Here are our picks for the top individuals, teams and companies in the multifamily sector from the past year.

Up until a few months ago, it appeared that multifamily had entered a golden age. Rents were rising, deals were closing and forecasters saw little difficulty in the medium term. To be sure, the asset class is still a strong one but with the rise in the cost of debt, the threat of a possible recession and asset pricing that has become muddled, some uncertainty has been injected into the landscape. For that reason, we give our kudos to the men, women, teams and companies that are navigating this environment. Careful judgments must be made about underwriting, forecasting the ability of tenants to pay higher rents and, for developers, the ongoing difficulties with labor and supply chains. We have little doubt that the recipients we selected for our annual multifamily influencers are up for the challenge.

ORGANIZATIONS

A&E REAL ESTATE Since it was founded in 2011, A&E Real Estate has grown from a single 49-unit building in Fort Greene, NY to a portfolio of more than 15,000 apartments under management today. During that time, it has transformed into a fully-integrated real estate platform with in-house asset and property management, leasing and construction capabilities. The firm’s diverse portfolio spans all types of properties—from workforce housing for teachers, first responders and other essential workers in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, to high-quality apartment buildings in Manhattan’s most popular residential neighborhoods. Now one of the largest multifamily owners in New York City, A&E is led by founder and executive chairman Doug Eisenberg, along with CEO James Patchett and president Maggie McCormick. In 2021, the firm closed on seven major acquisitions, adding more than 2,000 units and accounting for more than $500 million in deal volume, it launched its third and largest real estate fund to date and it expanded its vertically-integrated platform with a dedicated website for its in-house residential leasing company. A&E has accelerated its growth and the range of its portfolio with several high-profile Manhattan purchases and earlier this year, it completed the largest single multifamily acquisition in Queens since the start of the pandemic. The firm supports reading and literacy across the city through its new A&E Reads campaign, which distributes free books, offers online literacy tools and implements lending libraries in A&E buildings.