Inspiring Leaders in Our Changing Industry: Willy Walker, Walker & Dunlop

This summer, Connect CRE is producing a series titled, “Inspiring Leaders in Our Changing Industry” as a follow-up to last summer’s “Leading in Tough Times” series. We’ve selected leaders around the U.S. and across the commercial real estate spectrum to discuss significant changes in the industry and their organizations. In this installment, you’ll hear from Willy Walker, chairman and CEO of Walker & Dunlop.

Charting a New Course: How do you navigate the transition from established practices to pioneering new frontiers within your organization?

Walker & Dunlop was a small, family-owned business when I joined and now is one of the largest commercial real estate finance and advisory firms in the U.S. You can’t grow and succeed as we have without embracing change and taking risks. We made our first acquisition during the depths of the Great Financial Crisis (GFC). We were the first mortgage company to go public after the GFC. We doubled the size of Walker & Dunlop by acquiring CW Capital in 2012. We entered a completely new business, Investment Sales, with the acquisition of Engler Financial in 2015. And we acquired a machine learning/artificial intelligence company, GeoPhy, in 2022 to jump ahead technologically. W&D’s growth over the past twenty years has been achieved by setting ambitious goals, being willing to take calculated risks, and by consistently embracing change.

A Triumph to Celebrate: What recent organizational accomplishment brings you the most satisfaction? What specific challenges did it overcome, and what key factors led to its success?

I am extremely proud that Walker & Dunlop was just recognized again this year as a “Great Place to Work” by U.S. News & World Report. Our people and culture are what differentiate us from our competitors. You can never underestimate the competitive advantage of a company that has strong values and employee satisfaction. A strong foundation equips us to better handle challenges in any business environment and enhances productivity and performance throughout the organization. In the past few years, challenges from COVID to a fluctuating market, social to financial, we focused on taking care of one another and continued to nurture our people so that they can take care of their clients and families. This award recognizes our commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace and is a testament to our dedication in creating an environment that empowers and motivates our WDers. It gives me great satisfaction to know that we have created a place where people want to be.

The Road Ahead: Looking forward, what critical changes do you foresee for the industry in the coming years? What advancements do you hope for?

The presidential election this fall will dramatically impact the commercial real estate industry for the next four years. Affordable housing remains top of mind for both political parties. Suggested policies, such as rent control, don’t work. The creation of new housing stock is the only way out of our current housing crisis, and both parties can do something about it. At W&D, our affordable housing team works every day to acquire, finance, enhance and preserve affordable housing. We are active in working with HUD, the GSEs, and legislators to address this issue and come up with practical, applicable solutions. We need real solutions and real action from both the public and private sectors to tackle this national crisis.

Click here to see the full Inspiring Leaders in Our Changing Industry series.