Last week, Westmount promoted Stephen Kanoff to executive managing director and CIO.  Stephen has been at Westmount for more than 22 years and was most recently EVP and partner. We thought Stephen's promotion was a great excuse to get to know him a little better.

What are you most looking forward to about your new role? Being able to be even more involved in directing the overall strategy of the company and working even more closely with our acquisitions team on sourcing and underwriting new CRE investments. After all, and as the saying goes “you make your money when you purchase.”

First job: Transportation planner with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission in Charlotte, NC.

What are you known for? As a pragmatic dealmaker and as someone who knows how and when to say “yes."

Hometown: New York City

Current city: Dallas

Why Dallas? I first came here in 1978 because my parents had previously relocated to Fort Worth and we thought that it would be advantageous for our future child to grow up in close proximity to grandparents. Not only did that work out better than expected, the Metroplex was and is a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Education: The University of Cincinnati for undergrad and The Ohio State University for graduate work.

Family life: I am married, with one son, two stepsons, two grandchildren and two cats.

Favorite restaurant in DFW: Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse in Uptown

Favorite travel destination: China

Favorite spot for a business lunch: Truluck’s

How do you spend non-working hours? Traveling, collecting classic cars, hiking

Why do you like CRE? Even after all these years, I am constantly presented with new challenges and experiences.