At the age of 35, Bo Mills is one of the youngest professionals at Cushman & Wakefield to hold the title of executive director, which he earned three years ago. In his 14-year career, he has more than 500 lease and sale transactions totaling 13 million square feet and 1,500 acres of land under his belt, worth a total consideration of $1.5 billion.

Dealmaking like this helped Mills become the firm’s top-producing Phoenix industrial broker in 2008 and NAIOP’s broker of the year in both 2007 and 2008, and earned him a spot on the C&W industrial advisory board and the global supply chain solutions group. He spends his time helping corporations, institutional owners and developers acquire, lease and dispose of industrial real estate, specifically, bulk distribution, large manufacturing and investment sales. Mills is also active outside of US borders, working on the global real estate needs of a privately held international manufacturer.

Working through real estate transactions is exciting to Mills, who says an entrepreneurial, motivated person can be as successful as he or she wants to be. The beauty of industrial, he adds, is that it’s all about function. “Aesthetics play a role, but nearly all of the decisions are based on how the space functions.”

Mills is also active in his community. Since 1999, he acted as a mentor for Valley Big Brothers. He is also a member of St. Joe’s Leadership Council and supports the Boys & Girls Club of Phoenix.

Why do you consider Mark a mentor?
I don’t have a traditional “mentor.” Mark has been my business partner for over 13 years. We have grown up in the business together. We’ve strategized, business planned, had wins and losses together. Most importantly I have split every paycheck with him for well over a decade, so I better pick a good partner.

How did you enter this business?
Commercial real estate is an industry that rewards working hard and creativity. As long as you are working hard, being ethical and having fun, you will be very successful. I started in the business as an intern my senior year of college for a two-person real estate company. I put in the signs on the weekends, made brochures, cold called and did whatever was needed.

How did you find your niche in the industry?
I specialize in bulk distribution buildings. I found working on large industrial deals exciting. The size and scale of the deals led me to want to learn more, be better at what I was doing and, ultimately, work on larger deals.

How are you getting through this downturn?
I am fortunate to have great clients, many of which I have done 30 or more transactions with, and they are still active even in the downturn. Our business is constantly changing. In a good market and bad market, the real estate market is extremely dynamic.

What’s your favorite book?
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki is one of my favorite books because it taught me to look at investing and cash flows in a different way.

What keeps you awake at night?
I tend to sleep pretty well. If I am awake it’s usually because I drank too many Redbulls and vodka while out entertaining clients, or I’m excited about a deal I’m working on and want to get in the office to work on it.

What do you like about your job?
Every day is whatever you want it to be. You can be as successful as you want to be. And I get to choose whom I work with and what I want to work on.

What quality do you most value in your friends?
Honesty, spontaneity and loyalty.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
Old and wrinkled. I am certain I will be working in real estate, having as much fun as possible, and enjoying the fruits of my hard work over my life.

What changes do you expect to see in the industry by the time you exit?
The industry is changing so much right now. I believe there will continue to be consolidation in the real estate services business. Cash is going to be king for the foreseeable future. The only thing I know for certain is that the industry will continue to change and evolve. My crystal ball is not nearly clear enough to predict what is going to happen in the next 25 years.

If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Only one food would be sushi even though going out to eat is one of my favorite things to do. I enjoy virtually every type of food, everything from Indian to traditional American Meatloaf.

Where are you most comfortable?
I am most comfortable at work, which sounds odd but true.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love to travel to exotic locations. I’ve been to Africa, India, the Middle East, East & West Europe, South America, and Asia. I try and take several international trips each year. I’m actually leaving for Shanghai soon.

If you didn’t work in real estate, what would you do for a living?
Working for the Bill Gates Foundation would be the most rewarding career I can think of. That group is so visionary and is literally going to change the world by improving the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Or I would like to own and run a collection of high-end boutique hotels in exotic and fun locations around the world.

What are three things you can’t live without?
My friends, adventure and a purpose.

At 38, Mark Detmer isn’t that much older than Bo Mills. In fact, the two are business partners and at the same level in their careers. But by learning the ropes with Mills, one can say the two mentored each other. Detmer is also one of Cushman & Wakefield’s youngest executive directors, and shared in the 2007 and 2008 NAIOP industrial broker of the year wins with Mills.

