Terri Adler
Managing Partner & Real Estate Chair
Duval & Stachenfeld LLP
Ms. Adler is a founding member of Duval & Stachenfeld LLP, Managing Partner, and chair of the Real Estate Department.
Ms. Adler is an unmatched powerhouse in corporate real estate transactions requiring complicated structuring, which plays to her strength of being innovative. Ms. Adler’s success is achieved by understanding the business goals of her clients and assisting them in achieving those goals while helping to build their businesses.
While overseeing one of the largest real estate practices in NYC, Ms. Adler has developed a wide range of expertise in all areas of national and international real estate practice with a particular focus on complex joint ventures and corporate real estate transactions. Ms. Adler has been at the forefront of many industry trends, whether involving the creation of new real estate platforms, to strategic investments in existing real estate platforms to preferred equity investments and multi-tiered joint ventures.
Ms. Adler was selected as one of the Top 100 female lawyers in NYC in Crain’s New York two years in a row (2018 & 2019) and named to Bisnow’s 2018 New York Power Women list.
Joseph Aquino
President
JAACRES
JAACRES recognizes its President, Joseph Aquino, for bringing JAACRES to the forefront of the real estate industry in 2019. This was a pivotal year for JAACRES, which demonstrated versatility and reach and justified the company’s slogan, “For All Your Real Estate Needs.” Mr. Aquino completed four Charleston Shoe Company store leases: one on Newbury Street in Boston; one in Southampton, N.Y.; and two in Manhattan (in SoHo and in the Plaza District). Mr. Aquino completed two transactions for Sherle Wagner: the sale of their building on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, for $5.5 million; and the lease of an office showroom (a full floor) at 699 Madison Avenue in Manhattan.
Mr. Aquino also completed an office showroom deal at 576 Fifth Avenue for Mandelli, the Milan-based menswear company. Diving into the current pop-up trend, Mr. Aquino completed a lease for White Company, a London-based maker of fine linen.
Joseph Aquino has been making deals for more than 30 years in New York City and global real estate markets, helping various well-known property owners, hoteliers, and retailers to find and complete leasing transactions. His specialties include sales of hotels and office buildings and the leasing of retail, office, and industrial space. He is known for his work in high-end New York City neighborhoods, including Madison Avenue, SoHo, NoLiTa, the Meatpacking and Flatiron Districts, and Long Island City. He has completed transactions in virtually all major U.S. cities, representing tenants such as Cartier, Buccellati, Paul & Shark, John Fluevog, and Ports 1961.
Joseph consulted for The 42nd Street Development Project in Times Square, when Times Square was transitioning from the seedy neighborhood of a generation ago to the family center it is today. He represented Amtrak, in the leasing of the retail level at Penn Station. He performed the analysis for big box retail development for The Downtown Alliance for The Financial District. He has assisted numerous hotels and casinos across the country in their real estate plans.
Joseph heads The Secret Brokers Society, a team of 25 brokers in major cities all over the world.
Lawrence J. Bartelemucci
Partner & Chair,
Construction Practice
Meister Seelig & Fein LLP
Larry Bartelemucci is the Chair of MSF’s Construction Practice Group, where he represents developers, owners, contractors, and design professionals with their construction and business needs. He regularly drafts and negotiates manuscript and AIA owner-builder, construction management, architect, design-build, and development agreements.
He works on major public-private-partnership projects, and has extensive experience representing government entities, hospitals, and institutional clients with their development and construction needs. He also has substantial experience dealing with insurance issues related to construction, both while the contract is being negotiated and after a claim has been made, as well as with prosecuting claims under payment and performance surety bonds, including defending subrogation claims.
Mr. Bartelemucci’s transactional construction experience enables him to provide informed and practical counsel when handling construction-related disputes, representing clients on a variety of matters, including those involving building collapse, fire loss, construction encroachment on adjacent properties, defective construction, non-payment, change order disputes and mechanic’s liens.
Lou Baugier
Founder & CEO
Vero Technologies
Lou Baugier is the Founder and CEO of Vero Technologies, a NYC-based leasing fintech company that automates and streamlines the residential leasing process.
Baugier’s thesis with Vero is simple: applying financial technology to outdated residential real estate processes, like leasing, unlocks unprecedented value and efficiency for customers and users alike. Baugier is dedicated to leading the Vero team to develop unprecedented tools that streamline leasing and deliver an unparalleled tenant experience.
Originally from Greenwich, Conn., Baugier began his career at JPMorgan Chase in global real estate portfolio management, specialized in commercial redevelopments. He went on to work at NYC-based RXR Realty, a $19 billion owner/operator. At RXR, he was the third hire of a development platform managing $3.3 billion of in-flight commercial and residential projects across the Tri-State area.
Baugier is currently a member of the New York Private Equity Network, Urban Land Institute, US Green Building Council, and YPO YNG. A former All-American rugby player, he enjoys staying active. He’s an avid runner who has completed three marathons and is currently training for his fourth. Baugier is a Tulane University graduate where he received dual degrees in finance and French literature.
Marc Belsky
Managing Director
Eastern Equity Advisors, LLC
Marc Belsky is Managing Director of Eastern Equity Advisors, LLC, an equity brokerage firm that is an affiliate of Eastern Union. The company leverages relationships with a range of capital providers – complemented by its understanding of investment processes and requirements – to raise equity from institutional and entrepreneurial sources.
Marc and his team deliver equity for acquisitions and recapitalizations on behalf of multifamily and commercial real estate owners nationwide, with a focus on equity checks ranging in from $5 to $50 million in size. Marc has also raised capital in support of hospitality, industrial and self-storage properties.
Having completed more than $5 billion in acquisitions and financing over the course of his career, Marc has demonstrated his ability to leverage value from hundreds of relationships built with real estate-focused private equity funds looking to invest.
Marc is known for his ability to understand complex deals quickly, evaluate the potential of available capital in the marketplace, and then work tirelessly to introduce the necessary equity into a transaction.
Marc maintains a NYS Salesperson license and both a Series 63 and 82 Securities License.
He is a registered representative of NYC-based Palladium Capital Advisors, LLC, a FINRA/SIPC member broker-dealer.
Derek Bestreich
Founder and President
Bestreich Realty Group
Derek Bestreich, Founder and President of Bestreich Realty Group (BRG), is a leading NYC investment sales broker specializing in the sale of multifamily, mixed-use and development site assets. As President of BRG, Derek oversees a team of 25 brokers that have sold over 500 NYC properties for over $2 billion. Derek is an expert at navigating a commercial sales process. Many of his sales have set price records and have been featured in The New York Times, The Real Deal, Commercial Observer, Real Estate Weekly and The New York Real Estate Journal. Since 2009, Derek has underwritten thousands of NYC properties and has advised a wide range of clients on optimal pricing, positioning and overall best practices for selling assets throughout NYC.
Growing our investment sales firm to over 20 brokers (focused throughout Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan) with over 60 transactions for over $150M in 2019.
Martin Cottingham &
Michael Gottlieb
Principals
Avison Young
Martin Cottingham is a Principal specializing in transaction management in Avison Young’s New York office.
As a real estate veteran with over 23 years of experience, Cottingham’s success at Avison Young is the product of his hard work, knowledge of industry and unique background. He led the real estate team for several major initiatives and has was recently named a finalist for REBNY’s Most Ingenious Deal of the Year in 2015.
Previously, Cottingham was a Managing Director of the Corporate Services Group, for Grubb & Ellis (now Newark Grubb Knight Frank), where he oversaw the firm’s corporate services effort in the Northeast region. Cottingham’s performance earned him recognition in the company’s Circle of Excellence program in both 2008 and 2010.
Prior to Grubb & Ellis, Cottingham was Managing Director at Bear Steams & Company, where he was responsible for all global facility and property management, design, development, construction, facility planning, furniture procurement and corporate service units for a real estate portfolio totaling more than four million square feet. In addition, he had responsibilities in domestic and international branch real estate administration.
Cottingham holds an M.S. in Real Estate Development and a Certificate in Construction Management from NYU and a B.S. in Organizational Management from Saint Joseph’s College.
Michael Gottlieb joined Avison Young in the New York office in April 2012 as a Principal specializing in transaction management. During his more than 30-year career, Gottlieb has established a track record of success for his clients, completing millions of square feet of transactions valued in billions of dollars. He has participated in all aspects of the real estate business, including property management, tenant representation, landlord agency, capital market transactions and the structuring of joint ventures.
Gottlieb was named Avison Young New York’s Brokerage Professional of the Year in 2015, and was its top producing office broker for 2015 & 2016. He also served as chair of the Real Estate Board of New York’s (REBNY) sub-committee to update the organization’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practices.
Prior to joining Avison Young, Gottlieb was Vice Chairman of Transaction Services at Grubb & Ellis (now Newmark Knight Frank) in New York. Prior to his 14 years at Grubb & Ellis, he was a Senior Managing Director at Insignia/ESG (now CBRE). His vast experience also includes financing, workouts, lease auditing, development of financial models for transaction analysis and general counsel responsibilities for a private investment portfolio.
