For more information, contact Trisha Riggs, 202-624-7086; [email protected]

LOS ANGELES (October 28, 2011) — Longtime Urban Land Institute trustee Wayne Ratkovitch, founder and president of The Ratkovich Company, a Los Angeles development firm that works to profitably produce developments to improve the quality of urban life, has been selected as a ULI Life Trustee. The announcement of the honor, reserved for an elite category of ULI ‘s most dedicated and respected members, was made Thursday evening during the institute’s 2011 Fall Meeting and Urban Land Expo in Los Angeles.

Ratkovich was selected unanimously by the ULI trustees, who received the nomination last April from the ULI Governance Committee. Former ULI Chairman Todd Mansfield, who submitted the nomination, said, “Wayne Ratkovich is the right choice to join this unique group of ULI trustees. He has had a remarkable career in our industry. He has served ULI unselfishly with his time, expertise and commitment, and his community is also the beneficiary of his good works.”

ULI life trustees include individuals whose service to ULI has been meaningful, distinctive, and extraordinary. In nominating these individuals, the ULI Governance Committee considers the specific contributions of time and resources to ULI and the ULI Foundation; leadership and participation in committees, task forces, councils, district councils and advisory services; standing in the land use industry, and years as a ULI full member and trustee.

“Wayne’s ability to take a property that many others have often overlooked, and then create a vision to transform it to better his community truly makes him a role model among his industry peers and all of us at The Ratkovich Company,” said Clare DeBriere, chief operating officer and executive vice president of The Ratkovich Company. “It seems only fitting for Wayne to be awarded with this prestigious honor by ULI, an organization he has been so involved with, in his home city of Los Angeles where he has worked to improve the quality of urban life for all residents.”

Ratkovich, a member of ULI since 1976, has served as a trustee for more than 20 years, including five years on the Executive Committee. He is a ULI Foundation governor, and has given to the Foundation’s annual fund for more than a decade. Ratkovich is a 25-year ULI council member, chairing the Urban Development Mixed Use Council Silver Flight from 1988-1990. He has chaired or served on multiple ULI committees, including the Awards for Excellence jury, Policy and Practice Committee, Membership Committee, Finance Committee and Bylaws Committee. Ratkovich served on more than six ULI advisory services panels, and in 2002, his exemplary panel service was recognized by ULI Robert M. O’Donnell award.

In addition, at the local level, he is a longtime member of ULI Los Angeles, and served as chairman of ULI Los Angeles from 2007-2009.

On his website, Ratkovich sums up his dedication to his work with this statement. “My cause is city building – through the work of my company, and through my involvement with ULI.”

“Wayne epitomizes the deep commitment of ULI members to give back — to the institute, the industry, and the community,” said ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips. “He has truly raised the bar, in terms of tireless volunteer service.”

Ratkovich joins an exceptional group of lifetime trustees: James DeFrancia, principal, Lowe Enterprises, Inc., Aspen, Colo.; Wayne Doran, consultant, Dearborn, Mich.; Robert Engstrom, president, Robert Engstrom Companies, Minneapolis; Gerald Hines, founder and chairman, Hines, Houston; Frederick Kober, chairman, The Christopher Companies, Oakton, Va.; Walter Koelbel, chairman of the board, Koelbel and Company, Denver; Robert Larson, chairman, Lazard Alternative Investments, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., (deceased); Sir Stuart Lipton, deputy chairman, Chelsfield Partners, London; Bowen Buzz McCoy, president, Buzz McCoy Associates, Inc., Los Angeles; Henry Paparazzo, chairman and chief executive officer, Heritage Development Group, Inc./Heritage Village, Southbury, Conn.; Stan Ross, chairman of the board and senior fellow, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, Los Angeles; Melvin Simon, co-chairman of the board, Simon Property Group, Inc., Indianapolis; and James W. Todd, president, JWT Inc., McLean, Va.

Ratkovich founded the Ratkovich Company in 1977. The company’s work, conducted in association with a number of the country’s largest financial institutions, has received awards from the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Conservancy, the University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California, and several civic organizations. Ratkovich is an emeritus trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. .

The ULI Governance Committee members are: Jeremy Newsum, (chairman), executive trustee, the Grosvenor Estate, Grosvenor, London; Todd Mansfield, president, Bio-Logical Capital, Charlotte, N.C.; James Chaffin, Jr., chairman, Chaffin Light Management, LLC, Okatie, S.C.; Harry Frampton, III, managing partner, East West Partners-Western Division, Avon, Colo.; Rosalind Gorin, president and chief executive officer, H.N. Gorin, Inc., Boston; James Klingbeil, chairman and chief executive officer, Klingbeil Capital Management, San Francisco; Gerald Parkes, chief executive officer, Pacific Real Estate Capital Partners, London; Marilyn Taylor, Dean and Paley Professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Design, Philadelphia; and Lynn Thurber, chairman, LaSalle Investment Management, Chicago.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (uli.org) is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in sustaining and creating thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.