Up until a few months ago, it appeared that multifamily had entered a golden age. Rents were rising, deals were closing and forecasters saw little difficulty in the medium term. To be sure, the asset class is still a strong one but with the rise in the cost of debt, the threat of a possible recession and asset pricing that has become muddled, some uncertainty has been injected into the landscape. For that reason, we give our kudos to the men, women, teams and companies that are navigating this environment. Careful judgments must be made about underwriting, forecasting the ability of tenants to pay higher rents and, for developers, the ongoing difficulties with labor and supply chains. We have little doubt that the recipients we selected for our annual multifamily influencers are up for the challenge.

INDIVIDUALS

CLAY ANDERSON Throughout his 16-year career as an investment and multifamily associate at Colliers, Clay Anderson has ranked as the company's top producer in Idaho several times. He has transacted more than $2 billion in commercial real estate and his dedication to business development and client success earned him multiple Everest Awards from Colliers, which recognizes the company's top 10% of brokers nationwide. Anderson frequently shares his knowledge on the multifamily sector and his insights regarding the future of the market as a speaker on panels for the Building Owners and Managers Association, ULI and Colliers. During the height of the pandemic, Anderson worked to communicate openly with his clients and he offered realistic and encouraging information to keep them on paths to success. Among his solid skillset is his ability to understand and adapt to an ever-changing market and help clients through a variety of market shifts, including pandemic shutdowns, rising interest rates and a possible recession. Throughout his tenure, Anderson has brought in many new business partners and interns whom he mentors within the field. He values working in the community and is actively involved as a coach and mentor, not only within commercial real estate but also in local youth sports.

MIKE BALLARD Mike Ballard has more than three decades of commercial real estate experience, during which he co-founded one of the first outsourced accounting firms focused solely on the multifamily sector, Ascent Multifamily Accounting. He created the firm in 2016 to help owners and operators streamline their operations and focus on their employees and due to Ballard's leadership, Ascent Multifamily Accounting now serves more than 40,000 units across the US, which has earned it an Inc. 500 ranking two years in a row. At the firm, he is responsible for acquiring and retaining clients, managing client accounts, overseeing the financial and accounting teams, networking, moderating panels and working with the public relations team. At Ballard's multifamily real estate investment and development firm Camino Verde Group, he prioritizes affordable housing, mentors new multifamily syndicators, handles the firm's acquisitions, raises capital, pitches projects to investors, and forms joint ventures. Within the past year, Ballard has led Camino Verde Group through the ongoing development of more than $300 million of multifamily and mixed-use real estate. Having dedicated a large portion of his career to bringing affordable housing options to Southern Nevada, he remains among the most prolific local affordable housing developers in the area. In addition, Ballard was a founding member of the board of the Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and helped with the formation of the local NAIOP and Construction Financial Management Association chapters.