How to Make it in Commercial Real Estate

Bo Menkiti is the Founder and CEO of the Menkiti Group, a real estate company dedicated to transforming lives and communities through real estate. The Menkiti Group is focused on strengthening neighborhoods through the strategic development, management, and disposition of real estate in urban markets. Mr. Menkiti also serves as CEO and is the Founding Partner of Keller Williams Capital Properties, a residential real estate brokerage managed by the Menkiti Group. Mr. Menkiti’s work has been featured in David Bornstein’s book on social entrepreneurs “How to Change the World,” and in Stephen Goldsmith’s “The Power of Social Innovation.” Mr. Menkiti has been recognized nationally by Ebony and Inc. Magazine as one of the coolest young entrepreneurs in America, and was awarded The National Association of Realtors Prestigious “30 under 30” award in 2006. Mr. Menkiti was also honored as a Minority Business Leader by the Washington Business Journal and named to the paper’s 2014 Power 100, a list of the most influential business leaders in the Washington metropolitan area. He was also recently honored by the National Association of Realtors as the District of Columbia Realtor of the Year in 2014 and as Keller Williams Realty International’s 2015 Entrepreneur of the Year. Under Mr. Menkiti’s leadership, the Menkiti Group and Keller Williams Capital Properties have been recognized by Inc. Magazine as being among the fastest growing private companies in the nation and by the Initiative for Competitive Inner City (ICIC) and Fortune Magazine as two of the fastest growing inner city businesses in America. Prior to forming the Menkiti Group and Keller Williams Capital Properties, Mr. Menkiti served as Chief Operating Officer of College Summit, a national non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the college enrollment rate of low-income students. In this capacity, Mr. Menkiti oversaw the organization’s successful growth into a multi-site national organization. Mr. Menkiti served as the 2013 President of the District of Columbia Association of Realtors and is a board member of City First Bank of DC and Dance Place. Mr. Menkiti also serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the Small Business Policy Project and on the board of DC Water, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority. In 2015, Mr. Menkiti was inducted on the board of the Myer Foundation, the Federal City Council, and was elected as the Executive Board Member of Prolanthropy. Earlier this year, Mr. Menkiti launched the Capital Properties Menkiti Group Foundation, an organization that focuses its resources on serving the diverse social needs existing in the National Capital Area. Mr. Menkiti is a graduate of Harvard University. He lives in the District with his wife and three young sons.

Ernest (“Ernie”) Drew Jarvis is a recognized leader with exceptional knowledge of, and relationships in, the region’s commercial real estate and business communities. Combining unique roles in management, tenant representation, and asset ownership responsibilities, he has the depth of experience to craft the very best real estate strategies. Ernie has had senior leadership roles in two publicly traded commercial real estate companies, including having served as CBRE’s Washington, D.C. Market Leader, one of CBRE’s largest offices. During his tenure, Ernie managed over 60 brokerage professionals and over 10 different specialty groups. Prior to his leadership role, Ernie represented the real estate interests of a diverse group of clients, ranging from the American Red Cross, Fannie Mae Foundation, and Radio One’s national headquarters, just to name a few. Most recently, Ernie collaborated with First Potomac Realty Trust’s (NYSE: FPO) leadership team to create and implement a strategy for expanding its Washington, D.C. office portfolio. The company hit that goal. Additionally, Ernie created D.C. regional leasing goals and achieved an over 90% leased office portfolio. Ernie also played an integral role in the successful renovation of 440 1st Street, N.W. As a fifth generation Washingtonian, Ernie has worked diligently to become part of the fabric of the community. He has been cited in a number of periodicals including the Washington Post, the Washington Business Journal, Globe St., Bisnow, and other industry periodicals. Ernie has taken an active role in the business community and has served in leadership positions in a number of prominent organizations. In addition to this service, Ernie was named to Washington Business Journal‘s “Power 100”– the most influential regional business leaders. Ernie is a graduate of Southeastern University.

Mr. Washington has over 20 years of experience in urban real estate development, construction and management. Mr. Washington founded NDC in 1999 and served as President from 1999-2005. From 2005 until early 2007, Mr. Washington took a leave of absence from NDC to serve as the President and CEO of the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation (AWC), the entity charged with leading a $10 billion, 20 year initiative to revitalize Washington, DC’s Anacostia Waterfront and surrounding communities. Mr. Washington grew up in the city’s Anacostia neighborhood and is a lifelong resident of DC. Adrian has a B.S. in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard University.