One of Martin Cottingham and Michael Gottlieb’s most recent and notable achievements is the arrangement of a new lease and relocation for WIN Inc., a nonprofit formerly known as Women in Need, dedicated to helping homeless women and children transition from shelters into home of their owns.
WIN relocated and expanded from a 12,000 square-foot space at 115 West 31 Street, a Class-C building in Midtown Manhattan, into a 26,580 square-foot space on the 18th floor of One State Street Plaza, a Class-A building with modern infrastructure located in Manhattan’s Financial District.
The organization approached Martin and Michael and Avison Young team member Arthur Mirante, due to their long-standing experience working with the nonprofit community. WIN had been looking to grow and move into a multi-tenant building with upgraded mechanical systems. While Cottingham and his team searched for a suitable space, WIN’s needs kept changing as they continued to grow. Martin kept his focus on the client’s needs and was able to modify their strategy on the fly, even as WIN continued to evolve. Martin and his team were able to secure a space that worked perfectly for their current requirements, both consolidating their space and reducing occupancy costs.
Overall, Martin, Michael, and their team were pleased to have assisted WIN in finding a contemporary facility that allows them to continue in their mission of combatting the city’s growing homelessness problem.
There are two additional charter school deals worth mentioning, including a 31-year, 24,500 square-foot lease for LEEP Charter School at 5313-5323 Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, and a 3-year, 23,000 square-foot-lease for the Hellenic Classical Charter School in Central, Staten Island. Both deals were also managed by an Avison Young team led by Martin Cottingham and Michael Gottlieb.
For the LEEP Charter School deal, the team had to manage serious time constraints as they had to secure a solution ahead of September when the school year starts. They successfully managed to find a deal that worked for them and on time. The team also managed to secure a temporary space for the Hellenic Classic Charter School deal as they seek to finalize a long-term solution.
Frank Doyle
Vice Chairman
New York Office Leasing
Frank Doyle is a Vice Chairman in JLL’s New York office. Frank is
co-head of JLL’s Landlord Agency Specialty. He currently focuses on space marketing and dispositions for major institutions, public and private organizations, and local and global investors, and engages in occupancy planning, strategy development and location acquisition for tenants of all sizes. Frank specializes in Midtown Manhattan, but has completed transactions in every submarket in Manhattan and many locations across the New York Tri-state region. As a member of JLL’s New York leadership team, he helps set strategy for the office and directs a staff of nearly 190 brokerage specialists representing tenants and landlords. Frank joined JLL in 1988, giving him nearly 30 years of real estate experience in the New York market.
Frank is one of New York’s most accomplished leasing agents, having completed more than 20 million s.f. of assignments over the course of his career. He has created and executed targeted marketing campaigns for all kinds of direct and sublease space in the city, though his primary concentration has been on identifying tenants for large availabilities in trophy properties. The following represent some of his most notable accomplishments and client relationships:
Frank earned a bachelor of arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1987 and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 1992. He has twice served on the board of directors of the Real Estate Board of
New York (REBNY), is a member of the Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association of New York and is a licensed real estate broker in New York State.
Daniel J. Dwyer
Partner
Meister Seelig & Fein LLP
Daniel Dwyer is a Partner at MSF’s Real Estate Group. Mr. Dwyer represents clients in connection with all aspects of real estate transactions, including the acquisition, disposition and leasing of property and financing related thereto. He frequently works with both developers and investors to document business agreements. He also works with clients seeking to utilize EB-5 investment in connection with real estate development, both as debt and equity. Mr. Dwyer has worked with borrowers and lenders in connection with loan modifications and workouts and often works with landlords and tenants in connection with lease modifications.
Shimon Eisikowicz
Chief Lending Officer
Cross River Bank
Shimon Eisikowicz is a seasoned banking professional with almost twenty years of retail banking, credit, and lending experience. Shimon —working closely with the bank’s
B.O.D. delegated credit committee— personally reviews, underwrites, and structures all CRE loans the bank extends. He has also developed and grown the CRE department from one person, to an origination and support team (including loan servicing), to more than twelve full-time employees, all while originating and participating in hundreds of transactions totaling almost $500,000,000 of loans for the bank in NY, NJ, CT and PA
Shimon began his career in banking as a Customer Service Representative at the branch level for the Greater New York Savings Bank in 1997, and subsequently Astoria Federal Savings Bank (AF) through the merger of both institutions in 1998. He trained and cross trained in various departments starting with residential lending and credit/underwriting beginning in 1999. He joined the Cross River team in 2009 shortly after its inception as the Chief Lending Officer, and has helped pave the way for Cross River to become a household name in the Commercial Real Estate (CRE) lending arena.
Shimon just closed a $21.5MM loan participation.
Alex Elezaj
Founder and President
Black Mountain Capital
Alex Elezaj is the founder and president of Black Mountain Capital BMC, a Manhattan-based private mortgage boutique banking firm that provides traditional and creative private mortgage banking services for investors, developers, business owners and homeowners looking to finance residential and commercial properties primarily in the New York metro area, Florida, New Jersey and Connecticut.
This year Elezaj’s biggest accomplishment was expanding the company’s reach with a newly opened 2,500 square foot storefront Westchester office in downtown New Rochelle staffed with loan advisors and operations personnel. He also has planned offices in Greenwich, the Hamptons and Florida in the near future. The firm’s Manhattan office on Madison Avenue opened in 2011.
Over the last year year, Elezaj’s BMC closed over $100 million in finance deals, and since its inception has continuously doubled origination’s year-over-year. Some of his recent largest deals involve the cross-collateralization of a highly leveraged loan at the newly built Hudson Yards project to an ultra high-end Greenwich Village townhouse.
At 41-years-old, Elezaj brings over 20 + years of private mortgage banking experience to Black Mountain Capital which he opened in 2010 during the depths of the recession. “Everyone thought I was crazy but I found the regulatory environment difficult to conduct daily business,” said Elezaj, who left a seven-year career at Bank of America to start his own firm.
David Falk
President, New York
Tri-State Region
Newmark Knight Frank
In April 2009, David Falk was appointed President New York Tri-State Region of Newmark Knight Frank. Mr. Falk’s business is centered on both tenant and landlord representation in the acquisition and disposition of office space. Within the last two years, he has been involved in the leasing of more than 2.5 million square feet of space.
Mr. Falk and his team are the exclusive leasing agents for over 23 million square feet of an array of prestigious buildings, including 1 World Trade Center (3 million square feet), One Liberty Plaza (2.3 million square feet), 1251 Avenue of the Americas (2.1 million square feet), 299 Park Avenue (1.2 million square feet) and 1 Hudson Square (1 million sf). As leasing agents, he and his team have recently been involved in a number of transformative projects, such as Chelsea Market, and noteworthy transactions that have included such progressive companies as Google, Twitter and Samsung.
Mr. Falk holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from New York University.
Mr. Falk represented healthcare start-up Oscar in a 160,000 square foot new, direct lease at One Hudson Square. Oscar expanded, taking the 4th floor, previously occupied by New York Magazine and committing to a long-term direct extension on the 5th floor to support its rapidly growing headcount and office needs.
Mark Fischer
Account Manager
Lane Office
The entrepreneurial Mark Fischer, fresh from finishing his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, worked as a caddy and boat captain in Montauk, N.Y., hoping to meet people who could help him secure a position on Wall Street. One day he wound up caddying for Greg Burke, Lane Office’s CEO, and was offered a job there selling DIRTT and furniture.
In his five years with Lane, Fischer has handled individual projects exceeding 125,000 square feet and worked on over 1 million square feet of furniture/DIRTT transactions for major companies such as Flatiron Health, Blackstone, NY Road Runners, Broadway Technology and more.
Fischer has seen 5 years of continuous sales growth due to perseverance, hard work, and facing challenges head on. Although he never intended to sell furniture and custom interior construction solutions, Fischer now sees this as his job for life.
“Fish”, as he’s commonly known in the industry, has accomplished all this while running his fishing business, Stella Fishing Charters, serving as head of the Young Leader Education Subcommittee of the corporate real estate advocacy group CoreNet, and volunteering with the charities like Adopt a Platoon and Coalition for the Homeless.
Mark was named one of Commercial Observer’s 20 Under 35: The Top Young Architects, Engineers and Contractors of 2018
Shlomo Gelernter
Senior Director
Besen Partners
Shlomo Gelernter joined Besen & Associates in 2017, and is focused on the sale of office, multi family and mixed used properties throughout Manhattan. Shlomo graduated with a dual degree in Economics and International Relations from Hobart College while competing in NCAA football athletics. After graduating, Shlomo declined an invitation to the NFL Combine and elected to begin his real estate career.
Shlomo started working as a broker at Marcus & Millichap in New York City and transitioned into a Senior Acquisitions Executive role at Pink Stone Capital Group three years later. After his stint in acquisitions, Shlomo transitioned back into brokerage as a partner and broker at Arch-Equities as Managing Director. For three years, he focused on off-market deals and completed sales of NYC investment property worth more than $100,000,000 in deals in his last calendar year at the company.