A skilled negotiator, Detmer has in his 13-year career closed more than 400 transactions totaling over $1 billion in leasing and sales volume, accounting for over 13 million square feet of real estate and 2,000-plus acres of land. He has worked with big-name clients on their real estate needs, including ING Clarion, First Industrial, Lincoln Property Co. & Duke Realty Corp.

Industrial real estate, says the executive, appealed to him “because it combined my interest in business with my family background in manufacturing,” he says. “I realized early on that I would rather be in business with companies that manufacture products than work for the manufacturer.” Detmer’s first post-college job was managing properties for a high-net worth individual, but I quickly realized that I was more interested in transactions than I was in management, so I made the move to leasing and selling industrial buildings.”

Alvin Mansour has long been on a fast track to success. A high school graduate at 17, he earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego before the age of 21. He landed a lucrative position with Marcus & Millichap soon after and, by the end of his first year, won the firm’s Rookie of the Year award because of his impressive achievements as an investment specialist. In his third and fourth years, he ranked as a top 10 broker within the entire company.

By the age of 26, Mansour has racked up a roster of accomplishments that would be more likely to appear on the resumes of veteran brokers twice his age. So it comes as no surprise that Mansour is an admitted workaholic. Six years into his career, Mansour—who oversees a sizeable staff that comprises the Mansour Group of Marcus & Millichap—manages 50 to 75 listings and sales of primarily retail properties at once.

With nearly $1 billion in closed investment transactions under his belt, he continues to add to that figure—he was Marcus & Millichap’s number-one multi-tenant agent nationwide in both 2007 and 2008; a top five single-tenant retail agent in 2008; a top five agent last year; and in the first quarter of this year, he was named the company’s number-one retail agent nationwide.

Why do you consider Kent a mentor?
He’s the person that hired me. He’s helped to train and grow me as an agent since I joined the company at age 20. He has been there to help me through the ups and downs both in my career as well as in my personal life. He always pushed me to the next level.

What led you into this business?
My family’s background is in commercial real estate. My passion has always been retail, since I started working in my family’s markets in my early teens. I met Kent Williams at a career expo when I attended the University of San Diego. Incidentally, I only attended the expo for extra credit in a real estate finance class. I had no intentions of becoming a broker—until I met Kent. Marcus & Millichap was the only firm I interviewed with, and I’ve been with them since.

How did you find your niche in the industry?
I have always had a passion for retail so I’ve focused on multi-tenant and single-tenant net leased properties. I grew alongside many of my top clients. As they diversified to other states, they brought me with them to act as not only a broker but an advisor over the long term.

If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Grilled chicken

How are you getting through this downturn?
In a down market, you need to work harder to get deals done. Most clients need advisory services now more than ever. It feels great when you are able to help a client accomplish their goals and help them grow. I’m learning to stay positive, work harder and do my best to have fun.

What’s your favorite movie?
Braveheart.

What keeps you awake at night?
Deals, deals, deals.

What do you like about your job?
Working with my clients across the country to formulate their investment strategies. My clients have diverse and unique personalities. My favorite part is negotiating the deal and getting them through the finish line.

What quality do you most value in your friends?
Honesty.

What changes do you expect to see in the industry by the time you exit?
I foresee at least one or two more cycles during my remaining tenure, so hopefully there won’t be too many drastic changes. I would like to see the lending industry improve and somehow become more streamlined.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love spending time with family and friends. I am a devout Catholic and enjoy praying the rosary and celebrating Mass. I love to help people and have plans to start a foundation in memory of my mother who recently passed away from cancer.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about this business?
The art of investing and making money in investment real estate.

If you didn’t work in real estate, what would you do for a living?
I’d be either a real estate investor or trial attorney.

Marcus & Millichap is also a longtime home to Kent Williams, who joined the company’s Ontario, CA office in 1991 as an agent. Though he left three years later to pursue a management role with a Midwest manufacturing company, he returned to the fold in 1997 as a senior associate. His decision was well rewarded; Williams received a $100,000 sales recognition award within just eight months of coming back.

The following year, the firm named him sales manager of the San Diego office, and promoted him again in 1999 to regional manager. Williams’ rapid ascent up the executive ladder continued over the next few years, landing him in his current role as senior vice president and western US director for the national retail group.

