LOS ANGELES—The multifamily sector could not be having an easier and more fruitful 2021 according to panelists at this year's national GlobeSt. Multifamily conference here at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. Rents are climbing, investment sales are proliferating and occupancies are strong.
Navigating such an environment, one might think, is an easy prospect and to be sure it is always better to be doing business in flush times. However, it still takes skill and sector knowledge to drive a deal home—some of the qualities we look for as we choose our annual influencers in this space. Other qualities we seek out are around achievements and the impact an individual, team or company has had on the industry.
On Wednesday night, we were lucky to honor the winners who reflected those attributes, live and in person at our multifamily influencer awards dinner, which followed our jam packed two-day multifamily conference event.
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Congratulations to this year's selection of individuals, teams and companies. Click here to see the full list of this year's winners and see below for more pictures from the event.
Attendees and honorees gather at the cocktail hour for GlobeSt. Multifamily Influencer awards dinner. 
With more than two decades of affordable housing and multifamily experience in California, Nick Gomez utilizes his unique insight and keen understanding of the challenges facing the market, to deliver high-quality multifamily projects faster, cheaper and with a lower carbon footprint. 
Alison Williams brings nearly two decades of commercial real estate experience to her role as SVP and chief production officer at Walker & Dunlop. After serving as a broker at Walker & Dunlop, Williams stepped into a leadership role, leveraging her extensive knowledge of multifamily production and underwriting to lead operations and originations for the company's national multifamily platform focused on loans of $1.5 million to $10 million. 
Jennifer Litwak, co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization Housing on Merit, is a national leader in affordable housing and community development. Implementing innovative ways to address the housing affordability crisis across multiple U.S. markets, she has led the charge to close over $475 million in multifamily acquisitions and create 4,674 affordable housing units across California, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington, D.C. 
Taylor Street's multifamily team stands out within the space because it works seamlessly with the firm's other entities, including Taylor Street Advisors, Taylor Street Capital Markets and Taylor Street Property Management. Taylor Street Advisors served as a leading brokerage during the COVID-19 pandemic by closing more than $75 million in transaction volume throughout 2020. Taylor Street Advisors' multifamily team additionally commanded a market share of 22% of all mobile home park sales in the Phoenix area during the pandemic. 
ALM's Scott Thompson with multifamily influencer Seth Gellis. Within his 16-year industry career, Gellis has made an indelible mark on the affordable housing space in the US, having been involved in more than 11,000 units and more than $2.6 billion in investments. Gellis joined CPP in 2012 and he has since helped grow the firm's portfolio of affordable housing communities by 500%, while contributing to the CPP's increase in investments, up nearly 1,700% since then. 
Vickie Alani is known for forecasting trends and the future needs of multifamily design. Understanding the intricacies of how project aspects can differ greatly when transferred overseas, Alani serves as a sought-after consultant and has successfully advised on best practices for clients internationally. She helps developers understand how amenities and concierge services can boost quality of life. 
Cheers to Walker & Dunlop who received many awards during the evening.
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Natalie Dolce
Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.