Shlomo is relationship-driven and his competitive drive fuels his passion for brokerage. He plays the tenor saxophone, and is fluent in English, Hebrew and speaks proficient Spanish.
Shlomo’s most recent deals this year are 85 Second Avenue $7.2MM, this property sold for $7,200,000 which translates to $1,356 PPSF. 113 East 2nd Street, this property sold for $7,400,000 which translates to $1,058 PPSF.
Michael Gembecki
Director – Investment Sales
Cushman & Wakefield
Most recent achievement: Michael is proud of his recent achievement at 287 East 10th Street, which used to be owned by the non-profit Boys Club of New York. Michael and his team were hired to market the asset, as the Boys Club of New York was downsizing and moving resources to other neighborhoods. While this process was highly competitive, the ultimate buyer was another non-profit that was interested in preserving the neighborhood. Boys Club of New York now has the opportunity to stay in the building for a longer period of time than they had originally imagined. After the Boys Club of New York leaves the building, the new owner will likely lease the building to other various non-profit and community organizations.
Bio: Michael Gembecki is the leading broker in the capital markets group of Cushman & Wakefield, focusing on Chelsea, Greenwich Village, NoHo and the West Village. To date, Michael has been involved in the sale of 32 properties with an aggregate value of nearly $1.09 billion.
Previously, Michael was a Senior Associate at Massey Knakal Realty Services, which was acquired by Cushman & Wakefield on December 31, 2014.Michael started at Massey Knakal in 2010 as an Associate in the Research Department, working alongside senior partners to analyze market data to identify local neighborhood trends across all boroughs. This position gave Michael the opportunity to develop a key understanding of market dynamics, which helped build the foundation for his career. The analytical mindset he gained through working in research helps Michael deliver value to his clients and adapt to the rapidly-changing New York City real estate environment. He has evaluated and sold various property types including office, mixed-use, multifamily, retail, developable land, townhouses, commercial condo/co-ops, air right transfers and partial ownership interests.
Prior to his employment at Massey Knakal, Michael was an Intern in the Project Development Department of Jones Land LaSalle in Stamford, Connecticut. Michael is a graduate of Salisbury University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance.
Keyvan Ghaytanchi
General Counsel & COO
BEB Capital
Not all top-level real estate dealmakers are brokers, as BEB Capital’s Keyvan Ghaytanchi amply demonstrates. Ghaytanchi, general counsel and COO of the Long Island-based owner/developer, has served as key negotiator in recent deals that have helped the firm expand both its geographic focus and range of business operations. Working closely with CEO Lee Brodsky, Ghaytanchi negotiated key acquisitions that enabled BEB Capital to establish a significant position in the vibrant East Harlem multifamily market. Using 1031 exchange provisions, the purchases were made with proceeds from an opportunistic disposition of the firm’s parking garage assets.
Ghaytanchi also helped consummate a major addition to BEB’s light industrial portfolio on Long Island last year, and subsequently negotiated a 10-year lease for the entire 57,000-square-foot Port Washington property, while simultaneously working with Town of North Hempstead officials to obtain permits that would allow timely delivery of the premises to the tenant.
In a more unconventional vein, Ghaytanchi recently completed a series of complex transactions that brought BEB Capital into the business of third-party management for the first time. He did so by helping a family resolve estate issues by negotiating 1031 exchange transactions involving four properties in two cities, with BEB assuming the management of the acquired properties.
“It’s gratifying work, and I have superb associates helping to get it all done,” says Keyvan. “But I’m just one part of a leadership team consisting of Lee and company Chairman Bert Brodsky. They’re guiding the way during this exciting period of growth.”
James P. Godman
Partner, Real Estate Practice
Kramer Levin
James P. Godman represents sellers and purchasers, developers, investors, lenders and borrowers, and landlords and tenants in a full range of real estate transactions, including sales and acquisitions, development, financings and restructurings, and joint venture and leasing transactions.
Among his most notable New York work, Jay represented a joint venture between The Peebles Corporation and The El-Ad Group in the acquisition and financing of 108 Leonard Street (formerly known as 346 Broadway), the single largest building ever sold by New York City. Redevelopment plans for this 419,000-square-foot Tribeca landmark included a mixed-use combination of luxury condominium residences, a possible boutique hotel and an approximately 15,000-square-foot community space, along with a parking facility. Jay’s work on the transaction included forming a joint venture, negotiating the contract of sale and related leaseback, and assisting with the financing for the acquisition. He has also represented Rockrose Development Corporation in various transactions including, among others, the construction financing for the Eagle Lofts and Linc LIC projects in Long Island City, NY and the refinancing and sale of the leasehold estate in 22 River Terrace, New York, NY.
On May 23, 2019, Kramer Levin client VICI Properties Inc. acquired the land and real estate assets of the Greektown Casino-Hotel in downtown Detroit for approximately $700 million in cash from JACK Entertainment, a company owned by Dan Gilbert, the founder of Quicken Loans and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, and Penn National Gaming Inc. acquired the operating assets of Greektown for approximately $300 million in cash. Simultaneous with the closing of this transaction, VICI entered into a triple-net lease agreement with Penn National related to Greektown. VICI, a REIT, is a premier owner and developer of best-in-class gaming, hospitality and entertainment destinations that provide exceptional customer experiences. In connection with the Greektown transaction, Jay Godman ran the real estate acquisition for VICI, and Tzvi Rokeach headed up the lease team for the REIT.
Josh Goldsmith
Managing Director
Colliers International
Josh most recently put YieldStreet into 32,000 square feet of space at 300 Park Avenue.
Bio: Josh Goldsmith is a Managing Director at Colliers International’s New York office specializing in both landlord and tenant representation. He works closely with Executive Managing Director Christel Engel on several agency projects including the repositioning of 300,000 SF of office space at 554 8th Ave.
Josh has also played an integral role in additional agency assignments including 1330 Avenue of the Americas, 860 Washington Street, 675 Avenue of the Americas, 245 Fifth Avenue, 276 Fifth Avenue, 554 8th Avenue, 30 West 21st Street, 129 West 29th Street, 29 West 30th Street.
On the tenant side, over the past 12 months Josh has represented companies such as Yieldstreet, Sharp Communications, BCM One, KWG Advertising, Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse Hirschtritt LLP, LoftSmart, GEM, WeldNorth, Fekkai Brands, Exponential Interactive, CloserStill, Horowitz and Ullmann, Amzak Health, Guidepost Solutions and DeepCurrents for their requirements in New York City.
Prior to joining Colliers, Josh was an Associate Director at Cushman & Wakefield where he worked with clients in various sectors, including financial, legal, telecommunications and technology. Josh holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Rhode Island where he majored in Business and Psychology, and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Adam Hajibai
Vice President of Acquisitions
Klosed Properties.
Adam Hajibai is currently the Vice President of Acquisitions for Klosed Properties. His primary responsibility is to source and underwrite investment assets in the NY-Metro. In the past, he has been involved with property management, canvassing, project management, and retail/residential leasing. He has recently helped establish and lead the acquisition team, focused on the acquisition of value-add retail, residential, and mixed-use properties in the NY-Metro area.
Klosed Properties is a vertically integrated Real Estate private-equity firm, that owns and manages over 60 properties within the NY Metropolitan Area. The company has been active in the purchase of Mixed-Use Buildings, Multifamily, Retail Condos/Coops, NNN Retail, Office Buildings, Shopping Centers/Malls, and development projects.
Zack Hilgendorf
Vice President
Quantum Real Estate
Advisors, Inc
Zack’s rare skill set and in-depth knowledge of the nuances of net-lease transactions have proven to be a valuable resource for his clients.
Zack Hilgendorf specializes in advising clients in the acquisition and disposition of retail properties nationwide.
Mr. Hilgendorf’s commitment to his clients has allowed him to close over $300M in sales since he joined the company in 2017. His work has not gone unnoticed as he has been featured in numerous publications including most recently REjournals “CRE Future Leaders” and Real Estate Weekly’s “Rising Stars”.
Prior to Quantum, Zack worked as a Retail Investment Broker for a local brokerage/investment firm, where he focused on targeting, analyzing and acquiring properties for the company. Before getting into commercial real estate and while still attending the University of Kansas, he worked at a property management company, where he oversaw all leasing and management of over 300 residential apartments.
Matthew E. Kasindorf
Partner & Co-Chair,
Real Estate
Meister Seelig & Fein LLP
Matthew Kasindorf is the Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Group. He is an accomplished transactional lawyer specializing in sophisticated real estate and investment ventures in New York and throughout the United States. Mr. Kasindorf counsels clients in the formation, syndication, acquisition, financing, development, sale and leasing of all real estate asset classes. He has extensive experience in crafting joint ventures, investment funds and other strategic alliances with particular emphasis on business, tax and finance issues.
