Steven Littman, Rhodes Associates

What was the best thing that happened to you or your firm in 2014? The best thing that happened to our firm in 2014 is a combination of joining IRC, a global network of independent search firms, and hiring MSCO, a boutique marketing firm, to work with us on re-branding and establishing an effective marketing plan including extensive use of social media and technology. What was your most notable project, deal, transaction or personal achievement in 2014? Our most notable achievement was expanding our organizational/strategic consulting practice to include advising our Clients on acquisitions of new businesses or the expansion of existing platforms. What are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2015? We are actively pursuing a strategy to significantly grow our partnership and expand our services to include assisting our Clients with their capital strategies. What are some of your real estate predictions for 2015? As long as interest rates remain low and there are no major political crises or terrorist events, the flow of equity into real estate will continue to rise. With cap-rates dropping and land prices/development costs rising, investors are beginning to take risks that could start to be reflective of the excesses of the last cycle. The whole issue of securitization and ineffective risk mitigation is not a factor, but the investment cycle is starting to feel somewhat "bubble like" in some asset classes. Where investors are taking more of a long term perspective, (10+ years) the current cap-rates do not seem out of line with longer term returns - particularly in residential in major markets.