Steven Taylor
Managing Partner & Founder
Ness Holdings

I am Steven Taylor, a landlord, real estate professional, community leader, and family man who has completed over $500 million in transactions in the southern California real estate market. I currently manage the portfolio of Taylor Equities, a family-run business which acquires value-add multi-family properties. I hold a B.A. from the University of California Santa Barbara and reside in my hometown of Los Angeles with my wife and three children. I relish in the challenge of capturing value through projects that exhibit a driving need and a compelling story, while also successfully balancing my role as a philanthropist and father.

I’m a true Los Angeles native, born and raised in Mar Vista with my brother and two sisters. My upbringing in LA was a very formative time for me. The competitive nature that helped guide me to my current success was fostered in high school – I was an ambitious athlete and played basketball, swam competitively, and even played on the Junior Olympic water polo team. I also met and started dating my wife Natalie in junior high! We were high school sweethearts. The solid foundation of respect, aspiration, and drive that I built during those teenage years carried into my adult life and has largely attributed to my success as a professional.

After attending the University of California Santa Barbara for college, I moved back to LA and got my first job as a real estate broker in industrial real estate. I didn’t have any money at the time, and a family member who I admired suggested real estate as a business I could establish myself in without any start-up capital.

When I was looking to become a broker, I knew it was very important to align myself with the right mentor. I had offers from several big companies, but when I met David at Daum I knew he would be an important influence. Not only was he a professional, but he cared about me. We ended up buying property together and becoming partners. He was an important guide in my early career and we are still close friends today.

As a young broker, I was eager and competitive, which helped me to excel from the beginning. I was 24 years old when I bought my first piece of property. A few days later I sold it, flipped it, and made a huge profit. It was a miracle – at the time I didn’t know what I was doing. I named my first company Ness Holdings because “ness” in Hebrew means “miracle”. The money I made from that first flip was the miracle that allowed me to start my own business.

I established Ness Holdings Inc., in 2008, a private equity real estate investment fund. I ultimately transitioned from the broker side of the business to the principle side. I raised a fund and after I sold out, I started buying on my own with the intent of creating a family office long term. In 2013 I founded Taylor Equities, a family-run business which acquires value-add multi-family properties. I personally manage the portfolio and am still responsible for all major investment and operational activity.

I’ve now completed over $500 million in transactions as a result of both acquisitions and dispositions. I was selected for “SYP’s Honored Professionals,” being recognized as a young professional who demonstrates excellence in Real Estate. In 2013, I was recognized as the top “30 under 30,” real estate professional. As a broker, I signed the single largest lease in Downtown in LA for 50 million dollars.

I am extremely dedicated to my family. I have 3 beautiful kids, and all of my personal and professional choices are oriented around them. My eldest daughter, Ella, is 9 and plays basketball. I coach on her team and we love to play ball together on the weekends. My second daughter, Maya, is 7. She plays soccer and I have the pleasure of assistant coaching on her team as well. My son Ethan is the youngest at 3 years old and is already following in his sister’s footsteps and playing soccer too! Being a dad is a lot of fun and we’re a very active family. On the weekends we bike to the beach, go swimming, play tennis, and spend a lot of time together outside.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without my wife Natalie. When we started dating in junior high, at 13 years old, I already knew she would be by my side forever. At 13, I gave her a note that said “You’re the best. P.S. One day we are going to get married.” At our wedding, her dad surprised us with the note. He had saved it and read it out loud at the ceremony! We’re one of those odd couples that just makes a lot of sense. We know that we are lucky to have found each other so young. I have a wonderful relationship with Natalie’s family as well. I work with her brother and couldn’t be closer to her mom and dad.

It is really important to Natalie and me that we stay involved with our community. We are involved in several different philanthropic organizations and donate 6 figures a year to the causes we care about. We each spend about 100 hours a year working on different philanthropic endeavors.

I’m happy to have served on the board at the Museum of the Holocaust in Los Angeles. I have always been passionate about the holocaust and raising awareness. MOTH is a small museum that has built strong relationships with LAUSD schools. They bring in kids from all over the county to learn about our history and be inspired to create change. It was a powerful place to be involved.

We are also proud benefactors for the Friends of Israel Defense Forces. We recently sent 10 soldiers to a 4-year university, paying for their education. It was important for us to sponsor the Air Force battalion and donate money to the wounded veteran’s association.

I am active in the Young Leadership Development Program at the Jewish Federation. I’m also on the Leadership Advisory Board at Vista Del Mar. The Leadership Advisory Board pairs future leaders with current leaders and works to develop relationships in the community by establishing community-driven programs that teach the value of giving back and belonging.

As a family, we are always on the lookout for our next real-estate challenge, philanthropic endeavors, or opportunity to connect with the Los Angeles community.