Cogut says he got “turned on” to corporate law as a student at Penn Law and never looked back. On June 25, 2003, it was time for Jim McKenzie to look ahead. Public trading of AFRT started on the NYSE. On June 27, the CEO of AFRT rang the opening bell at the Stock Exchange. “Standing on the floor of the NYSE as I saw the first AFRT trades go across the tape, that was a tremendous experience for me,” recalls McKenzie. On June 30, McKenzie and his colleagues closed the IPO,
settled the debt financing, and completed AFRT’s 158-property
acquisition. “It was about as smooth and issue-free as any day
I had,” says McKenzie. “I had seen a group of people come together
with a dream . . . It felt very good. I felt I had helped them
accomplish something that was very good for this company, and
for the firm.”
He still advises AFRT on a regular basis, but feels “a little bit of withdrawal” after the intensity of racing for the deal. But McKenzie has no time to pine for yesterday. This year, he is managing four IPOs — running ahead of the three IPOs he completed in 2003. And it’s only September.  |
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