Ross Draber is the chief operating officer of United Bank, a subsidiary of United Bankshares, Inc., a $19.3 billion bank holding company. He is responsible for the performance and profitability of the Bank, directing commercial and consumer banking sales and service operations throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area. Draber oversees the region’s market presidents and works alongside them to drive growth and develop business strategy and execution plans. Draber has played an integral role in United Bank’s expansion since assuming the role in 2015. During that time, United Bank has grown to over 70 branches in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. It has the number one deposit market share among community banks in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area. Draber is highly involved with the merger and acquisition team and was instrumental in the Bank’s successful acquisitions of Cardinal Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries George Mason Mortgage, LLC and Cardinal Wealth Services, Inc. (2017); Bank of Georgetown (2016); and Virginia Commerce Bank (2014). Draber previously served as a senior vice president of treasury and corporate finance. In this role, he managed the capital adequacy and regulatory risk of United Bankshares, Inc., serving on the Asset Liability Committee (ALCO) and stress test development team. He oversaw the mergers and acquisitions analysis and supervised commercial loan pricing and term sheet structuring within United Bank. Prior to that, Draber held several positions in treasury and credit administration. Draber is a CFA® charterholder and a 2017 Washington Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree. He graduated from Washington and Lee University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration.

Tom Bozzuto is Chairman and Co-Founder of The Bozzuto Group, a diversified and full-service real estate company that recently celebrated its 30th year in business. An entrepreneur, philanthropist and veteran of the Vietnam War, Tom is a longtime supporter and champion of the Baltimore community, is actively involved in national housing policy and is very dedicated to higher education. He is a graduate of Hobart College and has a master’s degree in Metropolitan Studies from The Maxwell School at Syracuse University. During his more than 45-year career in real estate, Tom and his partners have overseen the development and construction of more than 50,000 residences. Together they created a company that annually starts more than 1,000 homes and apartments and that currently manages 70,000 apartments. Under his leadership, The Bozzuto Group has earned recognition from the National Association of Home Builders as Builder of the Year, Multifamily Development Firm of the Year and, three times, Property Management Company of the Year. Among many other awards, the firm has been repeatedly recognized for its company culture as a Best Place to Work, including seven times by the Washington Business Journal, three by the Washington Post and nationally as a top ten company by Multifamily Executive Magazine. Further, as a testament to Bozzuto’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, The National Association of Female Executives recently selected the firm as a Top Company for Executive Women. In addition to his business activities, Tom has had a long career of community involvement and leadership. He served as President of Baltimore Citizens’ Planning and Housing Association, Chair of the Maryland Science Center, Chairman of the National Multi-Housing Council and Vice President of the Walters Art Gallery. He is currently serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Hobart & William Smith Colleges. In addition, he is a member of the Advisory Board of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Policy, a Board Member of Greater Baltimore Committee and a member of the Board and Executive Committee at the Baltimore Community Foundation. A Senatorial Appointee to the Millennial Housing Commission, and several times a member of the Governor’s Housing Commission, Bozzuto has earned numerous awards and recognition for his professional achievements, including the Urban Land Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award. As part of the first generation of his family to attend college, he and his wife, Barbara, established the Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68 Endowed Scholarship Fund, the Bozzuto Family First-Generation Endowed Scholarship, and the Bozzuto Center for Entrepreneurship at Hobart and William Smith. He was recently awarded an Honorary Degree in Humane Letters by the Colleges. In addition, The Bozzuto Group’s founder and chairman shares personal reflections and words of wisdom in his recently published book, Reflections of an Ordinary Man. You can preview and purchase the book on Amazon by clicking here.

Gary D. Rappaport, is Chief Executive Officer of Rappaport, a retail real estate company he founded in 1984. Rappaport provides leasing, tenant representation, management and development services for more than 15.6 million square feet. Rappaport’s portfolio includes more than 60 shopping centers and ground floor retail in some 100 mixed-use properties, both residential and office, located primarily throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Mr. Rappaport is Principal Partner for approximately 4 million square feet of the shopping centers managed by Rappaport. He has made tremendous contributions to the shopping center industry as former Chairman and Trustee of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and through his service on ICSC’s Executive, Executive Compensation, Nominating, Government Relations, Long Range Planning and PAC committees. Additionally, his demonstration of a well-rounded competency of the industry earned him ICSC’s respected Certified Retail Real Estate Professional (CRRP) credential. Mr. Rappaport continues to lobby at the state and federal government levels on many issues important to the shopping center industry. Mr. Rappaport is committed to sharing his knowledge and experience as an entrepreneur and has authored two editions of “Investing in Retail Properties,” which explains how to structure real estate partnerships for sharing capital appreciation and cash flow. The information contained in the book is the basis for classes he teaches for ICSC’s University of Shopping Centers and as an annual guest instructor at Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, American and George Mason Universities as well as the University of Michigan and Georgetown Law Schools.

