of professionals executing multifamily, and his career is continuing to flourish as he becomes more involved not only at TCC but also in the local community by sitting on the boards of directors of both the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority and Uptown Dallas, Inc. He is also LEED certified and is committed to developing projects that are environmentally sustainable.

MICHAEL BYRNE, 32
Executive Director
Cushman & Wakefield
Boston
Michael Byrne is the senior broker responsible for managing Cushman & Wakefield's New England multifamily capital markets/investment sales team. Involved in more than $8 billion in multifamily transactions throughout the past 10 years, Byrne has set five records in the past 12 months, including largest multifamily sale in New England history, highest per-unit price in Boston, highest per-unit price in Cambridge and lowest cap rate in New Hampshire. On how the multifamily property market is changing in this cycle, Byrne says, “Investors are focused more on demographics and underlying market trend performance than property-specific performance. They are pursuing longer-term investment horizons to soften the impact of a potential future market crash.”

SHEA CAMPBELL, 35
First Vice President
CBRE
Atlanta

Shea Campbell helped build the private capital group, taking the practice from zero revenue in 2010 to more than $3 million of revenue and $300 million in total sales by the end of 2013, which is when he transitioned to an institutional role focusing on high-class multifamily properties in Atlanta. Since late 2013, he focused on the expansion of the team's suburban practice, which exceeded $1.2 billion in total sales in 2014, a record for CBRE's southeast multi-housing team. In 2014, the team closed the year with a total of $5.7 billion in sales, compared to the closest local competitor's $1.8 billion. Campbell's role on this top-producing team has expanded to include the sourcing of new business opportunities, executing on current assignments and strengthening relationships with existing clients, bringing in over $5 million in revenue for the CBRE team in the past year.

ARVIND CHARY, 34
Co-Founder
Atlas Real Estate Partners
New York City

ALEX FOSTER, 34
Co-Founder
Atlas Real Estate Partners
New York City

Alex Foster and Arvind Chary are the co-founders of Atlas Real Estate Partners, a private real estate investment firm which has acquired over 5,000 multifamily units since its formation in 2009. Atlas has intentionally stayed lean, allowing Foster and Chary to cultivate a culture that encourages out-of-the-box thinking. The structure allows Atlas to test out new technologies and innovative tools because the approval process is simple. For example, Atlas recently created drone videos for a number of multifamily properties that showcased the location, amenities and layouts in a unique way. At another property, Atlas rolled out a concept known as Urban Village Program, encouraging residents to interact and become more involved in their community, leading to an above-market retention rate, resident referrals, reduced marketing spend and a strong market reputation. Foster and Chary are involved in all aspects of company leadership, including acquisitions, financing, asset management, investor relations and strategic vision.

CLAYTON CONGER, 34
Vice President and Mortgage Banker
KeyCorp
Dallas

Clayton Conger's in-depth industry experience, relationships and market knowledge make him a critical asset of KeyBank's Commerical Mortgage Group. He consistently outperforms expectations and targets set by management. He has also demonstrated a keen ability to identify new business opportunities and execute on transactions from start to finish, leading to increased business. Conger specializes in the origination of permanent mortgage financing for owners of multifamily assets through all of KeyBank's platforms, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, CMBS and life companies. Over the past seven months, Conger has originated over $70 million with more targeted to close by year-end. In his previous role at J.P. Morgan, Clayton was a key member of a team that closed in excess of $1.75 billion in new business over a three-year period, ending in 2013.

TRAVIS D'AMATO, 34
Managing Director
JLL
Boston

Travis D'Amato has been in the brokerage business for almost a decade. He, along with his partner Mike Coyne, runs the JLL multi-housing capital markets team for New England. His team consists of two associates, Kevin Gleason and Brendan Shields, and marketing director Jennie Boylan. He has closed on over $1.5 billion in transactions over his career to date, with expected additional volume of more than of $700 million for 2015. Looking ahead, D'Amato says: “The market in Boston has grown substantially, especially with the boom in urban development. Deals are bigger and more valuable. The investor community has become more sophisticated and intelligent. The brokerage community is lacking in young, intelligent, well-rounded capital markets professionals and I expect to take advantage and thrive in this highly competitive environment.”

