Any worthy list of real estate experts is bound to include Stan Ross, the former managing partner of E&Y Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group and vice chairman-real estate industry services for Ernst & Young, who now is chairman of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate in Los Angeles.
Ross is widely recognized for his experience in strategic planning for real estate companies, particularly with respect to mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations, and the development of creative financial structures. He was involved in the initial organization of the Resolution Trust Corp. and was a member of the Auditing Standards Board of the AICPA, which sets the auditing rules for the accounting profession.
He also is a special consultant for Ernst & Young and serves on the boards of directors of The Irvine Co., Forest City Enterprises, the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and other organizations.
He is a trustee of Baruch College, from which he graduated in 1956. He was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from Baruch in 1999.
Here's some more data about one of real estate consulting's most venerable deans:
First real job: Delivery boy. First professional job: Accounting clerk for small accounting firm.
Biggest misconception people have about economists: That their forecasts are accurate.
Favorite economist quote: New York economist Jeremy Gluck said Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's tombstone would probably read: “I am guardedly optimistic about the next world, but remain cognizant of the downside risk.”
Favorite economist joke: They become economists because they don't have the personality to become accountants.
Economics hero: Alan Greenspan
Magazines you read: Forbes, Fortune, Time, Urban Land, Business Week, plus five newspapers.
Most accurate forecast you ever made: That interest rates would rise (c. 1970s).
Least accurate forecast you ever made: That interest rates would drop (c. 1970s).
Biggest recurring problems: Determining the impact of global markets and economics, e.g., Japan's impact on the U.S.