INDUSTRY VOICES
2018 INDUSTRY INFLUENCERS
Think Realty's 2018 Industry Influencers
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ing this investment vehicle to support their families.
SONIA BOOKER SONIA BOOKER ENTERPRISES Sonia Booker has been investing in real estate for more than two decades and describes herself as a wealth-builder as well as a real estate investor. She started her first business, an Allstate Insurance agency, at 24, but quickly moved into real estate and worked with Atlanta-based builder and real estate mogul, the late Herman J. Russell, for more than 12 years. Along the way, Booker developed a passion for helping “everyday people” build wealth using real estate. She began educating others on investing in her own living room, eventually wrote several books on the topic and became a bestselling author in the pro- cess, and began managing private equity, including a fund that invests specifically in rebuilding communities. “Real estate is just one vehicle that allows you to build your wealth, but in my experience, it is one of the better vehicles,” Booker observed. “Ultimately, real estate should be a founda- tion and cornerstone for building wealth and legacy.” n every business sector, there are individuals and groups who affect the conversation about their industry in mean- ingful ways. Some, like Howard Hughes, the reclusive billionaire who is credited with “removing the mob” from the Las Vegas casino sector, create legacies and legends that far exceed any truth, however grand. Others move beyond their industry and into the broader consciousness, such as fictional financier Gordon Gekko from the 1987 filmWall Street. The often-villainized character was based on junk-bond salesmen from the 1980s. Real estate investors, by virtue of our position in the broader housing market, working with distressed homeowners, moti- vated sellers, and foreclosure properties, often find ourselves likened more to Gekko than to positive role models. As a result, it is vitally important to our industry that we constantly expand and refine our investing strategies for the betterment of our communities and remain cognizant of the dialogue about real estate investing outside the confines of our sector. If we succeed in influencing a more positive dialogue, every member of the investing community and our wider communi- ties stands to benefit: • Creating more effective ways of generating returns in real estate leads to more investors successfully leverag-
ADAPIA D’ERRICO REAL HEALTH REAL WEALTH
• Better methods of communicating about our goals improves the volume of deals we do and the number of properties taken from nonperforming, vacant, possibly blighted assets to solid residences in which homeowners and renters can take pride. • Making the legacy-building, life-changing opportunities that come with successful investing more understandable to everyone through education and access allows those indi- viduals a chance at financial security and the time to pursue their passions. Furthermore, better real estate discussions and education routinely lead to countless retirees solidifying their retirement on the firm foundation of physical property. Think Realty’s 2018 Industry Influencers list recognizes seven individuals who are making very distinct, measurable differences in the way that the real estate industry invests and in how the industry as a whole is perceived by the general public. These are our 2018 Industry Influencers, and we are proud to consider them part of our real estate family. Do you know an Industry Influencer? Submit their name to cellis@thinkrealty.com.
AdaPia d’Errico’s passion for empowering entrepreneurs led her straight to the intersection of financial technology and real estate when the industry needed her insight most: during the dawn of real estate crowdfunding. She joined online cap- ital platform Patch of Land as “employee #1,” as she describes it, and positioned the company as a leader in the space while pioneering its crowdfunding platform. In just three years, the company originated $200 million in loans. She moved from there to take a position as COO of AlphaFlow, one of the first and fastest-growing automated real estate investment services in the industry, before transitioning into a special advisory position. She has also worked with ubiquitous names like Disney and Mattel to build their brands and public images. Today, she is focused on working with entrepreneurs and organizations on leadership and personal development as well as developing her personal platform, blog, and book, Real Wealth Real Health. Joe Fairless is a natural learner and a natural sharer, which makes it far less surprising than it might be otherwise that his podcast, “The Best Real Estate Investing Advice Ever Show,” is the world’s longest-running daily real estate investing podcast. With more than 1,200 episodes, the podcast goes live every single day of the week, including weekends. Fairless started the podcast “because I need to learn on an ongoing basis [and] it’s like having a focus group at my fingertips.” Fairless does not have a formal back- ground in real estate, having spent his early professional years as the youngest vice president at a New York City ad agency and, prior to that, teaching preschool children while in college. Today, Fairless controls more than $265 million in real estate, is a top syndicator for multifamily deals, and devotes his time to educating other investors, mentoring youth in underserved com- munities, and giving back financially. “We offer scholarships to students, offer shadowing opportunities and internships in New JOE FAIRLESS BEST REAL ESTATE INVESTING ADVICE EVER SHOW
“I decided to dedicate myself to empowering women, specifically, to develop their inherent
leadership traits and over- come the barriers holding them back for the benefit of everyone, especially organiza- tions," d'Errico said. Media & Publications: • Real Wealth Real Health Blog
• Featured speaker at industry events includingThink Realty National Conferences, LendIt Industry Awards 2017, and IMN • Contributor at Crowdfund Insider, Huffington Post, Bank- less Times, Opploans • www.realwealthrealhealth.com
Booker has been featured by Oprah’s O Magazine , Entrepreneur Magazine , NBC, and Black Enterprise. She is a Think Realty Coach, a radio host, and will release a new televi- sion show in Spring 2018.
York City, and are dedicated to helping underserved kids and communities
learn entrepreneurial and financial skills,” he said. “It’s important as entrepreneurs to have a value-first, give- back-first mentality. The more we give, the more we grow and the more successful in business we become.”
Books & Media: • Real Estate & Wealth: Investing in the American Dream • Self Wealth for Women: An Inspirational Book & Journal • The Sonia Booker Show (radio and podcast) every Saturday on 1190AM in Atlanta • Sister Circle Live (TV One) • www.SoniaBooker.com
Books, Companies & Media: • Best Real Estate Investing Advice Show Ever vol. I & II • Best Real Estate Investing Advice Show Ever (podcast) • Co-Founder, Ashcroft Capital LLC • www.joefairless.com
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