Raffi Cohen, the firm’s founder and principal officer, began his development career with apartments, retail centers, and office buildings. Subsequently, Raffi developed a keen interest in large-scale development in Downtown Los Angeles. He cultivated close working relationships with the City of Los Angeles and State of California. Recognizing the untapped potential of a rundown area on Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles, Raffi envisioned what later became Figueroa Plaza: a 660,000 square foot twin office tower complex located at First and Figueroa Streets.

 

Since then, Raffi has continued develop and acquire Southern California properties zoned for a variety of uses.

 

An optimist with a vision: His passion, dedication, conviction, and perseverance are the characteristics that have elevated him to become a leader in Southern California’s real estate market. As an active member of the Urban Land Institute, Raffi is responsible for improvements that will enhance Southern California’s business and residential communities. 

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He received an architectural award from the City of Beverly Hills in 2001 for the extensive renovation of 421 South Beverly Drive, an office building in Beverly Hills. He also was appointed in 1987 to serve on the Downtown Strategic Plan Advisory Committee, known as the LA 2000 Committee, by former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

 

Raffi maintains strong, long-term relationships with institutions, architects, engineers, and subcontractors. While Galaxy assigns a team for each project, Raffi is extremely attentive to detail and ensures that projects are completed on time, that the budget is maintained, and that the tenants are happy.

 

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