Our History
In 1967, Bob Lesser, then an architect and developer, was asked to help craft the development program for what is now Thousand Oaks Town Center in Southern California. In carrying out this assignment, he found that the creativity and financial imagination required for the study were extremely stimulating—so much so that he started Robert Charles Lesser & Co. (now RCLCO).
Over fifty years later, RCLCO has grown in expertise, now serves a diverse array of client types, and works around the globe, helping our clients make strategic, effective, and enduring decisions about real estate.
We are proud to be the “first call” for organizations seeking strategic and tactical advice regarding property investment, planning, and development. Our team leverages quantitative analytics and a strategic planning framework to provide end-to-end business planning and implementation solutions at an entity, portfolio, or project level. RCLCO is organized into three overlapping and reinforcing service areas: real estate economics, management consulting, and advisory services for institutional investors through RCLCO Fund Advisors.
Our Core Values
We are dedicated to adding value to our clients.
We strive to achieve excellence and innovation in everything that we do.
We aim to enjoy our work and the people with whom we work.
We seek opportunities to promote greater economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
Leadership
RCLCO is able to consistently deliver leading-edge solutions by bringing together highly talented people in a creative and collaborative environment. The diverse experiences and knowledge bases of our team allow us to partner with clients to answer key questions and solve complex issues, with strategic guidance that is market driven, analytically based, and financially sound.
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Gadi Kaufmann
Chairman RCLCO & RFA
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Adam Ducker
Chief Executive Officer RCLCO
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Taylor Mammen
Chief Executive Officer, RFA
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Diana M. Black
Director of Marketing
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Joshua A. Boren
Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives
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Peter Botz
Vice President, RFA
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Philip Carney
Vice President
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Debashis Chanda
Principal, RFA
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Ben Chernus
Vice President, RFA
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Jessica Diorio
Vice President, Asset Management, RFA
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Jomar Ereso
Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer, RFA
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Mike Essig
Vice President, RFA
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Cecilia Galliani
Vice President, RFA
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Caroline Flax Ganz
Vice President
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Charles Hewlett
Managing Director
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Lauren Hinson
Vice President, Operations
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Andrew Janko
Managing Director, RFA
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Ellen Klasson
Managing Director
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Jordan LaMarche
Vice President
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Todd LaRue
Managing Director
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Gregg Logan
Managing Director
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William Maher
Director of Strategy and Research, RFA
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Kelly Mangold
Principal
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Ben Maslan, CFA
Managing Director, RFA
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Adam Ostler
Principal
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Cameron Pawelek
Principal
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Karl Pischke
Principal
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Rick Pollack
Managing Director, RFA
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Allan Popper
Director of Property Operations, RFA
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Scott Price
Managing Director
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Jake Ross
Principal
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Dana Schoewe
Principal
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Alex Shaia
Vice President
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Carter Smith
Vice President, RFA
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Simon Soomekh
Managing Director, RFA
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Scott Stoltzman
Director of Innovation Technology
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Erin Talkington
Managing Director, Director of Consulting
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Cyndi Thomas
Managing Director, RFA
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Kerry White
Vice President, Asset Management Systems, RFA
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Eric Willett
Managing Director
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Derek Wyatt
Managing Director
We Work With
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Developers / Homebuilders
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Institutional Investors
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Investors
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The Public Sector
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Operators
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Industry Partners
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Non-Real Estate Companies
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Law Firms
ESG Initiatives
Leading the industry toward effective ESG solutions
RCLCO’s mission and core values are the firm’s “true north” and guide our approach to addressing real estate’s, and our own business’, environmental, social, and governance implications. As stewards of the built environment, we seek to positively impact the environmental sustainability and societal implications of real estate. As an industry leader for 5+ decades, aiming to grow for at least 5 decades more, we look inward to determine ways to improve our environmental impacts and the lives of our team members.
RCLCO leadership has charged its ESG Committee to measure, analyze, and recommend concrete actions to improve the firm’s environmental impact, diversity, equity, inclusion, and governance.
A focus on ESG is fundamentally about identifying the risks and opportunities to our clients and ourselves that arise from factors that haven’t traditionally been appreciated in conventional diligence or other analyses. Specific ways in which we’re bringing this focus to bear include:
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Within our analyses, we identify opportunities to preserve/create housing affordability, eco-friendly features, and highlight risks to resiliency
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We are thought leaders on key ESG topics, including affordable & workforce housing, conservation communities, and impacts of climate change
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For RFA’s investor clients, we integrate ESG into due-diligence & manager selection, and climate risk into investment decisions & asset monitoring
The RCLCO Foundation
The Foundation is committed to making a meaningful difference in the practice and policy of affordable housing, by encouraging and facilitating the development of balanced communities.
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RCLCO Press Releases
Catch up on major firm updates and changes.
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