What You Don't Know About Adam Short
Adam is part of Bisnow's Ascent community of up-and-coming commercial real estate leaders. The top developers and investors under the age of 40 descend on the Ritz Carlton in South Beach Nov. 2-4. See who's attending and apply to be considered for one of the few remaining spots here.
Job title: VP of acquisitions at Golub (pictured with my son Bennett).
What that means: Business development. Finding investment opportunities whether it’s land for development or buildings to acquire. In short: finding deals and raising equity, particularly in the Midwest (with a decent amount of time in San Francisco).
What your company does: Golub is a privately held full-service real estate company that takes a hands-on approach for each project. We’re an active principal and operating partner focused on value-add, opportunistic, and development opportunities. We identify investment opportunities where we can add value, then align those with strategic capital partners.
Memorable project: A deal called Block 6 which is a parcel of land next to the Transbay Transit Center in downtown San Francisco (where the Embarcadero Freeway used to sit prior to the ’89 earthquake). We bought the land from the city through an RFP process in 2011 and are building a 32-story, 409-unit apartment tower. It was a long, drawn-out process and our first deal in the city, a very difficult market to break into.
Hometown: Goldfield, Iowa. Population 750. 70 in my high school graduating class.
School: Undergrad at University of Northern Iowa for finance and real estate. Grad school at DePaul University.
First job: Chasing down dogs as a veterinary assistant at age 12.
First CRE job: Commercial loan origination analyst at Allstate. “I moved to Chicago from Iowa, lived in Lakeview, and made the commute to Northbrook.”
Job in another life: A fishing, whitewater rafting, and hiking guide in Colorado. I love the outdoors. (Pictured with my brother and dad in the Boundary Waters.)
Person (living or dead) to meet: Abraham Lincoln. He was really a gamechanger, stepping out there and doing something he believed in.
Daily habit: Not looking at my phone until I walk out of the house. It’s a total de-stressor.
Favorite musician: John Legend.
Favorite magazine: Sports Illustrated.
Favorite movie: Gladiator.
Favorite vacation spot: Colorado for skiing.
Favorite restaurant: Sapori Trattoria in Lakeview.
Bucket list: Attend one championship game of every major sport—NFL, NHL, NBA, etc. (I haven’t started yet).
Favorite sport: College football. I’m an Iowa fan but I have season tix to Northwestern and like to go when big teams come to town.
Family facts: Married to JoLynn, 4-year-old son Bennett, 11-week-old son Leo. Our 4-year-old has adapted very well.
Domestic chore you’re good at: Grilling year round, especially ribs.
Hobbies: Golfing, skiing, college sports.
Startling fact: I grew up on a small farm. I had the typical duties, like feeding the pigs, sheep, and rabbits, and I was a proud member of 4-H. It was a very different upbringing and much slower life, but it instilled great values. I enjoy going back for a visit but knew early on I needed a quicker pace.
