Like many in real estate, Vicki Davis (left) grew up in the industry. Her family had been in construction and real estate development for several generations in DC. From an early age, Vicki worked with her dad building, maintaining, and renting residential apartments and commercial space, she tells us. She eventually studied civil engineering, construction management, and business finance and is one of four founding partners of Urban Atlantic. In fact, the majority of the professional staff are women, including founding partner Lois Fried, who’s raised over $2B for the firm’s projects. Vicki is president of the firm’s real estate development subsidiary, which develops, builds, and operates Urban Atlantic’s real estate portfolio. One of the firm’s most interesting projects is Arthur Capper in DC, a public-private, urban, mixed-use and mixed-income development. Vicki says it's created over $41.5M in contracts for DC firms, 250 jobs for DC residents, and rebuilt over 15 blocks of urban infrastructure. Its next phase of 195 mixed-income rental apartments, including 39 affordable apartments, just started. Her most important lesson: The people you work with and your partners will best determine your success.