Mr. Kasindorf’s team handles single asset and portfolio real estate acquisitions and sales, sophisticated financing transactions including securitized mortgages, multi-tranche mezzanine loans and preferred equity transactions, fund formation, new construction, ground lease negotiation and development, office, industrial and retail leasing for both landlords and tenants, workouts and foreclosures, co-op and condominium development and conversions and air rights and zoning matters.
Mike Kerwin
Senior Vice President of
Investment Sales
Rosewood Realty Group
Mike Kerwin is Senior Vice President of Investment Sales at commercial real estate brokerage Rosewood Realty Group where during his successful 15-year career he has helped close hundreds of deals throughout New York City totaling over a billion dollars in value.
Kerwin , who started at Rosewood in 2010, began his career focusing on multi-family sales. He has since represented both buyers and sellers in every type of property transaction including development, retail, office, multifamily, vacant and distressed. This past year with the recent rent law changes he was able to pivot immediately and sign contracts on five major commercial deals that total over $100 million. Additionally, he personally also has over $120 million in active exclusive sales listings.
Recent deals by Kerwin include the $22.7 million sale of 346 East 29th St, in Brooklyn, a 66-unit gut-renovated elevator building. Another deal is the $7.4 million sale of a two-building townhouse portfolio located on prime blocks of the Upper East Side of Manhattan only steps from Central Park. The process took less than a week to go into contract and closed only weeks later.
Kerwin graduated from the University of Maryland Business School in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and began his career in commercial brokerage in 2004.
Michael Kook
Associate Broker
Marcus & Millichap
Michael Kook has been an agent working out of the Manhattan office of Marcus & Millichap for the past eight years. During this time, Michael has accomplished numerous achievements and has been recognized both internally within Marcus & Millichap and regionally in the New York real estate sphere, such as being selected for the Commercial Observer’s 30 under 30 in 2017.
Michael maintains a focus on the sale of commercial properties in the outer boroughs and throughout the tri-state region. Some of Michael more prominent recent closings were the sale of a $13 million retail center and a $7 million development site in Queens. He currently has several notable listings in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island.
Alternatively, Michael also specializes in single-tenant retail properties and 1031 exchanges throughout the country. Over the past year, he has sold roughly $75 million of these types of assets across ten states to buyers who are mostly located in the tri-state area.
Brian Waterman &
Lance Korman
Executive Vice Chairman &
Vice Chairman
Newmark Knight Frank
Brian S. Waterman, executive vice chairman, has negotiated leasing transactions in excess of $2 billion dollars. He is very active in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as one of the largest fundraisers in the US. Mr. Waterman also guest lectures at the NYU Real Estate Institute, Columbia University, Fordham Law School and REBNY. He holds a Bachelor of Science from C.W. Post College.
Lance S. Korman, vice chairman, has negotiated leasing transactions exceeding $1 billion dollars. He is a member of REBNY has served on a number of boards, including those for The Doe Fund and Lenox Hill Hospital. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Boston University and an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
Mr. Waterman and Mr. Korman have worked together for nearly two decades, representing numerous high-profile office tenants and landlords. Recent tenants include Theory (70,000 SF) at 38 Gansevoort Street; and New York State Homes & Community (113,000 SF) at 641 Lexington Ave. Recent agency assignments include Blackstone, in the leasing of Park Avenue Tower; Stellar Management, in the lease-up of One SoHo Square; and SL Green Realty Corp. (212,000 SF) to First Republic Bank at 460 West 34th Street.
Glen Kunofsky
President
NNN Pro Group
Mr. Kunofsky is the President/Founder of the NNN Pro Group, which exclusively works in net lease real estate, specializing in sale-leaseback. He is also the President and Founder STNL Advisors, a top advisor on leases and site selection for operators in the net lease space. He is the Senior Managing Director of Marcus & Millichap, and has been the number one real estate broker within Marcus & Millichap for the past five years. Mr. Kunofsky has successfully negotiated and restructured leases as well run the sale leaseback programs for a long list of loyal clients including some of the nation’s largest corporations and franchisees. His vast knowledge and attention to detail has made him a leader in the industry. Mr. Kunofsky has a long track record of closing over 6,000 properties with an aggregate value of approximately $15.5 billion, including over $2.0 billion in each of the past three years.
Marco Lala
Senior Vice President,
RM Friedland
Marco Lala is one of the most active investment property specialists in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Westchester County. His sharp focus and intensity has resulted in a string of seventy seller oriented building transactions in as little as eighteen months during his 20+ year career. He has personally handled the sale of over $1.4 billion in the New York Metropolitan Area amounting to over 400 properties sold. In 2002, he spearheaded Massey Knakal’s expansion into the Bronx, Northern Manhattan & Westchester. Under his guidance the division grew to a 20+ person operation in a firm that employed over 200 brokers and support staff. In 2008, he joined Marcus & Millichap in their Midtown office becoming one of the top ranked agents in the firm and earned the largest fee award in the NY office in 2014.
He has sales Experience in Multiple Asset Classes: Multi-family, Affordable, HUD, Sec 8 Voucher Development, Retail, Industrial, office, etc.
Deep knowledge of NY metro submarkets, including local customs, laws, taxation scenarios, regulations, etc.
Marco graduated from Mount St. Michael Academy (High School) and received a degree in Marketing from Manhattan College in the Bronx. He currently resides in Bergen County, NJ. With his wife and 3 children.
Michael Lenchner
Vice President &
Director of Leasing
Sage Realty Corporation
Michael has achieved a number of important leasing successes over the last several years. Among his most significant transactions representing the William Kaufman Organization, include a new lease for WeWork at 437 Madison Avenue (362,197 square feet); a new lease and expansion for prominent fashion house Theory at 2 Gansevoort Street (102,032 square feet); a new direct lease and expansion for Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP at 77 Water Street (100,952 square feet); and a direct lease with nationally-renowned healthcare organization the Hospital for Special Surgery at 777 Third Avenue (123,250 square feet).
With his keen negotiating skills, steady leadership and a thorough knowledge of the marketplace, Michael Lenchner is one of the most respected and well-known commercial real estate executives in New York City.
Lenchner, who joined Sage Realty Corporation in 1990, now serves as Vice President and Director of Leasing. In this role, he manages all aspects of day-to-day negotiations, oversight and coordination of all leasing transactions in the William Kaufman Organization’s (WKO) office portfolio, comprising approximately three million square feet of commercial and retail space in Manhattan. In addition, he plays an active role in the management of Sage Realty and serves as an officer and shareholder of the company.
During his tenure, Lenchner has been instrumental in the repositioning of 77 Water Street, where Sage Realty recently took full control of the property; and has taken on a leadership role in the $60 million renovation of 437 Madison Avenue.
Over the years, Lenchner has been involved with many of the company’s most high-profile leasing assignments. In total, he has completed leasing transactions totaling in excess of 5.5 million square feet with a transactional value in the billions of dollars. Among some of those larger deals are the 550,000 square foot net lease to Goldman Sachs at 77 Water Street, the 430,000 square foot lease renewal with Grey Global Group at 777 Third Avenue, the 345,000 square foot lease renewal with Omnicom Group, Inc. at 437 Madison Avenue and the 271,150 square foot lease to Avon Products at 777 Third Avenue.
Reid Longley
Executive Managing Director
Colliers International
Reid Longley is an Executive Managing Director in Colliers NYC office. Reid’s primary focus is providing tenant representation and advisory services to clients in the financial services, insurance, law, media and technology sectors. He specializes in developing occupancy scenario’s, evaluating strategic options and negotiating leases. Reid has completed more than 1.3 million square feet of transactions in NYC, Boston, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Paris, London, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Some of his notable transactions include Twitter (217,000 SF), Tiger Management (79,000 SF), Glencore (63,000 SF) and Apple (53,000 SF).
Reid led the team that was awarded a global contract for an industry-leading Insurance company.
Reid previously worked at JLL and began his career in Credit Suisse’s Corporate Real Estate Group. He’s a member of Occupier Advisors, a select group of industry-leading, tenant focused Colliers professionals from across the world. Reid has earned several awards, including being named one of Commercial Observer’s, “30 under 30: Best & Brightest in NYC Real Estate” in 2017. He also received SL Green’s, “Most Transactions in a Year” Award in 2015 and “Rookie of the Year” Award in 2013. In 2014, he was awarded “Most Creative Deal of the Year” by Empire State Realty Trust. Reid earned a B.A. from Trinity College in Hartford, CT.
Jed Lowry
Division Vice President of Finance
Landsea Homes, New York Metro Division
Jed Lowry serves as Division Vice President of Finance, where he spearheads the Operations, Acquisitions and Financial Planning and Strategy for the New York Metro Division. He oversees the financial planning and reporting efforts, as well as forward planning and acquisitions. He works directly with the corporate finance team to develop and implement division-wide financial targets, strategies, and process improvements.
He acts as the primary liaison in Landsea Homes partnership relations, positioning Landsea Homes as a strategic and opportunistic land buyer in the tri-state area. Playing an integral role in identifying and securing opportunities that will define the next phase of the division’s portfolio.
