Alfred Somekh is a highly regarded multifamily and hospitality real estate industry leader.
As an experienced real estate leader, who has spent most of his career in Real Estate Property Management, Development, and Ownership, Alfred has overseen over 38,000 multi-family units and over 1 million square feet of Office, Hospitality, Retail and Industrial properties. He has worked with a broad spectrum of clients, from small family trusts to large institutional investors.
Alfred is involved in philanthropic activities, which include the American Film Institute, Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Pacific Symphony, UCI Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Alfred attended and graduated from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science in 1975.
Alfred Somekh is the President of Gehr Development Corporation (GDC), where he directs all aspects of the company’s real estate property and construction activities, including acquisition, development, financing, and leasing.
A GDC Officer since 2006, Alfred has overseen the GDC real estate portfolio which included Multi-Family, Luxury Single Family, Commercial, Office, Industrial, Hospitality, Nightlife, and Retail properties. In 2016, the Hospitality and Nightlife properties are now part of Gehr Hospitality Inc. (GHI), which primary assets include the Fairfield Inn Times Square and Four Points by Sheraton Times Square.
Alfred is on the Advisory Board of the University of California Irvine – Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and a Board Member of the Commerce Industrial Council Chamber of Commerce. He has also served as a Member of the Board of Directors, Research and Policy Council and Political Action Committee Trustee for the California Apartments Association.
Alfred began his career in real estate while attending UCLA, obtaining his real estate license in 1977 at age 20. While attending UCLA, Alfred sold over 20 properties. He attributes a lot of that success to his parents, a successful Beverly Hills real estate agent and aerospace engineer.
Upon graduating UCLA, worked as the Assistant to the President of Calfina Investment. Calfina was a real estate company, owned by the billionaire Brener’s family, developing the 22-story high-rise Mirabella Condominiums designed by the renowned architect Maxwell Starkman on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.
Following that period, Alfred transitioned to become General Manager of the Century Park East Condominiums (CPE) in Century City. As the General Manager of this property, this was a fantastic experience for Alfred, managing 460 units within two towers with staffing of more than 50 people. During his 5-year tenure, Alfred conducted successful negotiations with two unions AFL/CIO and the International Union of Operating Engineers, a significant exterior and interior remodeling program and the innovative creation of a real estate brokerage company which revenue benefited the homeowner’s association.
Following Century Park East, Alfred was recruited to work for R&B Enterprises, Oakwood Apartments, as a Leasing Manager. Another turning point of his career, Alfred embraced the Management and Training Programs. He was rapidly promoted from Leasing Manager to General Manager, to Budget Analyst supporting over 50% of the Oakwood Apartments portfolio in the United States.
Following 5-years of service, Alfred was recruited by Kenneth Leventhal company to work for Heron Financial, the U.S. holding company for Gerald Ronson’s Heron International, the 2nd largest privately held corporation in the United Kingdom, as Vice President of Asset Management. He oversaw their hospitality, commercial, office and multi-family portfolio in various positions.
Before Gehr Development, Alfred was Senior Vice President of Legacy Partner/Lincoln Property Company. He headed the Business Development arm of the company and was the Designated Officer Broker for California. In this role he was responsible for acquiring third-party fee management contracts, creating and maintaining client relationships, and the expansion of alternative revenue opportunities including condominium marketing and sales.
His accomplishments at Legacy Partners includes the addition of 30,000+ apartment homes (120+ multi-family communities and Business Developments role into alternative revenue sources, such as Brokerage and Finance.
Alfred developed relationships with a broad spectrum of clients, from small family trusts to large institutional investors. Working with respected organizations such as AFL-CIO, BlackRock Real Estate Advisors, Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers, and C.S. First Boston, GE Capital Corporation, GE Capital Advisors, Goldman, Sachs & Company, Heitman Real Estate Advisors, Invesco, J.E. Roberts, John Hancock, Mass Mutual, Metropolitan Life, Mutual of New York, Prudential Realty Group, and TIAA-CREF.
In 1997, Alfred was identified by the Los Angeles Times as having a solid reputation, “carefully cultivated” connections in the real estate industry and noted as a “watchable Player in the industry,” a true observation that continues to this day.