Bob Milkovich is the CEO of rand* construction, and is responsible for developing, leading and communicating the company’s short and long-term strategies. This includes oversight of all major operating businesses within rand*. He is responsible for creating and implementing the company’s vision, mission and culture.   Bob brings over thirty years of commercial real estate experience and leadership experience to his role at rand* construction. Prior to joining rand*, Bob was the CEO and Trustee of First Potomac Realty Trust, a publicly traded REIT. His experiences include serving as the President of Spaulding & Slye Investments, a JLL wholly-owned private equity investment merger, as a Regional Director of Goldman Sachs, investing in all aspects of the capital structure in commercial real estate and leadership positions with CarrAmerica, a publicly traded office REIT and its predecessor, the Oliver Carr Company.  His vast knowledge of the industry and active participation in the community over the years has helped him to build deep relationships locally and nationally within the industry. He currently serves as a Director and Vice Chair Investment Committee for the University System of Maryland Foundation, overseeing the endowment. He also serves on the Membership Committee for The Economic Club of Washington, DC and was a past President of The Real Estate Group of Washington, DC.  Bob received a BS in Business Administration from the University of Maryland where he attended on a full-scholarship and played varsity football.

Bob Murphy is the Managing Principal for MRP Realty. He has over 34 years of experience in commercial real estate operations, ownership and investment. He joined Trammell Crow Company (TCC) in 1987, managing the firm’s regional operations for many years as Principal. Bob’s last role with TCC was area president of the development and investment group in the Mid-Atlantic where Bob and his team completed $1.8B of investments totaling over 10 million square feet. He co-founded MRP Realty (MRP) in 2005, capitalizing on his in-depth knowledge of Mid-Atlantic real estate markets, extensive network of capital relationships, and his reputation as a collaborative and creative partner to drive the firm. Under Bob’s leadership, MRP has deployed nearly $7.8B of office, residential/mixed-use and industrial developments and acquisition investments with an active pipeline totaling over 8 million square feet. He has actively participated in leadership roles at NAIOP and ULI and at various charitable activities during his career; currently serving on the board of Habitat for Humanity of Washington D.C. Bob received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame; his M.B.A. in Finance at Columbia Business School; and was an officer in the United States Army.

Martin Ditto is CEO of Ditto Residential. He is passionate about conceptualizing and creating world-class residences. To achieve this goal, he has assembled a team of fellow visionaries and skilled professionals committed to perfecting their vocations at Ditto Residential. As CEO, Martin sets the direction and vision at the company and oversees acquisition, design, and capitalization. Prior to founding Ditto Residential, Martin honed his expertise in lead roles in development and construction at Bozzuto, Monument Realty, and ZOM, where he produced mixed-use residential and commercial projects. He earned a Bachelor’s in Economics from Vanderbilt University and a Master’s of Science in Real Estate from the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University.

David Kessler serves as Managing Partner of CohnReznick's Real Estate Industry practice. He has over 30 years of experience providing audit, tax, and management advisory services to the real estate and financial services industries, representing clients nationally. David represents developers, private equity funds, institutional investors such as life insurance companies and pension funds, lenders, asset management companies, property management companies, REITs, and loan funds. His clients operate and develop hotels, office, multifamily, industrial, retail, nursing and assisted living, land projects, military housing, and student housing units. David's services for commercial real estate clients involve audit and management advisory services including assisting new and existing private equity funds with structures, compliance, and asset or portfolio due diligence. He works with RIA’s, fund managers, and is proficient with real estate accounting and reporting as well as real estate operations. David frequently works with the Firm’s Advisory Practice. David designed and has taught a real estate accounting graduate-level course at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies and the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation as part of each university’s graduate degree program in real estate development. He speaks frequently at real estate industry conferences throughout the country. David serves on the Board and is Treasurer of Junior Achievement of Greater Washington and is a Board Member of Barker Adoption Foundation.

