Meet CPE’s 2017 Stars to Watch: Jon Leifer, Case Real Estate Capital

By Barbra Murray

Each year, CPE features some of the commercial real estate industry’s top young talent. The high achievers selected as Stars to Watch represent a broad range of specialties, companies and geographic locations.

Following is a brief introduction of one of this year’s outstanding young professionals. Read here about all of the 2017 Stars.

Jon Leifer, Case Real Estate Capital

Age: 33

With Company Since: 2014

Why He’s a Star: Leifer has been integral to the firm’s development of a $100 million lending and debt acquisition platform. Skilled at acquisitions, development, finance and asset management, as well as consulting. Highly regarded for his deal sourcing, relationship building and negotiating.

Academic Accolades: While earning a bachelor’s in urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he was honored with the O. Robert Simha Prize for outstanding planning work affecting Cambridge, Mass., and higher education.  Also holds a master’s in real estate development from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School in 2010.

Smart-Growth Specialist: Leifer has delivered more than 30 downtown redevelopment plans and market/feasibility studies for such clients as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ Transit, the New York City Economic Development Corp., as well as for various municipal governments.

Top Challenge: Determining daily where the market is going and being highly selective in the projects Case takes on. For Leifer, “the challenge is fun.”

Advice to Young Professionals: “If you’re persistent and you enjoy the challenges and you keep at things, there is going to be a whole host of opportunities for up-and-coming real estate professionals because, candidly, there’s a huge succession problem in this business. There are not enough experienced and talented young people in it.”

Job Satisfaction: Leifer takes particular pride in seeing the impact of his work on people and the built environment. Whether it’s a property purchase, new development or helping a client overcome a financial obstacle, his work affects people and the built environment. Developments bring jobs and people recognize that what was once a big hole in their community is now a productive, attractive asset.