Developing Leaders Spotlight: A Discerning Eye for Risk and Reward

July 3, 2019
Marie Ruff

In many ways, Matt Milich, a recipient of NAIOP’s 2018 Developing Leaders Award, is a natural visionary. His colleagues point out his “discerning eye for risk and reward” and “strong investment instincts” as part of the launch of private equity fund Brasa Capital Management.

A NAIOP SoCal member since 2015, he is part of two forward-looking groups at the NAIOP Corporate level as a Research Foundation Visionary – contributing his perspective and expertise to the Research Foundation’s research development process – and a member of the Industry Trends Task Force, which identifies trends that will impact the industry in the intermediate and long term.

In addition, he is a member of the Property Investment Perspectives NAIOP National Forum, which provides a unique opportunity to share his industry knowledge, develop successful business strategies and connect with other industry leaders from across North America.

A graduate of the NAIOP SoCal Young Professionals group, he continues to be involved in many chapter activities and leadership roles including coordinating the chapter golf tournament.

Milich has been with Brasa Capital Management since its inception and is responsible for acquisition and management of investments across the West Coast. Prior to Brasa, he was the lead acquisitions officer for Pearlmark Real Estate’s West Coast efforts. Preceding Pearlmark, Milich worked for AEW Capital Management and was involved in the acquisition, disposition and asset management of over $900 million of value-add and opportunistic investments in AEW’s Partners Group fund series.

He serves as a board member of the Los Angeles Real Estate & Construction Industries Council’s City of Hope Building Hope initiative. The purpose of Building Hope is to raise funding and awareness for the cancer and research center by connecting young Los Angeles real estate professionals.

NAIOP talked to this perceptive young leader to find out more about how he pursues his goals.

NAIOP: How do you keep your long-term professional goals in mind in the midst of your day-to-day work?

Milich: The NAIOP SoCal Young Professionals Group did a great job of forcing me to set and track my career goals periodically, but on a day-to-day basis my focus is just to execute to the best of my abilities. My role at Brasa is to go out and source good investment opportunities. In the course of sourcing deals I meet a lot of smart people and work on some interesting projects. My hope is that the relationships I am forming and the experience I am getting will continue to organically push me forward in my career.

NAIOP: What is a characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?

Milich: Integrity. I have had the fortune of working for some of the most principled and decent people in this business and understand how important it is to lead with integrity. Without it, no one wants to work for or with you, and it’s tough to succeed in this business alone.

NAIOP: What do you wish you knew when you were first getting involved in commercial real estate?

Milich: The “who” is as important as the “what.” When I first started in real estate, all I wanted to do was to build office towers. I have yet to build an office tower. I ended up at AEW and now Brasa as a joint venture equity investor. It is the people I work and partner with who drive my personal fulfillment and success more than anything else.

This is part of a series of profiles of NAIOP’s 2018 Developing Leaders Award recipients, who have distinguished themselves through exceptional commitment and contributions to the industry. This prestigious award was presented at NAIOP’s CRE.Converge 2018 conference in Washington, D.C. Watch this two-minute video to learn more about NAIOP’s Developing Leaders program.