Kevin Shannon is the Co-Head of Capitals Markets at Newmark. He leads a team of 33 professionals focused on arranging the disposition, financing, and joint ventures of investment properties on behalf of domestic and offshore investors throughout the Western United States. Kevin has been involved in over $86 billion since 2010 of office, industrial, self-storage, multifamily, land and mixed-use transactions. His experience includes structuring fee simple and partial interest sales, as well as recapitalizations and joint venture transactions.Kevin attended the University of Southern California, with an emphasis in Real Estate Finance and Development and frequently is a guest lecturer. He is a long-standing Board Member of the USC Lusk Center and serves as the Chair of the board for the USC Caruso Catholic Center. Kevin is also the Vice Chair of Urban Land Institute’s ULI (IOPC) Silver Flight and is on the Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics Policy Board. He has long been an avid supporter and served on the board of the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles for over 25 years and is the treasurer/supporter of the Missionary Sisters of the Eucharist. He has been married for 25 Years and he and his wife have 4 children.
Walk us through your morning routine.
I am usually up by 5:30am. I then have a cup of coffee and then catch up on the newspaper. I still enjoy reading the Sports section. I do have clients internationally so even waking up early I have 40+ emails. I enjoy catching up on everything early in the morning so waking up early is important for me.
Do you follow a specific diet?
My diet is much healthier these days. You won’t find me with Happy Meals. I eat much more sushi and fruits/vegetables.
Do you have an exercise routine?
I try to walk 3 miles per day during the week, and then I lift weights on the weekends at my home gym.
What are some hobbies you enjoy?
I love sports and following the Dodgers, Lakers and USC Football and Basketball. I am a big sports nut. I also love being outdoors. We enjoy family trips to Montana – fly fishing, hiking and just being in nature. My wife and I are going to be empty nesters soon so we have been working on our golf game. We are hitting the ball in the air most of the time now which is great, and hope to continue playing more.
Can you share a specific achievement or experience that you’re particularly proud of and what it meant to you?
It is an accumulation of building knowledge, connections and a positive reputation over my entire career. Reputation is everything and it is not built overnight. It is gratifying to reflect on the growth of my team over long periods of time. This business is truly a marathon.
Regarding specific deals, we have been involved in some of the biggest deals in the U.S.. On December 20, 2012 we sold the Amazon HQ in South Lake Union for $1.16B and that was the biggest deal in the country that year. All the big deals are nice and memorable for their own reasons. Every deal is a stepping stone for future deals.
What product types are you most drawn to and why?
As with all brokers, I like being involved in deals that close. Right now, Industrial has been the best for me and my team. As the Co-Head of Capital Markets, I see a lot of deals in different sectors. I enjoy learning different markets, whether it be Bellevue, Scottsdale, Boulder, Salt Lake City, the South Bay or elsewhere, I love the different stories for each piece of real estate. I genuinely just love this career.
How do you stay up to date on the market?
I read everything; Bloomberg, Globe St., Registry, Business Journal and others. I also have a lot of national calls so I get insight into a lot of different data points that gives me a good pulse as to what is going on. I also have a deep team that helps provide me with local market insights.
Do you have any life mottos or principles you follow?
Do the right thing and work hard.
I follow the Golden Rule and I always try to lead by example. I am also very spiritual. I have ben blessed with a great family and I just celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary. Giving back is also important to me; business is a means for me to give back to my team, my family and to numerous charities I support (Caruso Catholic Center, Missionary Sisters of the Eucharist, Big Brothers Big Sisters).
Is there anything that you have done that you still want to do?
Personally, I am looking forward to seeing my kids grow up and produce grandkids. I love going to different college football stadiums and ball parks. Going to Fenway and Wrigley are always so fun. I am excited about USC joining the Big 10 – I look forward to visiting all of those major midwest college towns.
I have not been to Africa yet but I would like to. I have been to Asia but there are still more places I want to see throughout Asia.