Powered by tenacity, Wendy Feldman Block, brings extensive experience working on a broad range of transactions in the Washington DC Metro area and beyond. She is an award-winning commercial real estate executive serving as an Executive Managing Director at Savills. Wendy is passionate about wellness in the workplace and was the first broker in the world to advise a client on achieving both WELL and LEED Platinum certifications. She is actively sought for her knowledge on the role of wellness in the workplace, all the more critical in the future post COVID world and has a new additional focus on ESG for tenants. In her over her 30+ year career, Wendy has completed sales and leasing transactions totaling in excess of 12 million square feet. Wendy has been recognized multiple times as one of the top producers in the country and received numerous professional accolades. Wendy has represented many of the Washington DC region’s premier associations and corporations, and many of the nation’s leading 200 law firms. Notable recent clients include FINRA, Farmer Mac, the City of Alexandra, Pillsbury, Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She has been an active mentor to countless people in the commercial real estate industry and taken leadership roles at many organizations including CREW DC, Iona Senior Services, Round House Theatre, Higher Achievement, the Tikkun Olam Women’s Foundation, and the March of Dimes Heroines Program. Wendy has received several awards for her community engagement including CREBA’s Brendan McCarthy Award, Jewish Woman International - Woman to Watch, CREW’s Impact Award and the Julien J. Studley award which recognizes one recipient for their role in corporate social responsibility.

Owen oversees the day-to-day operations of Blake Real Estate and its nine affiliated companies and divisions. Additionally, he oversees Blake’s real estate portfolio of approximately 2.5 million square feet, valued at approximately $1.2 billion. Owen previously served as Executive Vice President wherein he assisted in overseeing Blake’s operations and directly ran the leasing department where he consummated leasing, sales and financing transactions in excess of $1 billion. He is also a member of Blake’s Executive Committee. Owen has been a guest speaker for companies such as Constellation Energy and CoStar Group on a range of topics including career growth, management and the commercial real estate market. He has been recognized with many prestigious awards in his industry such as the 2014 Leasing Transaction of the Year by CREBA, Top 35 under 35 Real Estate Professional in 2011 and 2013 by BISNOW, and Multi-Million Dollar Club Life Member by CREBA. Owen is a member of the following organizations: The Economic Club of Washington, DC; American MENSA; Metropolitan Washington MENSA; and, Lifetime Member of the University of Maryland Alumni Association. Owen is a Board Member of the American Heart Association, Greater Washington Region. In addition, Owen is the Co-Founder and was the Co-Chair of the Junior Council supporting Children’s National Health System. The Junior Council was founded in 2010 and has since raised more than $1 million. Owen was the co-chair of the Junior Council from 2010-2012 and has remained active since. In his spare time, Owen enjoys basketball, golf, and spending time with his wife and two children.

Brian Guttman leads the human resources and talent development team at WashREIT. There he has been integral in transforming the organization’s culture since his arrival in March of 2015. He has overall accountability for talent management, leadership development, compensation, benefits and cultural change. Prior to joining WashREIT, Brian was a Leadership Development and Organizational Effectiveness Director at Freddie Mac and Senior Director of HR Strategy for Equity Office Properties Trust. Brian holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Marymount University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Government & Law from Lafayette College, and a certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. He is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), its Washington, D.C. chapter and CREW Network.

As a business executive and consultant, Kathy creates and implements critical business operations solutions for commercial real estate companies in Metro DC. With nearly four decades of experience, she understands the drivers, constraints, trends and unique value in our submarkets, product types and fee services. She has been responsible for revenue producing divisions in property management, asset management, construction, development, leasing and sales ranging from $25M to $100M. A graduate of Cornell University with an MS from American University, Kathy is also an alumna of some of the very best companies in commercial real estate, including Donohoe, MRP Realty, CBRE, JLL, and Spaulding & Slye. Kathy has served since 2019 as Executive Director for CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) DC – the largest chapter in the global network. CREW is transforming the commercial real estate industry by advancing the achievements of women through leadership development, business networking, and support for their career journey. CREW DC’s vision is to sustain a diverse and inclusive membership that nurtures belonging, cultivates connection, fosters growth, celebrates difference and develops leaders in commercial real estate. All are welcome to join.