Real Estate Roundtable Welcomes New Chairman-Elect, Board and Committee Leadership

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Real Estate Roundtable is pleased to announce the election of William C. Rudin as its new chairman-elect. Rudin, who is vice chairman and CEO of New York-based Rudin Management Company, Inc., will succeed Robert S. Taubman (Taubman Centers, Inc.) as Roundtable chairman next June. Roundtable members also elected a new board of directors and new policy committee chairs for the 2014-15 fiscal year, which began July 1.

"We're delighted Bill Rudin has agreed to be our next chairman. He brings vast knowledge of both Washington and the political process, and has deep relationships with countless national policymakers. He also brings a lifetime of experience in every facet of the real estate business. We could not have a better choice to lead our industry," said Taubman, who is chairman, president and CEO of Taubman Centers, Inc.

Roundtable President and CEO Jeffrey D. DeBoer added, "Thanks to his deep engagement over the years, and the respect he enjoys from peers and elected officials at various levels of government, Bill Rudin has contributed immeasurably to The Roundtable's success in Washington. These contributions range from tax and technology issues, to homeland security policy, and real estate's positive role in creating jobs and addressing U.S. energy challenges. I'm thrilled to be working with Bill in this new role."

Rudin said, "I am honored to be elected chairman-elect of The Roundtable — the leading voice for real estate in Washington. Whether we're working to accelerate job creation and global investment, to advance pro-growth tax and immigration reform, or to protect U.S. economic security through long-term availability of terrorism insurance, our organization seeks to offer balanced, fact-based, common-sense policy solutions to key challenges facing our nation. I very much look forward to working with the board, the staff and other key stakeholders on the critical issues facing our industry today."

Rudin was a founding member of The Roundtable in 1999, joined its board in 2008, and became board secretary in 2012. He also served on the board of The Roundtable's predecessor — the National Realty Committee — and led its Tax Policy Advisory Committee (TPAC) for three years.

Rudin chairs the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), which his father, Lewis, founded in 1971. He is also very active with the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) as well as civic organizations such as the Citizens Budget Commission, the Economic Club of New York, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Partnership for New York City. Rudin is also active on philanthropic boards including: New York University, the Battery Conservancy, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City.

Rudin Management Company began in New York City in the 1920s and has grown into one of the largest, most well-known and respected privately owned real estate companies in the nation, with 10.2 million square feet of commercial space and 4.7 million square feet of residential space.

Rudin has been a visionary in bringing the latest in new technology and sustainability to his family's portfolio.  When he became the firm's president in 1993 — amid a glut of space in lower Manhattan — he created one of the first fully-wired office buildings in the country, attracting technology tenants and laying the groundwork for New York City's rapidly growing tech sector, now the nation's 2^nd largest tech hub.

The new Roundtable board includes executives from national real estate firms representing a range of property types and entity classifications. It also includes the elected leaders of five major national real estate trade groups — out of 17 that hold permanent membership in The Roundtable.

The organization's current policy priorities include reauthorizing the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA); reforming the Foreign Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (FIRPTA) to remove a discriminatory tax on foreign investment in U.S. real estate, and to spur infrastructure redevelopment; enacting "Tenant Star" legislation to foster energy efficiency in leased commercial spaces; and ensuring a level playing field between online and "brick-and-mortar" retailers by enacting Internet sales tax legislation (the "Marketplace Fairness Act"). 

The full board list and committee leadership for FY2015 can be found online at www.rer.org.

SOURCE Real Estate Roundtable