Prior to Landsea Homes, Jed held a tenure as Vice President of Operations in the Lennar Boston area division. Prior to that he was the director of asset management responsible for the acquisitions, operations, development and asset management for Lennar’s Boston area communities.
Jed has extensive experience managing investments, finances, land development and vertical construction. He has managed wholly owned assets and developments as well as joint ventures, initiated and evaluated feasibility and profitability analysis, identified and qualified purchasers of assets, venture partners and construction partners.
Jed holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration from Northeastern University where he graduated with Dean’s List and Honor’s Society accolades.
In Jed’s free time he likes to sail with his family in the Boston area.
Nate Lowy
Founder & CEO
Juniper Capital Group
Nate Lowy is the founder and CEO of Juniper Capital Group, a boutique New York-based independent financial advisory firm in early 2016 that offers debt, equity, bridge, mezzanine and joint venture financing for all commercial real estate assets, primarily in the middle market.
Since its inception, Lowy has led the company to close deals totaling north of $500 million in property value and is expanding aggressively, providing creative and tailored financial solutions for clients through his long, cultivated years of experience. In 2018, he financed $200 million in property at 50 buildings in 2018, which was a 30% growth over 2017.
Lowy grew up in a real estate family and was always fascinated by the industry. He began his career as a junior analyst at a larger firm where he quickly learned the business, before starting his own firm to finance middle market projects (one to $100 million) with hands-on boutique experience for every deal and client no matter the deal size.
Lowy and his team leverage their long-term lending relationships with most of the nation’s top lenders that allow them to negotiate the aggressive terms for their clients. They also provide comprehensive underwriting services that deliver a sophisticated approach to securing capital with seamless execution regardless of complexity.
Christopher Marks
Senior Vice President
Capital Markets
Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation
Christopher Marks joined the Manhattan office of Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation (MMCC) in April 2010. Mr. Marks is responsible for securing commercial debt financing for an array of property types. Chris and his partners are well connected with national, regional and local funding sources including, but not limited to, agency lenders (e.g. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac), commercial banks, CMBS lenders, life insurance companies, private and public funds and bridge lenders.
Mr. Marks has more than ten years of commercial real estate finance experience and has financed more than 800 commercial real estate transactions in the United States. Prior to joining MMCC, Mr. Marks served as a loan analyst and sales manager at Capital One Financial. He was also a senior loan officer with Velocity Commercial Capital.
Alexander S. McGee
Founder and CEO
McGee Ryan Assets
In just two years since the launch of his firm, McGee Ryan Assets, Alexander McGee has amassed a portfolio of 15 multifamily and mixed-use properties. Now, among the major allies of the ongoing renaissance in the Oranges and Newark in Northern New Jersey, McGee leverages his New York tri-state capital markets experience to home in on ideal redevelopment opportunities to support those communities’ carefully planned revitalization efforts.
McGee spent two years each at powerhouse firms Cushman & Wakefield and Ariel Property Advisors where he closed over $75 million in client transactions before venturing on his own. His investment sales experience includes complex partnership agreements and the assemblage of land parcels for new development projects.
During his accelerated career, McGee has become a trusted advisor in key arenas, including investments in value-add, distressed real estate, development and subsidized housing programs, while expanding the MR Assets portfolio of housing that caters to the workers who live in the neighborhoods he knows best. His focus is centered on uncovering investment opportunities that reinvigorate communities and provide quality housing near public transportation. His advice, persistence and support have been critical to his success and that of his impressive roster of clients.
David Metzger
Senior Managing Director
Eastern Union
A senior managing director with Eastern Union, David Metzger has a 16-year record of success arranging financing, refinancings and bridge loans for asset types including multifamily, multi-use, office, retail and industrial properties.
He has developed a reputation for creativity in dealmaking. David can skillfully manage complex transactions and knows how to carefully shape a deal structure that will go furthest in meeting his clients’ goals. He has also established productive working relationships with dozens of banks and other lenders.
David’s clients also praise him for his ability to close deals quickly and efficiently, and for his professionalism and attention to detail.
On numerous occasions, he has effectively tapped the resources of Eastern Equity Advisors, the equity brokerage company associated with Eastern Union. David also leverages his close relationship with QTS Services, a market-leading quotes and term sheet servicer that is affiliated with Eastern Union.
Adam Miller
Vice President
MKDA
Adam Miller is Vice President and Director of Business Development in MKDA’s New York office, where he is responsible for driving new business and maintaining client relationships within the New York, Stamford, Miami and Washington, D.C. markets.
Adam has over 15 years of experience in sales and business development for the commercial furniture and real estate brokerage industries.
In addition to business development positions for The Atlantic Group and Workwell Partners, both premiere NYC based commercial furniture dealerships, he was a licensed real estate broker who had provided tenant and landlord advisory services during tenures at Cushman & Wakefield and Newmark Grubb Knight Frank.
Adam is a member of the Israel Bonds New Leadership Cabinet and Corenet Young Leaders.
Chris Mongeluzo &
Moshe Sukenik
Vice Chairmen
Newmark Knight Frank
Vice Chairman Chris Mongeluzo has been with NKF since 1993. Building upon his legal background, he has earned a reputation as an expert negotiator and tenant representative, both in the tri-state area and on a national level.
Vice Chairman Moshe Sukenik joined NKF in 1989. He provides strategic planning, portfolio analysis and acquisition services to clients in the NY region and globally.
Mr. Mongeluzo and Mr. Sukenik are widely recognized as some of the foremost real estate advisors to the NYC legal industry, having represented prominent firms including but not limited to: Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP’s; Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP; Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP; Davis Ward, Phillips & Veinburg (one of Canada’s largest law firms); Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and McGuireWoods LLP.
Together they’ve also worked with other noteworthy tenants such as NYC Economic Development Corporation (225,000 sf) at One Liberty Plaza, Ernst & Young’s (650,000 rsf) new development at 1 Manhattan West, Horizon Media (400,000 sf) at One Hudson Square, CIT (leasing 154,000 sf) at 11 West 42nd Street and Elliott Management Corp (125,000 sf) at 40 West 57th Street.
Mr. Mongeluzo and Mr. Sukenik represented Cahill Gordon & Reindel in their 201,000+ RSF lease at 32 Old Slip in Lower Manhattan, the first new location for the firm since 1960. They also represented Greenberg Traurig in leasing four contiguous floors totaling 133,000 RSF at SL Green Realty’s One Vanderbilt
Jonathan Morgan
President
Morgan Properties
Jonathan was recently named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2019 Award winner in the family business category for Greater Philadelphia. The prestigious award recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities, while also transforming the world. As a Greater Philadelphia winner, he is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year National Overall Award taking place in November.
This distinction points to the massive growth Morgan Properties has recently experienced, spearheaded by Jonathan. Under his leadership the company has accomplished the following in the past three years alone:
Further expanded its existing portfolio which is comprised of over $8 billion in assets and over 52,000 units. Of note, the company recently acquired The Lantern Portfolio consisting of 10 apartment communities with 4,130 units spanning the Greater Philadelphia Area and Northern Virginia. This acquisition was the largest real estate transaction in Philadelphia’s history, and further solidified the company’s position in Virginia, following its acquisition of Bennington Crossings for $62.5 million, and the Mark Center Portfolio for $509 million — the largest transaction in Virginia in 2017.
Expanded its geographic footprint by entering a new market — Nashville, Tennessee — with the acquisition of a $91 million portfolio.
Surpassed 1,000 employees to support the company’s massive growth.
Jeremy Moss
Executive Vice President
Silverstein Properties
Jeremy Moss is Executive Vice President and Director of Leasing for Silverstein Properties. He oversees leasing for Silverstein Properties’ entire commercial portfolio, which includes 2, 3, 4 and 7 World Trade Center, 120 Broadway, 120 Wall Street, 1177 Avenue of the Americas, 529 5th Avenue and the recently acquired Philadelphia trophy building, 1735 Market Street. Since joining Silverstein in 2008, Jeremy has completed over 5 million square feet of leases – bringing both 4 WTC and 7 WTC to 100% occupancy, and 3 World Trade Center to 72% occupancy.
Prior to joining Silverstein Properties, Jeremy was a Vice President for Commercial Development and Leasing at Forest City Ratner Companies in New York City where he managed the leasing of Forest City’s 6 million square foot office portfolio. During his eight years at Forest City, Jeremy worked on 2 million square feet of commercial office leasing transactions and was involved in the development and leasing of 4 office buildings including the New York Times Building.
Prior to joining Forest City, Jeremy was with GRP Capital where he was responsible for the asset management and disposition of Resolution Trust properties and other commercial assets on behalf of the firm’s institutional investors.
Jeremy is on the board of Brooklyn Boatworks, a not-for-profit that runs an educational boat building program for public schools. In 2016, Jeremy was selected to join the prestigious Rockefeller Fellows, a 12-month program that prepares senior corporate executives for more active leadership in civic and public affairs. He is also active in a number of organizations including the Real Estate Board of NY, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Central Park Conservancy.
