Ryan Moorehead – CUP Leadership Board Spotlight- Jan. 2012

What is your occupation and how did you come to work in this field?      

I am Vice President of Asset Management & Business Development for First Sterling Financial, Inc.  First Sterling is a nationally recognized syndicator of affordable housing, which has been in business for over 30 years.  We structure real estate transactions by bringing together equity, debt and related services for the construction and substantial rehabilitation of multifamily and tax advantaged properties. First Sterling’s track record spans over 650 affordable properties in 45 states.  I have been involved in affordable housing and community development since 2005 working for various real estate firms in the New York City area.

Real Estate is acually my second career which came about from the relationships I developed in the music business.  I spent 10 years in Music & Entertainment as a singer, songwriter, producer, and business executive.  I took my passion for music and turned that into my first entrepreneurial endeavor.  Years later I went to work for Sony Music in A&R and Marketing where I worked with some of the most iconic names in the business and had a hand in signing several acts.

My biggest challenge is redesigning processes that make our people more efficient.  We are a small privately held firm that relies heavily on human capital and technology to effectively manage our portfolio.  As much of my line of work is service oriented, I constantly look at what services we provide to our clients and how we analyze data to increase the performance of individual assets, and funds overall.  This requires me to lead teams in discussion of how each individual team member looks at problems, analyze the tools they use to evaluate solutions, and determine a course of action that improves upon or changes a system we currently utilize.  As macro issues change as well as investors needs, I have to be sensitive not only to these driving forces but also the capacity and skill sets of each team member.

What is your proudest achievement?

The day I realized people who have the most options are the people who participate.

What leaders, thinkers or doers do you admire most?

Without giving the cliche classic names, I admire people who are controversial, but at heart, articulate.  Only through controversy do you arrive at clarity.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I will most likely be an entrepreneur holding various ownership interests in various businesses including real estate, entertainment, hotels, restaurants, and antique automobiles.

What would be your advice to young people who want their careers and lives to have an impact?