By Charles Griffith ’16

On Friday, November 7, 2014, the Real Estate Association (REA) students met with a team of real estate experts at the global headquarters of Cushman & Wakefield in midtown Manhattan to discuss the current state of the leasing and capital markets in New York. Cushman & Wakefield advises and represents clients on all aspects of property occupancy and investment, and has established a preeminent position in the world’s major markets, as evidenced by its frequent involvement in many of the most significant property leases, sales and assignments. Founded in 1917 it has 250 offices in 60 countries and 16,000 employees.

During the meeting, students heard from Bob Gastel, Director of Brokerage, and Lori Albert, Research Director, who discussed the resurgence of rental prices in Midtown, Midtown South and especially Downtown. The REA also heard from capital markets experts Brian Szczapa, Director, and Sridhar Vankayala ’08, Associate, about the increasing land values in the boroughs and the uptick in foreign investments over the past year.

Charles Griffith ’16 is an active member of the Real Estate Association at Columbia Business School. He is a first-year student focusing on real estate development and investing. Charles previously worked for Cushman & Wakefield in Hong Kong.