There may be only two true certainties in life—death and taxes, of course—but according to Greg Vilkin, housing isn't far behind. “It's not an option—everyone has to live somewhere,” says the new president of San Francisco-based developer MacFarlane Partners. “It's just a question of at what price and with what timing.” With that in mind, Vilkin is enthusiastic about putting his 20 years of real estate experience—most recently as president of Forest City Residential West—to work at a firm whose projects span multifamily, mixed-use, and single-family.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish in your new role?

A: Bring structure to the organization that allows it to grow to the next level. MacFarlane is close to $12 billion in assets, and we will grow to $20 billion over the next five years.

Q: What do you see as a significant challenge for the multifamily industry in the coming year?

A: I think the whole industry is awash in capital. It reminds me of the early '80s, when there was too much capital chasing too few opportunities. The real estate industry ran itself out of business. There was a crash in real estate in the late '80s, and while I don't think that'll happen now, I do think it's difficult to expect ... double-digit returns. Also, everyone who's come into real estate in the last 10 years has never seen a down cycle. ... That's tricky.

Q: What do you enjoy about working in the multifamily industry?

A: I've been in the real estate industry since I was 19, before I graduated college. I've always loved real estate. I was raised by a single mom who was a real estate broker, so I've been involved in painting walls and turning units since I was 10 or 11. I specifically love the development aspect, because there's something incredible about seeing something that doesn't even exist yet ... come to reality. There's something amazing about providing housing for people.

Q: What's the best advice anyone ever gave you about your career?

A: That if you say, “That's not my job,” then you're right. Your job is to do anything that's necessary to get the job done. There is nothing that's beneath you or below you. As a young executive, I became president of a company in my early thirties because I never thought of anything as “not my job.” Before FedEx, I routinely was a human courier on the red-eye if I had a transaction in New York. You'd be surprised how fast your career will advance if you never say “that's not my job.”

  • Seth R. Landau has been named senior vice president and general counsel of LCOR, a real estate development, investment, and asset management company. In this role, Landau is responsible for the company's legal functions, with extensive involvement in company acquisitions, financings, and related transactions. Previously, he was a partner at Salvo Landau Gruen & Rogers.
  • Eugene P. “Pete” Walker Jr. has been appointed president of Mercy Housing Southeast. He will be responsible for leading the company's operations in Georgia and South Carolina, including the oversight of affordable housing development, fund raising, and resident services. He will be based in the Atlanta office.
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  • Fogelman Management Group has announced two promotions: Pattie Woods has been promoted to the position of vice president—training and development. In this position, she will direct all national training programs, as well as lead the company's internal customer service initiative and mentor programs. Also, Joanna Starling has been promoted to the position of regional vice president. In this role, Starling will oversee all facets of property operations for Fogelman-managed properties within her portfolio.
  • After nine years away, Stephanie Kirkpatrick has returned to Niles Bolton Associates as a principal, assisting with interior design, firm-wide branding, and business development. Kirkpatrick led the interior design department for Niles Bolton in the early 1990s and then worked with a division of American InterContinental University for two years before starting Kirkpatrick Consulting Group.
  • JPI has hired Scott Richardson as director of land acquisition, JPI West. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, his responsibilities will include acquiring sites for the construction of large-scale apartment communities, in some cases including retail and commercial uses, for both Northern and Southern California. Prior to being hired to the JPI team, Richardson was vice president of O'Donnell/Atkins Co.
  • The Radco Cos. has named James J. Elliott director of portfolio operations. In his new position, Elliott will supervise all aspects of the day-today operations of the firm's residential real estate portfolio, including operational budgets, vendor contracts, management company operations, owner representation, and HOA transitions, among other responsibilities.
  • Eddy Benoit has been promoted to president of Ambling Development Partners. Benoit replaces Rhett J. Holmes, who was named president of another Ambling affiliate, Ambling Property Investments.
  • Matthew R. Snyder has joined Atlantic Development Group as senior project manager. Snyder, who previously was a direct or at Newmark Knight Frank, will be responsible for project management, new acquisitions, and underwriting in the firm's development and finance division.

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