BY AL BARBARINO

In July, the Real Estate Board of New York announced that Rob Speyer, 43, president and co-CEO of Tishman Speyer, would succeed Mary Ann Tighe to become its youngest chairman ever.

Stepping in this month, he is the third successive generation of his family to hold the post—also a first in the organization’s 117-year history.

Though he might have a reputation as being media-shy, Mr. Speyer’s success in real estate is no secret—his company has completed $6 billion in new transactions and raised $4.5 billion of new equity since 2010.

Mr. Speyer sat down with The Commercial Observer last week for a rare interview to discuss his new appointment, his agenda for REBNY in 2013, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps, and the best way forward for New York City as global competition ramps up.

To read the full interview, click here.

BY KARSTEN STRAUSS

CBRE tristate Chief Executive Officer Mary Ann Tighe is a legend in New York’s voracious real estate world.

Winner of multiple Deal of the Year awards and a 2009 REBNY lifetime achievement award, Ms. Tighe has conquered every peak in her nearly 30 years in the industry, rising to an almost mythic status among the city’s machers.

A groundbreaker as well, she was the first woman appointed chair of REBNY.

Now, as she steps down after her two years in office, she took the time to discuss with The Commercial Observer her accomplishments as chairwoman, the changing New York skyline and what to expect in 2013.

To read the full interview, click here.

BY KARSTEN STRAUSS

Since 1986, Steven Spinola has served as president of the Real Estate Board of New York.

With his organization’s annual gala approaching next week, Mr. Spinola is saying goodbye to outgoing chair Mary Ann Tighe and welcoming Rob Speyer, president and co-chief executive officer of Tishman Speyer, while also guiding REBNY’s agenda for 2013.

The Commercial Observer spoke with Mr. Spinola last week about the transformative rezoning of Midtown East, the battles that lie ahead in city and state politics, and the gala’s potential as a greenhouse for burgeoning deals.

To read the full interview, click here.

BY ROBERT KNAKAL

If you are a regular reader of Concrete Thoughts, you know that I think networking is extremely valuable for participants in our commercial real estate market.

One of the main benefits of networking is getting to meet people face-to-face and developing relationships that are lasting and lead to business opportunities. One of the best trade organizations through which to network is the Real Estate Board of New York.

This week, REBNY is holding its 117th annual banquet, so I thought it appropriate to recognize the tremendous work that the board does on behalf of our industry. Not only does REBNY provide tremendous networking opportunities, it’s also a leading advocate for our industry.

It goes without saying that the personal success achieved by Paul Massey and myself, and the success of Massey Knakal, would not be close to what it has been without our involvement with REBNY.

The hundreds of solid relationships we have made and the knowledge we have obtained through our active participation in the organization have been priceless.

To read the full story, click here.

BY SAM CHANDAN

Buy American.

It is generally required if you are the government, and simply an admonition if you are not. The jurisdiction of President Hoover’s 1933 legislation may end at the border, but investors around the world are responding to the call in any case. They are not acting without cause.

The global instability exemplified by Europe’s existential crisis has fueled a disconcertingly insatiable appetite for riskless assets that has long outlived the technical recession.

Treasury and agency debt markets are flush with eager buyers, even at negative real returns. But the appeal of buying American extends well beyond our favorite export.

Measured in terms of capital flows and professed intentions, the United States is unchallenged atop the global hierarchy of commercial property investment. That hierarchy’s most fungible instruments, New York’s core apartment and office buildings, are now a reserve currency of the institutional marketplace.

To read the full story, click here.