ABOUT US
Applied intelligence. Remarkable results.
Lakemont Group is a boutique real estate strategy and consulting firm based in Winter Park, Florida, serving clients since 2007.
The Lakemont Group is comprised of experienced researchers, investors, strategists, and expert witnesses. All of our professionals have advanced credentials and a variety of industry experience. Our clients include institutional real estate investors, law firms, developers, municipalities, economic development agencies, and national brokerage firms — and no two assignments are ever quite the same.
GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS
Deep roots in Florida and New York — with experience serving clients nationally and globally.
PHILOSOPHY OF SERVICE
Our clients’ success defines our success.
This philosophy means we do not cease our efforts until the client’s goals have been achieved to their satisfaction. We only accept assignments where we believe our superior knowledge and experience will allow us to deliver the desired outcome — our clients know they can trust us to deliver what we promise. If we cannot do so, we refuse the assignment. If we believe a client should not move forward with their proposed project, idea, or case, we will advise so.
Consulting involves not only creating custom-tailored programs to solve a client’s unique challenges, but building the relationship necessary to provide the right solution to create value and sustain growth. Whether guiding a firm’s leadership through growth and transition, designing a custom forecasting model, providing guidance in a structured finance transaction, or testifying in a complex business litigation case, our clients are satisfied because of the dedication, perseverance, and skill we apply to their situation.
MANAGING PARTNER
Joshua A. Harris, Ph. D., CRE
Dr. Joshua Harris is a leading real estate economist and investment strategist specializing in real estate development, finance, capital markets, and business organizational leadership and strategy. Dr. Harris excels at assessing feasibility/profitability of projects, markets, and investment strategies/funds; examining the state of the macroeconomy and its impacts on real estate markets; delivering dynamic presentations for industry audiences; and providing strategic guidance and business development services for large organizations. Dr. Harris has been routinely called on as an expert witness and for media interviews in the fields of real estate, finance, and economics.
Dr. Harris serves as the Managing Partner of the Lakemont Group, a boutique real estate and economic consultancy based in Orlando. Dr. Harris’s primary areas of expertise include economic development, market research, expert testimony, and financial/project consulting. His prior clients included national real estate developers, real estate investment trusts, private equity firms, law firms, and hospitality institutions as well as local governments and real estate companies.
In addition, Dr. Harris serves as a Senior Strategic Advisor of CrossMarc Capital, a family office investment platform, real estate developer, and commercial brokerage. At CrossMarc, Dr. Harris works with the acquisitions, development, and capital markets team to execute projects and investments in the southeast. Additionally, Dr. Harris serves on CrossMarc’s Leadership Team and Investment Committee.
Dr. Joshua Harris has previously served as the Vice President of Investment Strategy for Skanska USA Commercial Development, a leading developer of high-rise office, multifamily, and mixed-used projects in urban cores nationwide. Dr. Harris served as an advisor to the Senior Leadership Team and acted as the head of investment strategy and research coordinating all business planning, market analysis, and research initiatives.
Dr. Harris remains active in academia as the Academic Director and Adjunct Professor of Real Estate for Fordham University with prior appointments at New York University, St. John’s University, and the University of Central Florida. Before joining Skanska, Dr. Harris served as the Academic Director and Clinical Assistant Professor of Real Estate at New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate and prior to joining NYU, he served as the Director of the Dr. P. Phillips Institute for Research and Education in Real Estate at the University of Central Florida.
Dr. Harris holds a Ph. D. in Finance from the University of Central Florida with a research emphasis in institutional real estate and capital markets. Dr. Harris holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation, has been named an Honorary Kentucky Colonel, a CREDA (formally NAIOP) Research Foundation Distinguished Fellow, a Counselor of Real Estate (CRE), a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), received a gubernatorial appointment to the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board, elected a Board Member of the AFIRE organization, and was the recipient of the 2020 Practitioner-Scholar Award from the American Real Estate Society.