9:45 AM
ARA, A Newmark Company (ARA Newmark) welcomes multihousing real estate expert Alex Okulski, CFA, as senior managing director in the company’s Carolinas investment advisory practice. Okulski joins one of the region’s most tenured teams to focus on investment sales in rapidly growing coastal markets such as Charleston, SC, and Wilmington, NC, while bolstering service throughout all Carolinas markets.
His extensive relationships and investment sales/capital markets experience across North Carolina, South Carolina and Coastal Georgia augments a well-established ARA Newmark team led by Vice Chairman Dean Smith and Executive Managing Directors Sean Wood and John Heimburger.
“We’ve been searching to add select talent in order to broaden our regional coverage, but never merely for the sake of getting bigger,” said Smith. “Our patience resulted in finding Alex who is like-minded in his approach to client service. We are determined to provide the deepest bench of multihousing advisors in the Carolinas with the expertise and resources to ensure world-class execution. With Alex, we’ve very effectively expanded our reach.”
“Coastal residential markets like Charleston continue to see tremendous growth that’s driving multihousing investment and demand. Major industries, Millennials and retirees find the quality of life, lower cost of living and temperate climate in these communities extremely attractive,” said Okulski. “Investors looking to capitalize on these favorable trends require proven experience in each unique market and a global capital markets platform designed to maximize results. Uniting with ARA Newmark was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Prior to joining ARA Newmark, Okulski worked for Walker & Dunlop Investment Sales where he closed over $1.6 billion in multihousing transactions after opening the firm’s Carolinas office in 2013. Previously, he was part of the loan origination team for Prudential Mortgage Capital Company’s Mid-Atlantic region, working with General Account, CMBS, and Agency capital sources. Before that, Okulski served as an asset manager for Greystar in Charleston where he oversaw a portfolio of multihousing communities across the Carolinas.
Okulski is a graduate of Davidson College, where he was a four-year starter and team captain for the varsity tennis team. He also attended the University of North Carolina’s Kenan Flagler Business School where he graduated with a concentration in real estate.
About ARA, A Newmark Company
ARA, A Newmark Company (ARA Newmark) is the largest full-service investment advisory firm in the nation that focuses exclusively on the brokerage, financing and capital sourcing of multihousing properties including conventional, affordable, distressed assets, notes sales, seniors, student, manufactured housing and multihousing land. ARA Newmark comprises the country’s top investment professionals who leverage a unique and fully integrated cooperative business platform of shared information, relationships and technology driven solutions. ARA Newmark’s unified enterprise approach ensures that clients are delivered the broadest asset exposure, effective matching of buyers and sellers, and the shortest transaction timeframes in the industry. The combination of global resources, unparalleled market expertise and nationwide presence in the multihousing marketplace has resulted in an annual production volume of more than $19 billion in real estate transactions in 2016. For detailed information on ARA Newmark’s extensive multihousing investment services, visit www.aranewmark.com.
About Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) is one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms. Together with London-based partner Knight Frank and independently-owned offices, NGKF’s 14,100 professionals operate from more than 400 offices in established and emerging property markets on six continents.
With roots dating back to 1929, NGKF’s strong foundation makes it one of the most trusted names in commercial real estate. NGKF’s full-service platform comprises BGC’s real estate services segment, offering commercial real estate tenants, landlords, investors and developers a wide range of services including leasing; capital markets services, including investment sales, debt placement, appraisal, and valuation services; commercial mortgage brokerage services; as well as corporate advisory services, consulting, project and development management, and property and corporate facilities management services. For further information, visit www.ngkf.com.
NGKF is a part of BGC Partners, Inc., a leading global brokerage company servicing the financial and real estate markets. BGC’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol (NASDAQ: BGCP). BGC also has an outstanding bond issuance of Senior Notes due June 15, 2042, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol (NYSE: BGCA). BGC Partners is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Lutnick. For more information, please visit http://www.bgcpartners.com/.