This week, Commercial Observer released their “Power 100” list of prominent industry leaders, which includes RER Chair Kathleen McCarthy (Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate, Blackstone), President and CEO Jeffrey DeBoer, 8 other RER board directors, and many other RER members. (Commercial Observer, May 13)

CRE Industry Leadership

• Commercial Observer begins its list by acknowledging what has been a roller coaster of a year so far for CRE, celebrating return to office mandates and steady interest rates while acknowledging April's volatility and the ever-present housing crisis.

• In balancing these factors, Commercial Observer identified those included on the list as "the names who have run faster, stretched their arms out farther, and are beating their boats against the current—in their case, ceaselessly into the future." (Commercial Observer, May 13)

• The article describes RER as the “top lobby for commercial real estate in Washington, D.C.,” noting RER’s role in helping policymakers understand and address critical issues facing the industry and the country.

RER’s Role

• As RER President and CEO Jeffrey DeBoer explained to Commercial Observer, “I’m in the information business… I try to inform policymakers about an industry that they may not be fully familiar with.”

• Federal policy has been top of mind for many CRE executives in the past few months, as uncertainty around tariffs, tax negotiations, federal leasing, and other key issues continues to grow. This has bolstered the need to ensure that the unified voice of the real estate industry is heard and impactful in Washington. (Commercial Observer, May 13)

• This is especially crucial in a political environment that DeBoer describedas "March Madness, but not the NCAA basketball Tournament," to CO in late March. (Commercial Observer, May 13)

• Members of RER’s board of directors and former RER chairs on Commercial Observer’s Power 100 list this year include:
  • RER Chair Kathleen McCarthy (Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate, Blackstone), #2
  • Jeff Blau (CEO, Related Companies), #4
  • Rob Speyer (President and CEO, Tishman Speyer), #5
  • Owen Thomas (Chairman & CEO, BXP), #8
  • RER Chair Emeritus (2015-2018) William Rudin (Co-Executive Chairman, Rudin), #13
  • Barry Sternlicht (Chairman & CEO, Starwood Capital Group), #14
  • Scott Rechler (Chairman & CEO, RXR), #21
  • Mark J. Parrell (President & CEO, Equity Residential), #33
  • Chair of RER’s Sustainability Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC) Anthony Malkin (Chairman and CEO, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.), #37
  • RER President and CEO Jeffrey DeBoer, #90
    
  • Diane Hoskins (Global Chair, The Urban Land Institute, Global Co-Chair, Gensler), #95