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BROKER INTERRUPTS REAL ESTATE CAREER TO FIGHT IN IRAQ

By Carole Paul

A career in commercial real estate promises its share of stress, but a two-year break has given Brian Lukacz some perspective. The Marine Corps helicopter pilot recently returned from two tours of duty in Iraq.

Lukacz, an erstwhile licensed California real estate agent, flew about 100 combat missions as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Those missions took him into some of the most troubled areas of the conflict, between Fallujah and Ar Ramadi. “My two combat tours over there are by far the most intense thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said Lukacz, who joined the military after graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 1992.

Lukacz, a major, was what he calls a typical active-duty guy, flying with his helicopter squadron and instructing pilots until late 2000. Then, with his active duty coming to an end, he began focusing on what he wanted to do in civilian life. The broker from whom he and his wife, Emily, a physician, were leasing their condo owned the real estate firm, Foster & Co. “He said, ‘Do you know anything about commercial real estate? You’re going to love it!’ “ Lukacz said. “That’s when my education in commercial real estate started.”

Lukacz had not been at the firm even a year when the Sept. 11 attackers struck. He had intended to leave the military, but after the attacks he joined the reserves instead, flying one night a week after work. In January 2003 he joined GVA IPC (formerly IPC Commercial Real Estate), a larger, full-service commercial real estate firm with offices in San Diego and Carlsbad, Calif. But the U.S. invaded Iraq that year, and Lukacz’s reserve unit got word that orders to activate for one year were forthcoming. That heads-up gave to anyone who wanted it the time to leave the reserves before the orders became official. Like most of his unit, though, Lukacz decided to stay in, even though it meant giving up his job.

“I knew what I was risking, losing the three years of clients I had built up,” he said. But he had the support of his boss. “When I talked to Jay [Diskin, the firm’s president], he said, ‘You’ll have a desk waiting for you when you get back.’ “

Said Diskin: “We had deals in progress when Brian left. We monitored his transactions, finished them up, and gave him the commissions.” Diskin and others at the firm stayed in touch, sending Lukacz care packages and e-mails.

Lukacz found he could apply in Iraq some of the skills he had acquired in his fledging real estate career. “You’ve got a goal,” he said. “You’ve got to make it happen, whether it’s making money or serving your client or helping guys on the ground, you have to get yourself motivated enough to accomplish it.” Specifically, he cites the ability to handle many activities simultaneously, such as dealing with clients in various stages of deals while writing up offers, as surprisingly applicable. In Iraq he continually had to field myriad critical details and get multiple tasks done at once.

In September 2004 Lukacz was told his orders were being extended for an additional year of duty; a second tour in Iraq followed. Last October the unit was deactivated, and in January Lukacz was released from duty. He is calling it a day, as it were: At press time he was in the process of resigning his commission to focus on restarting his real estate career.

Lukacz rejoined GVA IPC as a vice president, and despite his absence found himself in high demand. “He had an offer from CB Richard Ellis and was trying to decide between them and us,” said Diskin. “Ten of our senior brokers signed a letter that said, ‘Upon your return within the first three months, I will bring you in on a deal with me to help get you started.’ The guy gave two years of his life over there!”

In certain respects, he is starting from scratch again. “I’ve had to knock the cobwebs off,” he said. “A lot of clients I had two years ago had real estate requirements that couldn’t afford to wait. Now I’m touching base and learning the market again.”

In other respects, though, Lukacz says he finds himself way ahead. When he shipped out, his business experiences crossed over to battlefield applications. Now skills he picked up in the military are serving him in real estate: managing himself and his time, goal-setting, sticking to a plan, self-reliance.

Moreover, the extreme pressures of war are now giving Lukacz some perspective as he goes about his work. “Even cold calling comes easier,” he said. “Everyone in commercial real estate knows that first year you’re faced with a lot of rejection, but every day I wake up excited and optimistic about building a client base.”