1. Our investors come first. If we make the right decision for the investors, our own success will follow.
2. Our assets are our people, capital and reputation. If any of these are ever diminished, the last is the most difficult to restore. We are dedicated to complying fully with the letter and spirit of the laws, rules and ethical principles that govern us. Our continued success depends upon our adherence to this standard.
3. Our goal is to provide superior returns to our investors. Profitability is critical to achieving superior returns, building our capital, and attracting and keeping our best people.
4. We take great pride in the professional quality of our work. We have an uncompromising determination to achieve excellence in everything we undertake. We would rather be the best than the biggest.
5. We stress creativity and imagination in everything we do. While recognizing that the old way may still be the best way, we constantly strive to find better solutions.
6. We make an unusual effort to identify and recruit the very best person for every job. Although our activities are measured in millions of dollars, we select our people one by one. In a service business, we know that without the best people, we cannot be the best firm.
7. We offer our people the opportunity to move ahead more rapidly than is possible at most other places. Advancement depends on merit and we have yet to find the limits to the responsibility our best people are able to assume.
8. We stress teamwork in everything we do. While individual creativity is always encouraged, we have found that team effort often produces the best results. We have no room for those who put their personal interests ahead of the interests of the firm and its investors.
9. The dedication of our people to the firm and the intense effort they give their jobs are greater than one finds in most other organizations. We think that this is an important part of our success.
10. We consider our size an asset that we try hard to preserve. We want to be big enough to undertake the largest project yet small enough to maintain the loyalty, the intimacy and the esprit de corps that we all treasure and that contribute greatly to our success.
11. We constantly strive to anticipate the rapidly changing landscape of the real estate market and work to evolve our investments to capture opportunities created as a result.
12. Our business is highly competitive and we must compete with other firms; however, we must always be fair and treat others with the respect we desire.
13. Integrity and honesty are at the heart of our business. We expect our people to maintain high ethical standards in everything they do, both in their work for the firm and in their personal lives.
14. We never forget the bottom line: we work for the investor.