Each year, Midwest Real Estate News elects a new class to its Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. Here’s a look at one of our new inductees, James Koman, chief executive officer and founder of ElmTree Funds in St. Louis.
James Koman is one of the key players in the St. Louis-area commercial real estate business. That’s thanks in part to the success and prominence of ElmTree Funds, a private equity real estate firm based in the city that Koman founded in 2011. As of the end of 2020, the team of investment partners at ElmTree had closed on more than $18 billion of commercial real estate assets during their careers.
And as for Koman himself? He’s logged more than 37 years in the commercial real estate and development businesses. During his career, Koman has transacted more than $12 billion of net lease and other real estate assets.
Koman credits his work ethic, dedication to his clients and market knowledge with much of his success. But that’s not the entirety of his formula: Koman is also a proponent of lifelong learning, and plenty of that learning has come from listening to others in this business, he said.
“Listening, understanding and creating tactical solutions for our clients’ real estate needs has been the leading catalyst in my success,” he said. “Today, the speed of the commercial real estate market and our clients’ reliance on our team to provide real-time market knowledge and insight requires our team to remain active in the market – attending and speaking industry conferences and events, publishing cutting-edge market research and preserving our service-oriented approach to our clients.”
As a leader in the net-lease sector, Koman has served as a keynote speaker on several industry panels across the country. He also supports his profession through his membership in the Urban Land Institute, Pension Real Estate Association, Society of Industrial and Office Realtors and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.
“The people in the industry are what makes this such a wonderful business,” Koman said. “Every stage of a deal requires teamwork and accountability from both sides of the table to successfully transact. Without the extensive support from our investors and our dedicated team here at ElmTree, our firm’s growth and successes to date would not have been possible.”
Despite his success, Koman has faced struggles throughout his career. Most of them stem from the constant changes that hit the commercial real estate business. Again, this is where Koman’s dedication to life-long learning helps.
“One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in my career is the constant adaptation to ever-evolving commercial real estate trends,” Koman said. “That’s why I think it is critically important to embrace new ideas and perspectives to continue to deliver our clients exceptional returns.”
When not studying his market and serving his clients, you’ll usually find Koman spending time with family and friends. He’s also an avid reader.
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