The San Diego office has enjoyed success alongside its leader. The branch ranked first in office revenue firm wide for fiscal year 2009 ending March 31, and is on track to break more records by year’s end. Williams, now 50, has also presented the firm with more Pace Setters—such as Alvin Mansour—than any other Marcus & Millichap office in history.

Growing up in Alaska instilled in Tammy Harpster a survivalist spirit that would come in handy to an investment professional in these troubled times. To be sure, who else but a pioneer would embark on a venture as risky as launching a new company during one of the worst downturns the commercial real estate industry has seen in decades? Yet Harpster not only formed that company, but has found success in closing on transactions.

Upon entering the business 12 years ago, Harpster managed $125 million of pharmaceutical, biotech and microelectronic development projects for DPR Construction in San Diego and Las Vegas. Later, she earned her MBA in real estate finance and took an AVP position at Buchanan Street Advisors, where she closed $300 million in transactions and managed over $600 million in commercial assets across four funds. She then moved on to become SVP of acquisitions at Phoenix Realty Group, a sponsor of private equity funds with $3.5 billion in assets today. On behalf of that company, she managed the San Diego Smart Growth Fund, a $90-million vehicle that counts some of the nation’s biggest institutions among its investors.

Last year, Harpster, now 34, co-founded Profinity Investment Management, a consulting and advisory company that provides acquisition, asset management and disposition services for private and institutional capital partners. Profinity also has a property management affiliate, which allows it to be vertically integrated.

The firm currently focuses on the southwest, but Harpster would like to take the platform national and, eventually, move it overseas to Western Europe. Ultimately, she is looking to raise a series of global real estate funds focused on value-add investment.

Why do you consider Tim a mentor?
The true trademarks of a leader are an ability to develop capability in others and to empower those individuals to excel under a variety of circumstances. Tim is the quintessential leader and mentor, and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the real estate industry that I seek to emulate.

How did you enter the business?
I was initially attracted to commercial real estate’s comprehensive and quantifiable characteristics. I began my career on the construction side of the business and made the jump to real estate finance after receiving my MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.

How are you getting through this downturn?
This downturn has provided me with many entrepreneurial opportunities in both the public and private sectors. The key is to be selective and work closely with other respected, seasoned professionals in order to be well positioned when the market turns around.

What’s been your proudest moment to date?
When I started my new company and closed on the first commercial property, a 64-unit apartment building.

What do you like about your job?
I like the challenges that come with a certain level of unpredictability. My experience within the industry has given me a solid foundation of problem-solving skills that’s allowed me to creatively work through a variety of complex situations.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to golf and I am an amateur cyclist.

What keeps you awake at night?
From a professional standpoint, nothing keeps me awake at night. From a personal standpoint, my seven-month-old daughter and two-year-old son, on occasion.

What changes do you expect to see in the industry by the time you exit?
I think technology will continue to increase the transparency of each transaction and reduce the fragmentation that still exists in some markets. Property will be classified as more of a liquid asset as this process evolves.

What are three things you can’t live without?
My family time, my close personal friends, and my cell phone—in that order.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about this business?
The real estate industry is relatively small, so you must maintain the highest level of integrity and ethics at all times.

Tim Ballard has come a long way since entering the business 20 years ago, and certainly a very long way from his childhood home of Alaska. The 42-year-old today is one of four founding members of Buchanan Street Partners, an investment company that focuses on principal equity investing, investment management and financial advisory services. As CIO and COO, he oversees Buchanan’s accounting, finance, HR and IT activities, as well as the overall strategic direction of the firm’s investment strategy, including the development of new investment products and portfolio management.

Since forming the firm, Ballard has directed more than $4.7 billion worth of real estate investments and has closed on over 150 deals across the country, in all property types. Today, some of the larges institutional investors in the US trust him with their money.

Outside of the business, Ballard serves as vice president of the board of directors for Buchanan Children’s Charities, a 501(c)(3) organization established to help improve the lives and educational opportunities for children in the US. Since its inception, Buchanan street has raised in excess of $2 million for local children’s charities.

Part of what drove Michael Cohen into the commercial real estate investment business 12 years ago was that it was a promising growth industry that allowed him to explore many disciplines—management, leasing and research—in one position. That, and a summer internship with Harvard Property Trust, spurred Cohen to switch his MBA focus from marketing to finance.

