BROOKFIELD
RESIDENTIAL’S ADRIAN FOLEY
PRESENTS AT
INDUSTRY LEADERS PROGRAM
Foley urges university students
to do the right thing, collaborate and lead.
IRVINE, CA – As Chief Operating Officer of
Brookfield Residential California, Adrian Foley oversees the entire California
business portfolio for Brookfield Residential and is currently welcoming students
to the fourth class of the Urban Land Institute popular lecture series, ULI
Leaders in Planned Communities, Residential Design & Urban Infill. Co-presented by Martin & Associates, the
class is part of a program designed to provide a relevant learning experience
for housing industry professionals as well as university students. An impressive roster of industry leaders is
scheduled to speak through November 4th.
Foley, considered the number one creative force
in innovative design and opportunity exploration, is responsible for
spearheading strategic planning, maximizing investment opportunities and
successfully resolving management issues in California’s premier markets,
including the Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Foley also serves as President of Brookfield
Residential Southern California, where he is responsible for strategic planning
oversight and management direction for one of Southern California’s most
inspired and pioneering homebuilding teams.
As part of the Brookfield team member new hire orientation,
Foley urges new team members to do the right thing, collaborate and lead. He
encourages new team members to succeed and accept challenges with excitement,
to be moved by innovation; to never place blame and to know that the company
seeks to grow from within.
Foley shared that he learned the value of hard
work through the example of his parent’s own work ethic growing up in London,
England. At the onset of his career in
London, Foley gained incredible exposure to the surrounding architecture and
development industry, and chose to work for a public authority. He earned a degree in building construction
and started a development company at the young age of 25. He describes the experience
of buying, designing, building and selling as magical. He then met his wife and moved to
California.
First working for Taylor Woodrow, he joined
Brookfield Residential in 1996. The
market then was similar to the one in 2012 which according to Foley “was on its
knees.” Today, Foley is very proud of
the Brookfield Residential name and reputation, boasting a portfolio of $4.5
billion and 1,200 employees throughout North America.
When asked about one of his most memorable
projects, Foley cites the purchase of the balance of the community at Playa
Vista – the remaining land being approved for 2,300 homes on just over 60
acres. The property had been in constant litigation, and with the assistance of
builder partners, Brookfield completed the $265M purchase of this
property.
“With the
acquisition spanning over eight months, it was a combination of timing and structure
that combined to translate into an excellent opportunity for Brookfield,” says
Foley. “Just three days from closing on the purchase we sold three apartment
sites to The Irvine Company, a number of lots to two builder groups and
replenished a large part of the purchase dollars.”
While Foley does expect cycles, he is very
excited about the industry and is optimistic for its future with promising household
formation numbers and the number of people moving to California.
He is thrilled to see talented youth entering the
business and is inspired by the vital role of women in the industry today.
Technological advancements are also going to
dominate the future of the industry. Utilizing the REVIT building information modeling
software, Brookfield can prepare its new home plans and developments to better
visualize the buildings and communities and see them in their completed
forms. “This is an exciting look forward
for our buyers as they see themselves living in these ‘virtual’ communities,” Foley
says. “We look forward to participating
in seeing how our industry can better embrace technology in its future.”
For more information on the upcoming ULI Industry
Leaders programs, contact orangecounty@uli.org. The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a nonprofit education and
research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide
leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining
thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the ULI has more than
40,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development
disciplines.
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