ANDREW GLADDEN, 30
President
Cardinal Group
Denver

As head of Cardinal Group Construction, Andrew Gladden oversees all day-to-day operations for the team that handles design and construction management for Cardinal Group Cos.' nationwide portfolio and third-party contracts. Cardinal Group Construction also takes a uniquely integrated approach by working in close coordination with the acquisitions and operations teams to ensure a seamless transition from the business plan, to construction, to stabilization. Aside from the daily management and oversight of the design, construction and project consultants, the team is involved in the upfront due diligence and underwriting process, as well as long-term capital planning, budgeting and facilities management. In his seven years in the industry, Gladden has worked on more than 150 projects, totaling over $6.5 billion.

BRIAN HENRY, 34
Executive Managing Director and Principal
DTZ
East Palo Alto, CA

Currently a member and leader of DTZ's multifamily group, Brian Henry is recognized as one of the most respected multifamily brokers in the region. He has closed over 250 transactions totaling more than $700 million in sales volume Notably, as of midyear 2015, Henry also had an additional 10-plus transactions valued over $50 million in contract. While his transactions are predominantly multifamily oriented, he has closed multiple office, retail and land sales. Henry began his real estate career in 2005 as an investment broker at Marcus & Millichap, where he was a senior associate and an associate director of the national multi-housing group. He joined DTZ (Cassidy Turley, BT Commercial) as a vice president in October of 2008 and, since then, has been involved in the sale of over 1,400 multifamily units and 1.2 million square feet of commercial property. During this past five-year period, Henry has brokered approximately 20 sale transactions with sale prices of over $5 million, nine of which exceeded $7.5 million.

JENNIFER HOOVER, 33
Vice President
Capri Investment Group
Chicago

Unlike many of her peers, Jennifer Hoover's career path has been unique in that she has been both an entrepreneur and a respected corporate professional. Her career has included nearly all aspects of real estate, from developing residential subdivisions to assisting in a $1-billion-plus loan portfolio sale to managing a $1.5-billion-plus institutional real estate portfolio. However, despite having an array of real estate experience, Hoover has shown a keen interest in multifamily asset management where she has demonstrated her ability to manage an extensive portfolio of properties in a number of geographies and across the investment spectrum. The combination of her strong analytics, keen interest in multifamily real estate and innate leadership qualities will likely culminate into one of our future leaders in real estate.

ANDREW KADISH, 35
President
CAPREIT Inc.
Rockville, MD

Andrew Kadish assumed the role of president of the company without any formal takeover procedures in place. Since becoming president, he has led CAPREIT, which has some 350 associates, in an organized and profitable manner. Kadish has acquired nearly $250 million of multifamily communities in the past six months and has sold, on behalf of the company, nearly $150 million. He has arranged for the acquisition of another $100 million of multifamily communities prior to the end of the year. He has demonstrated leadership and strategic-thinking tools in keeping CAPREIT as one of the leaders in the multifamily industry. On the future of the market, Kadish relates, “I believes there will continue to be some mergers of multifamily companies in 2015 and 2016. A strong and dedicated property management team will allow smaller companies, similar to CAPREIT, to continue to grow and prosper.”

KEVIN KELLEHER, 35
Senior Director
Franklin Street
Tampa, FL

Kevin Kelleher began his career in one of the worst economic downturns in history. His motivation and strong determination propelled his career forward despite the lackluster commercial real estate market. In his early career, he recognized the importance of creating, building and maintaining relationships in an advisory role, and he focused his time on earning a reputation as a trustworthy and hardworking individual. This served him well in his first position at Marcus & Millichap, where he oversaw the underwriting and marketing of more than $500 million of multifamily properties. Kelleher joined Franklin Street in 2008, where he is sought by owners and real estate professionals throughout the industry for his market expertise and advisory services. He embraces the collaborative platform at Franklin Street, which casts the widest net possible when selling investment-grade real estate.

COLIN KILGORE, 29
Associate
Aspen Heights
Austin, TX

Colin Kilgore's versatility sets him apart from his peers. He sources, structures, underwrites and negotiates debt and equity financing across the platform. He creates and manages proprietary underwriting and valuation tools, performs various analyses and delivers strategic recommendations to C-suite executives, manages external relationships. Kilgore has sourced, structured, underwrote and negotiated $825 million in debt and equity financing and built and managed a detailed valuation model to assess a $1.5-billion multifamily development pipeline for Monogram Residential Trust. He has negotiated $40 million off-balance sheet financing to provide economies of scale for the alternative investment platform.