Upon receiving his MBA, Cohen was hired by the Crow Family to do acquisition work for Crow Holdings. He moved over to Behringer Harvard in 2005 and went on to establish the firm’s European investment platform. He launched Behringer Harvard Europe and the company’s Hamburg office in 2008, and has acquired property on behalf of Behringer Harvard funds in 10 countries.

Today, 35-year-old Cohen runs the firm’s international platform out of the Hamburg, Germany office. He oversees all acquisitions, asset management and property management for Behringer assets in Europe. He serves on the senior investment committee for the Behringer Harvard REIT I, Behringer Harvard Opportunity REIT I and II and the Behringer Harvard Multifamily REIT I and contributes to capital raising and marketing for Behringer Harvard securities. And this year, Cohen co-led Behringer Harvard’s launch of real estate advisory services platform, Behringer Harvard Investment Management, and will expand the service to Europe.

Outside of work, Cohen is on the marketing team for the Real Estate Council’s annual Fight Night and is involved in the Dallas White Rock Marathon, of which Behringer Harvard is a sponsor.

Why do you consider Robert Behringer a mentor?
Robert is someone I look to for guidance in my personal and professional decision-making processes. Through his thoughtful approach in business, he’s displayed an amazing talent for focusing on what is important in life: the people you choose to surround yourself with day to day.

How did you find your niche in the industry?
By surrounding myself with people I trust when times are difficult. In a booming market, everyone appears to possess ethics and intelligence. But when conditions are volatile, quality people rise to the top. These are the people I intend to work with in the years to come.

What keeps you awake at night?
Thinking about the right thing to do and how those decisions will affect our company and investors.

What do you like about your job?
Without question, the people at Behringer Harvard are what make it fun and exciting.

What’s your favorite movie?
The Natural.

What lessons are you learning from this downturn?
The lessons I’m learning today will shape the rest of my career. As we navigate this downturn, I’m constantly reminded of the trust that thousands of investors have placed in us. Most of our investors have worked their entire lives for the capital they’ve entrusted us with, and acting as a fiduciary to them is a tremendous responsibility that I take seriously.

What changes do you expect to see in the industry by the time you exit?
The industry will always support the basic relationship between landlord and tenant. I think the biggest change over the course of my career will be who invests in real estate. It’s becoming increasingly easier for individual investors to own quality real estate with smaller amounts of equity through the public markets, and this will continue.

What three characteristics are necessary to be successful in your line of work?
Strong work ethic, strong moral integrity, and the ability to identify opportunities when they are presented.

If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Pizza. Even a bad pizza is still good.

What quality do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty.

Where are you most comfortable?
With my family and close friends.

If you didn’t work in real estate, what would you do for a living?
I would like to work in the front office for a professional baseball team

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about this business?
To not make the same mistake twice. Everyone will make unavoidable mistakes in their careers, but successful people learn from those mistakes and don’t repeat them.

What are three things you can’t live without?
My family, close friends and a strong wireless signal.

When asked how he got into the real estate business, Robert Behringer will tell you it was an evolution. He was previously a CPA in the tax department of an accounting firm, where he structured real estate tax shelters and prepared tax returns for real estate limited partnerships.

That sparked his interest in the industry, but he didn’t want to be involved solely in the numbers and tax game. His goal was to become a sponsor of real estate investment funds. “I knew that if I found a compelling deal,” he says, “I could always raise the capital from investors, because the deal would sell itself—and it did.”

And so it’s been for the past 27 years. Behringer, now 61, is considered a heavyweight within the commercial real estate investment community. He spent much of the early part of his career as a vice president and investment officer of Equitable Real Estate Investment Management Inc. After sponsoring some successful real estate programs through Behringer Partners, he struck out on his own in 1995 to found Harvard Property Trust Inc., a private REIT where he served as chief executive officer until 2001.

Today, Behringer is the founder, controlling owner and chief executive officer of Behringer Harvard Holdings LLC, the parent company of Behringer Harvard, and serves as chairman of the board of all the firm’s REITs. And if that didn’t keep him busy enough, he is also chief executive officer of Behringer Securities LP, the dealer-manager for securities offered by investment programs sponsored by Behringer Harvard Holdings and its subsidiaries.

