Jeffrey M. Zell
President & Chairman of the Board
Jeff Zell brings thirty years of experience in real estate investment, management and development to every project. Jeff founded JM Zell Partners, Ltd. in 1989, a full service real estate consulting firm. Jeff’s innovative, client-centered strategic approach has since distinguished the firm as a national leader in facilitating complex transactions. Under his leadership, JM Zell Partners has built a solid reputation for providing innovative solutions and exceptional service to enhance the value of real estate assets for major corporations, institutional investors, professional firms, government institutions and not-for-profit organizations.
Prior to starting his own venture, Jeff directed the Washington, DC office of Rubloff, Inc., then the nation’s seventh largest private real estate firm. Jeff also served in Rubloff’s executive committee and board of directors during his ten year stay.
A licensed real estate broker in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, Jeff is a member of the National Association of Realtors and the exclusive Counselors of Real Estate – an invitation only association for those advisors who exemplify excellence and integrity in customer service. The US federal court system has also designated Jeff as an expert in approximately 20 real estate industry areas.
Jeff received his Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University.
Marc A. Sobel
General Counsel and Executive Vice President
Marc Sobel is a founding principal of JM Zell, as well as its general counsel. His twenty years of real estate experience include legal consulting and strategic planning for a wide-range of clients. He advises on matters of construction; ownership and structuring of real estate interests and transactions; real estate financing; and negotiation of leases and purchase, construction and architectural contracts. He has honed his practical knowledge of construction as project manager for significant commercial building projects in a number of geographic areas including Washington, New York and Los Angeles.
His legal background and hands-on knowledge of real estate issues makes Marc invaluable to our clients. Marc’s strengths include his creative legal problem solving, real estate law expertise and project management skills.
Marc earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center following completion of a MSc at the London School of Economics and undergraduate studies at Georgetown University.
Scott B. Kaufmann
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Scott Kaufmann is a founding member of JM Zell Partners,
with an exceptional knowledge in development, financing, business, planning,
operations and project management. Scott
has successfully overseen all aspects and phases of a project from the initial
meeting with the client, planning and budgeting to working with the architects,
engineers, designers and contractors.
He has also been very effective in working with local governmental
jurisdictions in the filing and processing of building permits, zoning
variances, code interpretation and dispute resolution.
With 19 years in the industry, Scott has a reputation for
developing and implementing practical real estate strategies
that support and enhance the client’s organizational,
business, operational and financial goals while advancing
the process. His strengths also include evaluating
situations, analyzing approaches and options, devising creative
solutions to complex problems and presenting alternative
strategies in a manner that facilitates informed decision-making
at every level.
A licensed real estate broker in the District of Columbia,
Maryland and Virginia and a member of the Urban Land Institute, Scott has a
degree in Finance from George Washington University.
Aida M. Downing
Senior Principal
Aida Downing is a founding principal of JM Zell, bringing analytical
skills and creative insight in the areas of strategic planning,
marketing and project management. She performs up front needs
analysis studies for facilities, master planning and renovation or
redevelopment projects, as well as demographic studies and market
analysis for development of revenue generation strategies for museums
and other cultural institutions. She is particularly adept at
compiling and organizing data from multiple, disparate sources to
develop databases for modeling and analyzing complex scenarios. Aida’s
strengths include her ability to process, manage and apply information
to problem solving, decision management and consensus building.
She is a member of the American Association of Museums and the
Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums.
Louis W. Kluger
Senior Principal
With
more than 17 years experience in commercial real estate, Louis Kluger has a deep
understanding of the real estate industry with regards to finance, project
management, financial analysis, brokerage and marketing which has been
invaluable in providing a broad range of services to a variety of clients.
Louis’s financial and analytical strengths complement his abilities in crafting real estate strategies as well as
performing site selection, negotiation and project management services.
Louis
has experience lending his leadership and analytical abilities to projects from
not-for-profits clients to a wide range of large international corporations and
private investors. His depth of knowledge and flexibility make him invaluable
to the clients he serves.
Louis is a licensed real estate broker in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois
and New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics
from The University of Virginia.
Robert J. Neuman, Jr.
Senior Principal
With his diversified background in various aspects of real estate and depth of knowledge of markets across the country, Bob Neuman helps JM Zell’s clients—from the largest not-for-profit, to the smallest high-tech startup—find sound solutions to their real estate needs. For over fifteen years, Bob has represented numerous tenants, skillfully guiding them through the relocation process – from needs analysis and strategic planning through market search, development leasing, design and construction, lease negotiation and move-in.
Bob brings a deep understanding of every aspect of leasing and brokerage combined with strong financial and analytical ability and highly effective project management skills to the clients he serves.
A licensed real estate broker in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia, Bob is a graduate of American University with a BS in Finance with a concentration in Real Estate and Urban Development.
