2015 Year in Review - Barbara Champoux

What was your most notable project, deal, transaction or professional achievement in 2015? Representing the world’s largest gem-rating agency in its acquisition and build-out of an additional floor in Extell’s iconic International Gem Tower. The deal was unusually complex for an acquisition, and included the acquisition of numerous atypical appurtenant rights, including building naming rights. I was thrilled to be able to bring several CREW New York members into the deal, and pleased to observe that all major transactional roles were played by women: a true commercial real estate rarity. What real estate project, transaction, market trend or product had a significant impact on your industry in 2015? The emergence and mainstreaming of alternatives in the commercial real estate field, including: Alternative financing alternatives, utilizing crowdfunding, e-REITs, EB-5 programs, crowdsourcing and other evolving forms of fund-raising; alternative forms of usage, from airbnb and pod hotels (having a huge impact on the hospitality business and allowing greater access to travel) to communal work space facilities, such as weWork (impacting the office leasing market, and empowering entrepreneurial growth); and alternatives in logistics effecting retail, such as drone delivery and 3-D printing.