Jeremy received is BA in economics and political science from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
David G. Moss
Partner
Meister Seelig & Fein LLP
David Moss is a Partner at MSF in the Real Estate Group. Mr. Moss has extensive experience in real estate development, “real estate finance” and the restructure of distressed real estate transactions. Mr. Moss routinely represents developers, lenders, investors, landlords and tenants with respect to a wide variety of commercial real estate transactions including acquisitions, sales, joint ventures, workouts, disputes and litigations. In addition, Mr. Moss prides himself on being a deal-making lawyer, focused on helping clients realize business objectives.
Michael Muller
Senior Managing Director
Eastern Union
A licensed real estate broker with a degree in accounting, Michael Muller is a senior managing director with Eastern Union.
With nearly 20 years of experience in commercial real estate financing and sales, Michael has facilitated transactions with a total value exceeding $4 billion. Working with a wide spectrum of commercial real estate owners and developers, he has arranged financing for projects across America, with deals across all asset categories.
One of the country’s top-producing commercial brokers, Michael closed some 150 transactions over the past year alone. He has forged relationships with more than 75 lenders, banks and financial institutions. Consistently monitoring industry trends and market data, his keen understanding of commercial real estate dynamics has earned him an excellent reputation among colleagues, clients and lenders.
To optimize his transactions’ quotes and term sheets, Michael collaborates with QTS Services, with which Eastern Union maintains an exclusive relationship. QTS Services is America’s largest independent quotes and term sheet servicer, as measured by loan volume.
Michael also assists clients in rounding out their full capital stack by tapping the services of Eastern Equity Advisors, an equity brokerage firm affiliated with Eastern Union.
Jacob Namdar
Senior Managing Director of Acquisitions
Klosed Properties
Jacob Namdar joined Klosed Properties in 2010 and is currently the Senior Managing Director of Acquisitions. His primary responsibility is to source and underwrite investment opportunities for the company. He is also a member of ICSC: International Council of Shopping Center
Klosed Properties is a fully vertically integrated RE Investment Firm, focusing on commercial investments in the NY-Metro area.
The company has been active in the purchase of Mixed-Use Buildings, Multifamily, Retail Condos/Coops, NNN Retail, Office Buildings, Shopping Centers/Malls, and development projects.
James Nelson
Principal & Head of Tri-State Investment Sales group
Avison Young
James Nelson is Principal and Head of Avison Young’s Tri-State Investment Sales group where he leads a group of three dozen professionals in the sale of multi-family, office, development and retail properties.
James has built a unique sales platform at Avison Young consisting of a unified, client first, sales group that is broken out by asset class, rather than territory, and where brokers share information and commissions in order to provide the best client experience. The group is currently marketing 50+ active listings valued at over $1.5 billion.
Throughout his career, James has been involved in the sale of over 400 properties and loans with a value of over $4 billion. Prior to joining Avison Young, James served as Vice Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield and as a partner for Massey Knakal.
James is Chairman of REBNY’s Commercial Board of Directors, a Board Member of both the Citizens Budget Commission and the Catalog for Giving, member of the Counselors of Real Estate and Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association of New York (YMWREA), and Founder of the Real Estate Services Alliance and the Colgate Real Estate Council.
In just a year and a half creating one, James has created a unified sales team with three dozen team members handling multifamily, office, retail. and development sales in the Tri-State area. James and his team are currently marketing over $1B in exclusive inventory including the recent North Brooklyn Luxury 8 Portfolio for $200 mm. Since the beginning of 2019, James and his team have put in contract 26 sale transactions for $530 million
Scott A Newmark
Partner
Meister Seelig & Fein LLP
Scott Newmark is a Partner at MSF and Co-Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Group. Mr. Newmark is active in all aspects of the firm’s real estate practice, including sales and acquisitions, leasing, financing, loan workouts and deal restructuring and condominium and cooperative offerings. Mr. Newmark’s clients range from institutional property owners, developers and tenants to young entrepreneurs who may be entering into their first purchase or lease and need the guidance Mr. Newmark’s years of expertise can provide. Mr. Newmark’s real estate expertise is leveraged regularly by MSF’s litigators to analyze causes of action and potential defenses in complex real estate litigations.
Meyer Ovadia
Associate
Meridian Capital Group
Meyer Ovadia joined Meridian in 2018 and currently serves as an Associate in the company’s New York City headquarters. He is responsible for the underwriting and placement of loans across a broad array of property types, including multifamily, office, retail, hospitality, and industrial properties in New York City and throughout the United States.
Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Ovadia was an Analyst at The Blackstone Group where he helped manage investment vehicles, particularly in respect to their credit facilities, FX exposure, cash management, and lender portfolio covenants.
Mr. Ovadia has been involved in the negotiation and placement of more than $1.2 billion in financing since joining Meridian. Notable financing transactions include a $182 million loan for a property on Madison Avenue, a $102 million loan for Garden City Plaza, a $77 million loan for a property on University Place, a $60 million loan for a property on Avenue of the Americas, and a $33 million loan for a property on Collins Avenue.
Mr. Ovadia holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baruch College with a major in Finance and Investments.
Yisroel Pershin
Associate Director,
Investment Sales
GFI Realty Services, LLC
Yisroel Pershin is currently an associate director of investment sales at GFI Realty Services, LLC, a commercial real estate firm that has been in business for over thirty years. Mr. Pershin began his career in real estate in 2006 after being introduced to the industry by his brother who was working for a large developer at the time.
During the course of his career Mr. Pershin has become known in the industry for his intimate market knowledge and ability to close problematic deals. Over his career, he has negotiated approximately
$1B in real estate transactions. Since 2006, Mr. Pershin has cultivated relationships with the largest property owners in NYC as well as nationally and has developed an expertise in trading NNN lease assets as well as multifamily properties across the five boroughs.
He has also received numerous honors including being named one of New York Real Estate Journal’s Ones to Watch in 2018 as well as being recognized as Top Producer of the Year by GFI Realty Services in 2018.
Justin Piasecki
Principal, Capital Markets Group
Avison Young
Justin Piasecki, a principal in Avison Young’s Debt, Joint Venture and Structured Capital Group in New York City, is responsible for global debt/equity capital raises, the sale of performing/non-performing loan portfolios, and securing lines of credit for bridge lenders. Justin has completed $10 billion in transactions since joining the team in 2012. He was honored with a Best Real Estate Deals of 2017 award from the Dallas Business Journal as part of a team that raised $457 million for a sale-leaseback acquisition in Plano, Texas. Other notable recent transactions include a $220 million multifamily construction loan; an $86 million bridge loan for a multifamily development; and a $125 million bridge loan for a co-living development, all of which placed capital from New York City-based lenders on Los Angeles projects. Justin was previously a Senior Vice President and top dealmaker at The Carlton Group, where he completed $3 billion of deals between 2008 and 2012. Justin was also recently recognized in Real Estate Forum’s 50 under 40 ranking for 2019. He is a member at the Urban Land Institute, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, and his alma mater’s Rutgers Business School Center for Real Estate Emerging Leaders Council.
Adelaide Polsinelli
Vice Chair
Compass
For renowned industry expert Adelaide Polsinelli, real estate isn’t a job, it’s a way of life. With that passionate attitude and a deep well of talent, she’s been breaking records and shaping industry trends throughout her more than 30 years in the business. She has an impeccable decades-long track record of consistently selling real estate backed by extensive market knowledge, experience and a solid reputation of commitment to her customers.
Adelaide has sold over 1,500 properties valued at over $40 billion in every asset class, including multifamily, retail, office, SROs, IMDs, co-ops and condo sales, unsold shares, retail condos, partnership interests, loans, note sales, hotels, air rights, inclusionary rights, assemblages, developments and garages.
In addition to selling and advising on all real estate asset classes, Ms. Polsinelli previously headed the Retail Sales Division at Eastern Consolidated, where she led the firm’s brokerage, advisory, financial structuring and marketing services for the sale of all retail driven deals from retail condominiums, office buildings, taxpayers, shopping centers, mixed use residential buildings, and hotels, to high street retail properties. Through her leadership, she was instrumental in classifying retail condos as a new real estate asset class, the urban equivalent to triple-net-leased properties.
She is regularly called upon as a well-regarded co-op and condo expert, known for uncovering value for co-op and condos by methodically structuring the various components of their real estate to generate optimum value. She has created assemblages using inclusionary air rights and buying air rights from co-ops and condos, as well as unfolding entire co-ops and reorganizing the retail leases resulting in unexpected windfalls.
Laura Pomerantz
Vice Chairman, Head of Strategic Accounts
Cushman & Wakefield
Ms. Pomerantz provides comprehensive and strategic real estate solutions based on her clients’ growth initiatives. She specializes in strategic planning and tactical plan formation, office and retail tenant & landlord representation, lease negotiation, acquisition & development, and equity investment. She has successfully concluded over 18,000,000 SF of commercial transactions for clients including Bloomberg, Hudson’s Bay Company, Giorgio Armani, Abercrombie & Fitch, Stuart Weitzman and the Guggenheim Museum – just to name a few. She is also the exclusive and national representative for Ted Baker/London, Levi’s, and Vince. Ms. Pomerantz is spearheading and currently completing the leasing for 935 Broadway – an 85,775 SF office/retail building in Flatiron, NY.
