IIJournals JPM-Special Real Estate Article Collection | Seite 20

In addition to Susan’s first-rate mind, she was
exceptionally skilled verbally and in writing. She transformed the way we do business and has left her mark on
the real estate world.
—Jerry Speyer
All of us in the industry knew Susan as a keenly
intelligent woman of strong convictions—not one to
equivocate, professionally or personally. She strongly
believed that data and rigorous analysis, not “tummy
rubbing,” should guide investment decisions. No waff ling for Susan; she presented her beliefs with a clarity
and ferocity that her clients appreciated.
Beyond her professional persona, Susan was a generous and loyal colleague and friend. When she sold
Property & Portfolio Research, she shared the proceeds
with her employees. She wasn’t contractually obligated
to do so, she just considered it the right thing to do. And
Susan always did what she thought was right.
Many of Susan’s professional acquaintances weren’t
aware of her love of children and animals. My family
visited her and her husband John many times over the
years, both in Maine and Vieques, where Susan was
a major force behind animal rescue organizations (as
well as a foster mother to cats with new litters). Children delighted Susan. I can still hear her laughing and
joking with my three kids—indeed, these are my fondest
memories of her. In my family, as in the industry, she is
very much missed.
—Bill Tanski

Susan lived and worked in Boston, as we did,
and we frequently bumped into each other, but more
often on the sidewalk than at industry meetings. Those
encounters were always enjoyable and filled with intellectually challenging conversation.
Susan was a pioneer in real estate research, with a
true, unrelenting intellectual curiosity that we respected
profoundly.
She also had remarkable business acumen. As competitors, we frequently felt outfoxed or outf lanked. She
had more energy. Susan once discussed with us a new
deliverable that clients “were dying for.” There wasn’t
any data, we said, and she assuredly replied that she
would find some! And of course, she did!
While Susan believed strongly in research, she
once mentioned to us that she often wondered whether
she had gone into the wrong business—selling analysis
and forecasts. Instead she suggested that “we should have
directly managed money—strictly by the numbers.”
We all agreed we would have made more money but
enjoyed it much less.
Susan was successful at an early age and clearly a
leader who was looked up to by all. We all will miss her
greatly and regret not having spent more time with her.
—Ray Torto and Bill Wheaton
To order reprints of this article, please contact Dewey Palmieri
at dpalmieri@ iijournals.com or 212-224-3675.

We remember Susan Hudson-Wilson with great
fondness as our colleague, our competitor, and our
friend.

Special R eal Estate Issue 2013

The Journal of Portfolio M anagement      31