We feel privileged seeing members of the Berkadia family influence the important conversations happening in the multifamily real estate space. Senior Director Gemma Geldmacher was recently recognized as one of Globe St.com’s “50 Under 40”, an annual showcase of the brightest professionals leading our industry into the future.
Industry Influencers is our monthly spotlight on Berkadia advisors that speak up about the hot topics in multifamily real estate. We also strive to highlight where our insightful research and collaborative initiatives are having the biggest impacts.
Texas Real Estate Business Talks Multifamily with Berkadia’s Houston Experts
Berkadia’s Senior Managing Directors Ryan Epstein and Tucker Knight penned an insightful article for Texas Real Estate Business magazine late last month. The piece covers several of the biggest trends driving multifamily development in Houston. Their in-depth analysis explains why so many renters are flocking toward the Bayou City.
Epstein and Knight covered a long list of topics pertinent to anyone following the Houston metro’s voluminous pipeline of multifamily projects. Here’s just a quick sample of the pertinent topics covered in the article:
- New residents and job growth have kept Houston’s apartment pipeline busy with new projects.
- Houston will benefit from its position as a nationwide housing crunch driven by affordability woes.
- Multifamily developers have a unique opportunity to leverage Houston’s supply-demand equilibrium.
Berkadia’s Innovation Division Launches a New Initiative Supporting Multifamily Startups
GlobeSt.com recently highlighted the launch of BeEngaged, the latest initiative from our Innovation Division that aims to pair Berkadia’s experience and resources with the brightest and creative minds in the industry.
Bryce Nyberg, Director of Transformation and Innovation at Berkadia, explained the vision behind this development-friendly and solutions-focused initiative:
“We’re looking for ‘disrupters’ in the industry who are asking the tough questions and challenging commercial real estate’s status quo to create innovative, game-changing solutions,” said Nyberg. “Collaborating with these startups and cultivating emerging companies allows Berkadia to set its sights on what’s next in efficiency and client service.”
Berkadia has already begun to work with startups as part of the new initiative. These early partnerships include a wide range of firms tackling major programs faced by the multifamily industry:
- Real Factors aims to be one of the leading providers of fresh, innovative, and alternate data sets for CRE experts. Since joining Berkadia’s BeEngaged network, the company has already been aquired by 7Park Data, a Vista Equity portfolio company.
- Beek Hill is a cloud company developing solutions for automating CRE valuations and cash-flow models. The company’s new solution recently earned second place in the underwriting category at the 2019 CRETech RETAS Awards.
- VirtualAPT is a marketing tool that uses robotics to produce interactive, state-of-the-art virtual property tours. The firm was also recognized as an award winner at the 2019 CRETech RETAS Awards in the marketing category.