Ms. Pomerantz serves on several business boards including G-III, ROIC and Mack-Cali Realty Corporation. Ms. Pomerantz has also been a member of the Carnegie Hall Board of Trustees for over 30 years and is presently an Honorary Trustee. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Richard Tucker Foundation. Cushman & Wakefield recognized Ms. Pomerantz as the Tri-State Region’s Top Broker and Top Producer in Retail in 2017. She and her husband John have had a life-long commitment to Jewish causes such as UJA, AJC, NCJW, and Central Synagogue.
Jill Preschel
Vice President of Sales & Marketing,
Landsea Homes, New York Metro Division
Jill Preschel is currently Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Landsea Homes overseeing the marketing, branding and sales strategy for Landsea’s residential developments across the Eastern Region. Landsea Homes designs and builds master-planned communities and homes from coast to coast in vibrant, prime locations that reflect modern living. Currently overseeing predevelopment, design, marketing and sales for approximately $450M worth of real estate in the tri-state area.
Previously, held the role of Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Greystone Development. She was responsible for overseeing the marketing and sales efforts for over 700 units across more than a dozen properties in New York City, California and Florida, with a value exceeding $524M in various stages of development, sales and leasing.
Notably putting the PH into contract at 175 West Tenth Street penthouse during presales for $10M at $3,300 PSF. As well as breaking price per square foot records in City Island, with the first new development in decades, On The Sound.
Prior to joining Greystone Development she was Senior Sales and Marketing Director at Alchemy Properties executing the sales and marketing for various new developments such as The Woolworth Tower Residences, 35XV, Sackett Union and Griffin Court. Before Alchemy Properties, Jill worked at Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group on the team dedicated to the Extell Development portfolio which at the time included: 995 Fifth Avenue, 212 East 47th Street, 535 West End Avenue, Ariel East and Ariel West, Avery, Rushmore, Aldyn and The Lucida. Before beginning her career in real estate, Jill attended and graduated from Johns Hopkins University.
Christy L. Reuter
Partner & Chair,
Hotel & Hospitality
Meister Seelig & Fein LLP
Christy Reuter is a Partner at MSF in the firm’s Hotel & Hospitality, Real Estate and Corporate Groups. Ms. Reuter specializes in domestic and global hospitality transactions and represents hospitality companies seeking to expand within the United States and in countries around the world. She has negotiated deals in cities throughout the United States and in various countries and cities, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Japan, Turkey, and Monaco.
Ms. Reuter provides strategic legal and business counsel to clients at every stage of a transaction. She regularly guides clients through the material business and legal issues in complex corporate transactions including joint venture negotiations, operating or shareholder agreements, license and management agreements and commercial leasing. Ms. Reuter also regularly assists clients with review of employment agreements, non-disclosure agreements and vendor and contractor agreements.
Tzvi Rokeach
Partner, Real Estate Practice
Kramer Levin
Tzvi Rokeach represents leading developers, institutional investors, major lenders, Fortune 1000 corporations and prominent individual investors, bringing a multidisciplinary perspective to a wide range of sophisticated real estate transactions. Tzvi works on large-scale development and construction projects, joint ventures, acquisitions, and sales and dispositions across a broad range of asset types, including commercial, industrial, retail, residential, gaming, hospitality and entertainment properties. He also represents lenders and borrowers in complex real estate financings, workouts, and complicated restructurings and recapitalizations, as well as multiple-tier intercreditor relationships and mortgage and mezzanine loan foreclosures and enforcement activities.
On May 23, 2019, Kramer Levin client VICI Properties Inc. acquired the land and real estate assets of the Greektown Casino-Hotel in downtown Detroit for approximately $700 million in cash from JACK Entertainment, a company owned by Dan Gilbert, the founder of Quicken Loans and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, and Penn National Gaming Inc. acquired the operating assets of Greektown for approximately $300 million in cash. Simultaneous with the closing of this transaction, VICI entered into a triple-net lease agreement with Penn National related to Greektown. VICI, a REIT, is a premier owner and developer of best-in-class gaming, hospitality and entertainment destinations that provide exceptional customer experiences. In connection with the Greektown transaction, Jay Godman ran the real estate acquisition for VICI, and Tzvi Rokeach headed up the lease team for the REIT.
Logan Ryan
Associate
Meridian Retail Leasing
Logan Ryan joined Meridian in 2019 and currently serves as an Associate in the company’s midtown office. He specializes in both landlord and tenant representation in New York City.
Mr. Ryan has distinguished himself in the retail leasing sector due to his extensive experience in the leasing of food, fitness, and service-oriented spaces as well as his experience representing spaces located within hotels. He is currently representing ownership for a new hotel development located at 149-03 Archer Avenue in Jamaica, Queens and was also recently hired to lease retail and office spaces at the historic Pierre Hotel on Fifth Avenue.
In his first six months in the commercial real estate industry, Mr. Ryan negotiated more than 5,500 square feet in leases in neighborhoods including SoHo, Downtown Brooklyn, and East Harlem.
Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Ryan was a student-athlete at Dickinson College where he studied Policy Management and was a member of the men’s varsity lacrosse team.
Dan Sacks
Managing Director
Greystone & Co.
One of Greystone’s top 10 originators, Dan Sacks manages relationships with real estate owners and borrowers, originating new loans and identifying opportunities for new initiatives in the multifamily marketplace.
Over the past three years, Dan has doubled his production year over year — in 2018, Dan was responsible for $1.5B in multifamily agency loan production for Greystone. He and his team are on track to exceed this in 2019.
In August 2019, Dan’s team closed on the refinance of a 3-property portfolio consisting multifamily assets located in Colorado, Maryland, and Kentucky for Besyata Investment Group which totaled $198 million. The 3 properties had been purchased in 2016 and 2017 and were identified to have a substantial amount of increased value potential. Dan had worked with the owner at the time of asset acquisition to structure the debt using loans which featured low cost and flexible prepayment provisions and equity which was callable at a fixed return.
Dan’s meticulous attention to detail and the tenacity he demonstrates on behalf of every client, for every deal, is what makes Dan a standout. He believes it is his responsibility to understand the details of the variety of product offerings on the market – whether it be Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, bridge, or mezzanine – and help clients fill out their capital stack so that he can provide his clients with the most competitive, best-possible solution. In every sense, the proof of Dan’s showmanship is in the pudding he delivers.
Ariel Schuster
Vice Chairman
Newmark Knight Frank
Ariel Schuster brings 20 years of retail real estate experience to his role as vice chairman with Newmark Knight Frank, specializing in both landlord and tenant representation. His clients include prestigious owners like Acadia Realty Trust, Brookfield Properties, SL Green and The Winter Organization, and prominent retailers including Gap brands (Athleta, Banana Republic, Gap, Intermix and Old Navy), Manolo Blahnik, Pret A Manger, Uniqlo and Williams Sonoma.
Mr. Schuster has been involved in many significant retail leases, including recently representing SL Green in a 12,000-square-foot lease with Ulta Beauty at 2 Herald Square. He also represented Gap and Old Navy in securing their global flagships at 1530 Broadway in Times Square for a combined 81,000 square feet.
Mr. Schuster is a licensed associate real estate broker in the state of New York and a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. He serves as vice chairman of the Israel Bonds Real Estate Division New Leadership Committee and volunteers with City Harvest.
Mr. Schuster attended Horace Mann High School. He holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing and finance, magna cum laude, from Tulane University. He also earned a Master of Science in real estate finance from New York University.
Belinda Schwartz
Partner; Chair, Real Estate Department
Herrick, Feinstein LLP
Belinda currently serves as outside general counsel to many family-owned real estate businesses with portfolios valued in excess of $1 billion. In this role she helps manage a full range of transactional and operational matters, as well as succession, tax and estate planning concerns. In this high stakes and emotional negotiation, Belinda uses her keen understanding of interpersonal dynamics to resolve conflict, and when necessary, negotiate business divorces.
Sarah Mae Selnick
Downtown Manhattan Specialist Investment Sales
Cignature Realty Associates
Sarah Mae Selnick grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, where her grandfather owned and managed commercial and multifamily real estate. Her father was also involved in the family real estate business and eventually took over the multifamily side of the business. From a young age, Sarah Mae accompanied her grandfather and father to their real estate properties and became intrigued by the industry.
Sarah Mae interned extensively in marketing, research and real estate analysis. As a research analyst at a leading global real estate firm, she developed reports on commercial real estate deals in various Ohio markets, performed space lease abstractions, organized due diligence materials and created property marketing literature.
Sarah Mae earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. She was an active member of the Washington and Lee Real Estate Society where she was head of the retail real estate group. Sara Mae has earned her New York State Real Estate Salesperson license.