DANIEL KLINE, 31
President
Delancey Street Capital
New York City

Daniel Kline started a multifamily investment company and grew it from zero units to 300 in less than two years. It is now worth over $40 million with seven employees. He always employs green energy savings technologies as well as the latest apps and property management tools to provide great service to his tenants. Prior to founding Delancey Street, Kline was involved in over $2 billion of multifamily acquisitions at Morgan Properties, where he was vice president of acquisitions and asset management. Kline was always entrepreneurial and loved that real estate was so multifaceted, he knew he would never be bored. He has established a track record of providing speed and certainty of closing on challenging deals, and is actively seeking new acquisitions. Kline believes that “class B multifamily is the right place to invest due to the opportunity to buy properties below replacement cost that generate significant yield, and have a captive renter base. Class B continues to have tremendous downside protection when compared to class A.”

SERAH LEE, 35
Vice President
Pillar
New York City

That Serah Lee is a hardworking, smart, dedicated member of Pillar's affordable housing group goes without saying. What makes her stand out is her impressive range of experience and education. Lee has a background working in conventional commercial real estate as a member of the investment team at a private equity firm and fixed-income hedge fund. In 2011, she transitioned into the affordable housing sector, and her ability to apply experience from other fields distinguished her quickly. Lee is one of five original members of Pillar's affordable housing group. The company was formed at the end of 2012 and within two years, it was the fourth-largest affordable lender for Fannie Mae behind three major banks. Its projected total lending volume for 2015 is more than $400 million to $500 million.

LAURINDA MARTINS, 35
Partner
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP
New York City

Martins concentrates her practice on commercial mortgage, mezzanine and construction financing on behalf of lenders and borrowers, joint ventures, acquisitions and dispositions and loan restructures, workouts and foreclosures. Currently, she is representing Related Cos. in its Hudson Yards redevelopment, which can hold up to 12 million square feet of office, apartment, hotel and retail space above the Yards. On her rise to the top, Martins says, “An unwavering dedication to the client, respect, integrity and patience are keys in being successful. Moreover, understanding the clients' goals and being able to manage issues and challenges in an efficient manner is crucial in achieving the best results for our clients. Being able to make partner after having two kids is something I am is extremely proud of achieving.”

WILL MATHEWS, 29
Vice President
Colliers International
Atlanta

Will Mathews specializes in institutional multifamily sales and the placement of equity capital. He brings several years of experience in commercial real estate to Colliers, where he handles multifamily investment sales, business development, financial and debt analysis, market research, due diligence and offering memorandum production. Since 2012, Mathews has sold more than 30,000 apartment units totaling $3 billion in transaction volume. He was recently featured in Wall Street Journal's Deal of the Week column for his work closing Legacy at Sandhill Apartments in Columbia, SC Additionally, he was the recipient of the 2013 L. Frederick Glass Jr. Rookie of the Year award and the 2013 Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors Rookie of the Year designation. Mathews expects to witness an increase in core development strategies by developers to continue to cater to millennials and retiring baby-boomers, especially in primary markets with high job growth.

JORDAN McCARLEY, 31
Managing Director
Multi Housing Advisors
Charlotte, NC

Jordan McCarley was tapped to open Multi Housing Advisors' Charlotte office in 2007 after only two years with the company. Under his leadership, the Carolinas team has grown into the largest and most active in the Carolinas with an average year-over-year transaction growth of 60%. McCarley also plays a pivotal role in the company's day-to-day operations by creating most of the financial and underwriting models MHA uses today. He now oversees a team of nine employees. Since opening the Carolinas office in 2007, McCarley has led the closing of approximately 130 transactions totaling more than 25,000 units and exceeding $1.2 billion in market value across three states. Earlier this year, McCarley arranged the $27.8-million sale of Tryon Park at Rivergate, a 202-unit class A multifamily property located in Charlotte. The transaction was one of the largest of the year in the city.

