2024 Ones to Watch - Innovators in CRE: Sam Charney, Charney Companies

Sam Charney founded Charney Companies in 2013, overseeing its growth as principal since then, building a strong team of 30 people and an impressive pipeline of projects. The company operates development, brokerage, and property management branches, with Charney at the helm. Daily responsibilities include sourcing deals and capital, financing and refinancing projects, and overseeing a team of consultants including architects, engineers, and construction teams. He supervised a rebranding for the company, which rolled out this year. Charney has developed strong relationships with elected officials and community leaders alike, finding common ground and serving as a liaison for the greater real estate community.

The Charney portfolio includes over 2.5 million s/f of real estate with a primary focus on design-driven residential and mixed-use development in New York City.

Innovative Solution: 

We are very proud of the way we differentiate our product through the lens of arts and culture, creating a true sense of community in our developments. At Gowanus Wharf, all residents will receive a membership to Brooklyn Museum, which is within walking distance from the buildings. We hope the initiative leads residents to have a greater appreciation for and engagement with the neighborhood. It is important to our ethos that we develop with a long-term lens, in a way that will benefit the area for years to come. By encouraging resident interactions with the cultural institutions at New York’s doorstep and facilitating relationship building among residents, a strong sense of loyalty is developed. This feeling of belonging keeps bringing people back to Charney buildings.

Innovative Outlook: 

AI and automated tasks are going to take the CRE sector by storm. I see huge potential for benefits on the property management side in particular, where basic functions in the lifecycle of a building can be automated, such as managing apartment turns and vacancies.

The future lies in creating more sophisticated building software that is self-learning and requires less human interaction. We are working with UrbanMix, a new proptech company, to bring this to life. We are piloting their technology at multiple properties and exploring how different buildings have different needs. By better understanding the data we hope to improve the connections between people, systems, and buildings, ultimately enhancing our efficiency.

“The team at Charney Companies takes pride in bringing the art and real estate worlds together. For their latest project in Gowanus, Charney is running an RFP process to place art in its new buildings. The RFP has reached 150 artists nationally and internationally and includes well respected artists in all mediums. Additionally, Charney worked with Arts Gowanus to ensure the construction site was full of local art, collaborating on art for the sidewalk sheds.” - Valentina Parra, Barbara Wagner Communications.