A self-described “one stop shop intermediary for virtually any commercial real estate transaction,” HFF offers debt placement, investment sales, advisory services, equity placement, loan sales, and commercial loan servicing. HFF’s clients are both users of capital, such as property owners and developers, and providers of capital, such as lenders and equity investors.

Since January 1, 2010, the firm has increased its headcount by nearly 53%, as the U.S. economy continues to bounce back and Fed monetary policy has been favorable to commercial real estate investment. The real estate capital middleman reported record revenues of $285 million last year, an increase of 12% year-on-year. And so far this year, its transactions have been even bigger and more frequent than in the first six months of 2012. --S.G.