STEPHANIE McCLESKY, 27
Vice President, Research
Axiometrics Inc.
Dallas

Starting as a research analyst, Stephanie McClesky quickly proved she was capable of handling significantly more responsibility, thus she has consistently moved through the ranks, and was appointed VP of research in 2014. Today, she is part of a seven-person executive team responsible for leading the company on initiatives, planning and strategic growth. McClesky is also responsible for running the entire research effort for Axiometrics' product suites—conventional, student housing and construction pipeline—and the data aggregation methodologies for future product suites the company continues to develop. As part of her work, she must analyze economic and apartment rent trends and be able to communicate that information to an array of clients.

CHARLIE MENTZER, 34
Vice President, Originations
Capital One
Johns Creek, GA

Charlie Mentzer started building his stellar reputation in the industry early in his career, and he has continued to raise his impact and visibility. One of Capital One's strongest performers, he has grown the Atlanta office into one of the leading production offices. According to Mentzer, “The market has become more active this year, and that trend seems likely to continue. The strong fundamentals for multifamily and low interest rate environment are helping to drive a level of demand that is outstripping supply. However, we are also seeing net sellers, as some long-term owners see this as a good time to capture value. Right now the market is attractive to a range of investors; there's no shortage of equity, including new entrants with less experience in multifamily. Any significant movement in interest rates will impact the market, but the market shows potential for long term strength.”

DAVID NELSON, 33
Senior Vice President
Carter
Atlanta

Since 2008, David Nelson has continuously progressed at Carter from project manager to director to vice president, landing at his current role of senior vice president. His roles range from providing design and construction management for Carter's student housing projects to overseeing the equity investment and development of new multifamily and student housing projects. During Nelson's time at Carter, he has worked on projects totaling nearly 3,750 beds valued at approximately $400 million. Over the course of his career, he's also been involved in almost $1 billion worth of complex project portfolios, balancing their various risks, exposures and opportunities to maximize value. Nelson uses his experience with both institutional and private owners to lead the development efforts for Carter's off-campus private student housing and multifamily projects.

WARREN RAMSEY, 34
Income Property Loan Officer
Luther Burbank Savings
Irvine, CA

Warren Ramsey chose his career in commercial real estate after being hand-selected for a job just out of college. Now several years into his career, Warren has enjoyed great success and continues to be engaged every day to provide best-in-class service to help ensure his clients' success. One of the things he enjoys most about being an Income property loan officer is the ability to work closely with his clients, to develop knowledge of their business goals, to provide insights into the market, and to recommend available financing options to help his clients make the most informed choices based on their unique situations. “We are on an upward swing in the market, with values soaring and interest rates staying low,” says Ramsey. “Once interest rates rise, values may start to flatten or decline. I'm optimistic that when changes do occur, they won't be as drastic as our last downturn.”

MITCHELL ROSENSTEIN, 35
Founder
Green Mills Group LLC
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Mitchell Rosenstein possesses the requisite skills and experience to be a powerhouse in multifamily development for many years to come. Not only does he work effortlessly to provide safe and affordable housing to those in need, but he also gives his time back to the community through his participation in Big Brothers Big Sisters and New Leaders Council. Rosenstein can creatively navigate smooth and troubled transactions with an arsenal of skills: some of which he has learned through experience, some of which are innate. Prior to venturing out on his own, Mitchell was responsible for negotiating and closing more than 40 transactions with a total value exceeding $1 billion. Since recently starting his own firm, he has gotten several projects underway, including a 119-unit senior property in central Florida that is scheduled for delivery at the end of 2015.

BRYAN SCHELLINGER, 34
Director
ARA Newmark
Los Angeles

Bryan Schellinger is responsible for middle-market investment sales, business development, procuring listings, marketing management and full-scope deal execution. Since 2012, he has been involved in the disposition of over 1,200 units totaling more than $150 million in sales volume. Since NGKF acquired ARA in January 2015, Schellinger has closed five middle-market transactions, totaling more than $40 million in volume. He has effectuated deals on behalf of some of the largest and most active private investment groups in the Los Angeles region. “The multifamily sector is in a secular bull market,” he observes. “Given the paradigm shift in millennials' behavior, coupled with the sheer size of their demographic cohort coming into prime renting years and later household formation, I feel strongly that we have a great deal of runway left in the sector.”