Luke Sproviero
Seles Executive
Bestreich Realty Group,
Luke Sproviero of Bestreich Realty Group, based in New York has over 10 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. He leads a sales team that focuses in Northern Brooklyn concentrating in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, core Brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods and Northern Manhattan.
Sproviero has a long record of successfully guiding local, national, and multi-national clients with their commercial real estate acquisitions, asset re-position and dis-positions. He has sold over 300 investment properties for over $650 million. He specializes in applying his expertise and market knowledge to broker multifamily, mixed-use, retail, and land properties that consistently exceed the investment goals of his clients.
He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship from Rider University. Sproviero resides in the West Village with his wife and enjoys playing tennis and trying new restaurants.
Lazer Sternhell
Chief Executive Officer
Cignature Realty Associates
Lazer Sternhell was intrigued by the potential of real estate early on, having grown up in a family of commercial real estate owners. Working for his family’s business in the mid-1990s, he gained invaluable knowledge while cultivating his natural talent for sales.
Lazer went on to establish and run several successful businesses in other industries. His own familiarity with commercial spaces for his companies ultimately inspired him to enter the world of real estate from the brokerage stand point, and use the seasoned skills he had amassed to benefit his clients.
Dustin Stolly &
Jordan Roeschlaub
Vice Chairmen & Co-Heads of Debt and Structured Finance
Newmark Knight Frank
Dustin Stolly serves as vice chairman and co-head of the company’s Debt and Structured Finance group, and is in charge of sourcing debt and equity as well as selling loans across all commercial asset classes. A 16-year industry veteran, Mr. Stolly has executed more than $60 billion in capital markets transactions throughout his career.
Mr. Stolly joined Newmark Knight Frank from JLL’s New York office, where he was a managing director in the capital markets practice. Mr. Stolly earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance and entrepreneurship from the University of Cincinnati, where he graduated as valedictorian.
Jordan Roeschlaub serves as a vice chairman and co-head of Newmark Knight Frank’s Debt and Structured Finance group, in New York. Mr. Roeschlaub specializes in raising debt and equity capital, with more than 14 years of real estate investment banking experience and more than $65 billion of executed capital markets transactions. Since joining the firm, Mr. Roeschlaub has been the top producing capital markets, debt and equity finance professional for NKF (2016, 2017 and 2018). Mr. Roeschlaub holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Wooster. He also attended the London School of Economics.
Dustin and Jordy have built a team of 19 dedicated professionals that have transacted on over $25 billion of debt and equity financings since the beginning of 2018. The Newmark Knight Frank Debt & Structured Finance team has gained immense market share in a short amount of time – Dustin and Jordy were the top ranked brokers in the Commercial Observer’s list of the most important people in commercial real estate finance in 2018 and 2019.
Robin Topol
Partner
Meister Seelig & Fein LLP
Robin Topol is a Partner at MSF and is a member of the Real Estate Group. Ms. Topol concentrates on commercial and retail leasing and subleasing, sales and purchases of commercial property, shopping centers and other retail property, and financing.
Ms. Topol represents top-tier national landlords, as well as first class commercial tenants and subtenants in major metropolitan areas, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas, California, and throughout the country. Her clients include some of the world’s largest national landlords, accounting firms, marketing and advertising agencies, global public relations companies, international electronic corporations, national insurance companies, as well as healthcare companies and medical offices with a growing regional medical practice. She also represents numerous financial services firms headquartered in New York City, including one of the world’s largest independently owned private equity firms.
Marc Tropp
Senior Managing Director
Eastern Union
Marc Tropp serves as senior managing director of Eastern Union’s office in Bethesda, MD. Under his leadership, the Bethesda office has witnessed consistently robust production.
Marc and his team have secured more than $1 billion in financing over the past five years in support of transactions representing a spectrum of real estate assets throughout the mid-Atlantic market. Property types encompass retail, ground-up construction, renovation projects, stabilized buildings, and a number of additional categories.
Marc works closely with a wide range of lending institutions, including community banks, CMBS, life companies and institutional investors. He has also successfully introduced new lenders to the DC-Metro area and surrounding markets. Among his more complex transactions, Marc closed on a hotel conversion with an EB-5 component and raised an equity stake for one of the country’s highest-profile retail enterprises.
Marc Tropp is recognized for his ability to skillfully match his clients’ investment approach with properties that best align with his clients’ priorities. He is also respected for valuing his clients’ time by focusing his energy on only those opportunities where he knows he will be in a position to deliver competitive rates and terms.
Peter Vanderpool
President
Cignature Realty Associates
Peter Vanderpool, who grew up on Long Island, received a firsthand education on the art of the real estate deal by hearing repeated stories from his father, a prominent real estate attorney. Though he complemented these important life lessons with the necessary college studies, Peter went full force into the real estate business after graduating from The University at Buffalo.
He joined one of New York City’s leading commercial brokerage companies and landed his first big deal in just two months. Peter continued to soar to success and win the loyalty of business clients thanks to his incredible drive, focus and natural talent for making deals. He is also a frequent contributor of real estate articles in such publications as Real Estate Weekly, and is considered a sought-after authority in the New York commercial real estate arena.
Ben N. Weiss
Managing Director
Besen Partners
As Managing Director of Investment Sales, Ben has proven to be a highly effective R.E. Professional – negotiating, structuring and advising clients on numerous deals of all property classes in all of New York City and beyond.
Ben enjoys close relationships with his loyal client base and focuses carefully on the assignments he handles. He gets extremely involved in the acquisition/disposition/advisory process with his clients.
A noteworthy transaction that truly personifies Ben’s hands on approach was that of 65 Maspeth Avenue, a distressed ground up luxury development in which Ben stepped out of his broker shoes and personally coordinated the final development of this rental building including construction, 421-A tax abatement, Certificate of Occupancy, DHCR registration, signoffs/inspections and more.
Another historical sale of note was 901 Washington Avenue, a 100-unit building in P.L.G., which he sold for unprecedented metrics via Ben making one single strategic call matching the buyer and seller within minutes.
Ben graduated with a Masters in Real Estate Finance from New York University. He previously received degrees both while studying abroad and in NYC. Ben is fluent in several languages and volunteers as a full-time emergency first responder and is actively involved in several charitable causes.
Eric Yarbro
Executive Managing Director
Colliers International
Most recent achievement: Most recently, Eric lead the team that handled IKEA’s first Manhattan retail lease for its first Urban Design Studio at 999 Third Avenue for 17,500 square feet spread across three floors. The lease was signed in November 2018 and the store opened on April 8, 2019 with great reception from the NYC consumers.
Bio: Eric Yarbro has more than 30 years of experience in deal-making for primarily tenant rep assignments in a variety of industries, including faith-based tenants and non-profits. He frequently implements creative and diverse strategies — based on an extensive network of professionals and organizations — to serve his clients.
As an Executive Managing Director with Colliers International’s New York office, he has represented organizations from large financial institutions with multi-market portfolios — like Prudential Financial — to smaller companies and organizations that required careful education and guidance.
His work includes helping Fifth Third Bank expand to 14,000 square feet at 142 West 57th Street as well as completing several transactions for Siebert Cisneros Shank & Company’s for the expansion of their NYC offices and trading platform. Eric also played a key role in securing $100 million in Goldman Sachs financing for Teachers Village, a mixed-use transformational community located in Newark, New Jersey.
Jesse H. Young
Partner
Meister Seelig & Fein LLP
Jesse Young is a Partner in the Real Estate Group at MSF. Mr. Young advises purchasers, sellers, owners, investors and lenders on a broad array of sophisticated commercial real estate matters, including single asset and portfolio acquisitions and sales, joint ventures and mortgage and mezzanine financing transactions related to all types of commercial properties.
In addition, Mr. Young regularly prepares and negotiates retail and office leases for national and regional landlords, tenants and corporate clients in connection with commercial leasing transactions throughout the United States. Mr. Young also represents financial institutions in connection with lending, debt restructuring, loan workout and distressed property transactions.
Jonathan Zilber
Managing Director
Meridian Capital Group
Jonathan Zilber joined Meridian in 2015 and currently serves as a Managing Director in the company’s Ohio office. He is responsible for the origination and placement of loans across a broad array of property types, including multifamily, office, retail, and industrial in locations such as the Midwest, Southeast, and Texas. Over the course of his career, Mr. Zilber has negotiated more than $1 billion in financing across the United States.
Recently, one of Mr. Zilber’s clients was interested in purchasing a multifamily portfolio in Ohio for $140 million. The apartments were in prime locations and the bidding process pushed the purchase price beyond the buyer’s expectations, ultimately hurting his cash-on-cash return and causing him to almost walk away from the deal. Additionally, agencies were scaling back on leverage, which made hitting his return metrics even more of a challenge. However, Mr. Zilber was able to negotiate a non-recourse loan from a balance sheet lender at a loan-to-value ratio of 80% and a rate of 3.70%. In addition, he added a layer of mezzanine financing to bring the loan-to-value ratio up to 88% with a blended rate below 4.45%. His client’s cash-on-cash return doubled and the loan closed in a timely manner