Over his 14-year commercial real estate career, Bender has developed a reputation as one of the top tenant advisors in Southern California and the West. He became a senior vice president at CBRE five years ago and has continued on a steady growth trajectory, ranking as one of the firm’s “Top 200” brokers nationally at CBRE for the past two years.

In the past three years alone, Bender has advised clients on more than 40 transactions, with a total consideration of 2.5 million square feet. Among his notable accomplishments is the recent 181,000-square-foot headquarters relocation for Taco Bell in Irvine, CA, which took three years of planning. Due to the success of the transaction, Yum! hired him to handle all its US office transactions.

According to Bender, commercial real estate brokerage offered the best career path for success for a self-motivated and disciplined person and provided the ability to work with diverse individuals. Plus, entering the business straight out of college was a bonus. “Knowing that it takes a few years to build success when starting a career in brokerage,” he explains, “it’s easier to succeed when you are at a point in your life where daily expectations are simple.”

The 35-year-old Bender credits his success to the lessons he learned from his mentors when he first entered the business. That success has also prompted him to give back as well—he helped establish the Urban Land Institute Los Angeles Chapter’s “young professionals” program, which focuses on mentoring junior professionals in the industry. He is also altruistic outside of his day job; Bender and his family volunteer and fundraise for Huntington Hospital.

Why do you consider Clay a mentor?
I started working with both Clay Hammerstein and Steve Bay straight out of college. When I first started interviewing with different firms and individuals, someone gave me great advice—if I wanted to develop a career in the brokerage business, I needed to find not just successful brokers to watch and mirror, but brokers that will invest in me to help teach me the business. I am fortunate that I found both.

Why did you choose a career in commercial real estate? How did you start off your career/enter the business?
I chose a career in commercial real estate because I felt it was the best career path for me to position myself for success. I always wanted to be in real estate in some capacity and I liked the idea of brokerage because you are able to interact with extremely smart people from all different industry types. Additionally, if you are self-motivated, disciplined and smart about how you build your business, you are compensated based on what you are worth. I entered the business straight out of college, which I believe is a true advantage. Knowing that it takes a few years to build success when starting a career in brokerage, it is easier to succeed when you are at a point in your life where daily expectations are simple.

What are you learning from this downturn?
There are definitely opportunities out there. The biggest lesson that I am learning and what is getting me through this challenging business cycle is that the best professionals are finding ways to help their clients. If you can truly help your clients gain a competitive advantage through reducing their costs or acquiring the right space, you will not only be successful today, but you will earn a client’s trust and loyalty for a long time to come.

What’s your favorite movie?
The Natural.

What keeps you awake at night?
Mistakes. They upset me so much because they are preventable.

What do you like about your job?
The ability to be connected to all types of personalities and to insert my own creativity into solving challenging problems.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
Right now, I am enjoying my clients, my partners and my job. I hope to just continue to build my business and assist my clients with their needs.

Where are you most comfortable?
Around people. I enjoy the energy of others’ personalities.

What three characteristics do you think are necessary to be successful in your line of work?
Self Motivated, Honest and Disciplined.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about this business?
I’ve learned that things are never as good or as bad as you think they are. Part of maintaining success is realizing that there is no room for egos.

If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Chocolate chip cookies, but that may make the rest of my life short.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Spend time with my family.

If you didn’t work in real estate, what would you do for a living?
I truly don’t know. And I hope that I don’t have to find out.

What are three things you can’t live without?
My three children.

A top commercial real estate broker in the Los Angeles and Orange County commercial real estate communities, Clay Hammerstein has provided advisory and transactional services to class A office tenants for the past 18 years. The son of a developer, real estate was in Hammerstein’s blood, but he preferred the deal side of the business. He started his career in the tenant representation business, landing his first job at Studley, a tenant rep shop, in 1987.

Today, he spearheads CB Richard Ellis’ international law firm practice group, based upon his niche practice of representing law firms regionally and nationally. His team of five has been together for the past 22 years, a rare feat in the industry and something, says Hammerstein, “I never take for granted. We are family.”

Among his significant assignments are a 150,000-square-foot lease for Bingham McCutchen in San Francisco, a 150,000-square-foot deal for the California Department of Transportation, a 120,000-square-foot lease for Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges and 100,000-square-foot transactions for FCB Worldwide, Oaktree Capital Management and Howrey, Simon, Arnold & White.

Outside of real estate, Hammerstein serves on the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.