EVAN SCHLECKER, 28
Vice President
Morgan Group Inc.
Miami

Before joining Morgan Group in 2011, Evan Schlecker co-founded BlueRoot Partners to take advantage of opportunities in distressed real estate assets in Texas. He began his career at Torchlight Investors, restructuring non-performing real estate. His entrepreneurial spirit and diverse experience provided a foundation that's enabled him to quickly make an impact both at Morgan and in the industry. Schlecker has been involved in the successful development of over 2,000 units valued at over $350 million in Florida and Texas. He opened Morgan's Miami office in 2012 and oversees development in the southeast region for the company. Currently he is handling the development of four projects (over 1,400 units valued in excess of $450 million) in various stages of design and construction in South Florida.

JOSHUA SCHUSTER, 31
Principal
DHA Capital
New York City

Schuster is nimble enough to structure around relatively expensive land prices by teaming up and forming joint ventures with land owners, as well as creatively configuring long-term ground leases so that building multifamily in Manhattan is possible. Currently, DHA is building 280 rental apartments in Hell's Kitchen, and has another 200 units in Harlem in pre-development. The firm is also working to build homes at lower absolute price points to expand our audience of potential buyers. Schuster completed his first solo project of renovating a seven-story, 14-unit rental building when he was 26 years old. This took 12 months and earned investors more than double their money. Concurrently he started a 12-building, 172-unit management company. In addition, prior to co-founding DHA, he was director of development for JMH Development, and was the key member responsible for the groundbreaking luxury renovation of 184 Kent Ave. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

MIKE SMITH, 33
Principal
Lee & Associates
Sherman Oaks, CA

Mike Smith is responsible for representing buyers and sellers in the acquisition and disposition of multifamily properties and development land throughout Southern California. He has established himself among the top multifamily players in the industry with a track record of transactions that includes some of the largest to take place in southern California. In 2015, he closed a 14-building, 2,666-unit sale for $481 million, believed to be the largest multifamily sale in Southern California in several years. Over the past 10 years, Smith has handled the sale of development land and properties totaling more than 19,000 units with a consideration value in excess of $1 billion. He ranked as Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura's second-highest producing broker with $600 million in sales in 2014 and as the No. 3 producing broker with over $300 million in volume in 2012.

TAYLOR SNODDY, 34
Managing Director
Transwestern
Dallas

Taylor Snoddy oversees Transwestern's multifamily investment services platform in Dallas, leading business development and property disposition for the local multifamily investment services team. These responsibilities include asset valuation, coordination of marketing processes, property tours, contract negotiations and acting as a point-of-contact for a variety of private and institutional clients. Snoddy is also the youngest member of Transwestern's board of directors and is a member of Transwestern Dallas' executive committee. A top producer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for Transwestern in 2014, he was also the firm's No. 1 national individual producer in the nation in 2014. He sold roughly 8,000 units in 2014 with a value of nearly $350 million.

VICTOR SOZIO, 32
Executive Vice President
Ariel Property Advisors
New York City

In 2011, just six years after beginning his career, Victor Sozio, along with Shimon Shkury, Ivan Petrovic and Michael A. Tortorici, started Ariel Property Advisors, a commercial brokerage firm. From 2012 to 2013 the Real Deal reported Ariel Property Advisors experienced 189% growth of dollar volume and ranked 12th of all New York City investment sales firms after just two years in business. Sozio is currently the executive vice president at Ariel Property Advisors responsible for originating and executing the sale of commercial real estate transactions throughout the five boroughs. He currently oversees the firm's brokerage services division. Since beginning his career, Sozio has participated in selling more than 550 properties valued at over $2 billion and has established himself as one of the city's leading commercial real estate brokers.

MICHAEL TUBRIDY, 33
Senior Development Manager
Crescent Communities
Charlotte, NC

As senior development manager at Crescent Communities, Michael Tubridy leads the company's new development opportunities in the Charlotte region. He has 10 years of multifamily development experience, and has been responsible for the development/redevelopment of more than 5,000 units throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, totaling more than $500 million in investment. Since joining Crescent Communities in 2013, Tubridy has planned and developed over 1,000 units. He is currently working on a transit-oriented mixed-use development Crescent is planning in Uptown Charlotte. The development will feature 65,000 square feet of retail space—including a Whole Foods Market, the first full-sized grocer in Uptown—460 luxury apartments and two hotels, all with direct access to a LYNX light rail station. It will be the first Whole Foods Market located on a transit system. A 1,400-space parking deck will serve the development.