Executive of the Month: Pliskin of Pliskin Realty and Development, Inc. - A trusted resource for over two decades, Applying a shared perspective with owners and hands-on leadership

Question and answer with Jeffrey Pliskin, president and CEO of Pliskin Realty and Development, Inc. Q: How has Pliskin evolved over the past several years? What have been some of your major achievements? A: We started out as a property owner and over the years added brokerage; primarily leasing, third party property management, and ground up development, plus deal syndication. Q. What made you transition from being a real estate attorney at two very prestigious New York law firms (Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Robinson Silverman) to become the president of a real estate brokerage, property management and investment firm? A: I am glad for my experience as an attorney, including the people I met and the education I received (Pliskin graduated with a bachelor of arts in Economics from Yale and earned his juris doctor from Columbia Law School.), but at some point, I decided I would rather be the client than the attorney. I enjoy being a businessman, being in charge of my own hours, and I feel as a businessman, especially as a business owner, there are many diverse skills and responsibilities involved. Q: How does your background as an attorney serve your current clients? A: I believe that I have a deeper understanding of lease issues, title issues, dealing with municipalities, and ongoing tenant issues and how they are resolved. Q: You have some very large competitors. As a smaller, closely-held firm, how have you managed to succeed for over two decades and land some very large national brands and prominent property owners as longstanding clients? A: We are very holistic in that all of our team members possess a number of skills and come from different backgrounds. Each brings strong working knowledge and insights relating to best in class practices for property management, leasing, sales and real estate investment across the retail/commercial and multifamily sectors. As an owner myself, I believe I have a deep and full understanding of property management and truly recognize what is important to owners. Also as an owner and attorney, I believe I bring substantial value to lease negotiations, especially in focusing on the really important issues; that is the ones that come up after the lease is signed. As a small company, we pride ourselves on our service and responsiveness. I am involved in everything that goes on at Pliskin Realty & Development and I believe that our clients like that fact. Q: What are Pliskin's core values when serving property owners and tenants? A: Our core values are service, integrity and knowledge. And, we work really hard to get the job done. We pride ourselves on maintaining good relationships with our clients, our tenants, contractors, other professionals and the municipalities. We always endeavor to do the right thing and not cut corners, because cutting corners always ends up costing more money and more time. We always remember that we are in the service business and we aim to serve. Q: You recently relocated Pliskin's offices to Garden City? What prompted the move? A: I built and owned our previous office in Carle Place, where we were located for over 20 years. The sales market was favorable and I didn't see much upside for the building. It was just time for a change. Change is good and it revitalized us. I also love our new location, next to Roosevelt Field, a Simon Mall, and am happy to be a tenant for a change. Q: What advice do you have for property owners trying to optimize their real estate assets? A: Spend the extra dollar. Keep your properties in top physical shape. Pay attention to the properties' appearances. Real estate assets are not stocks, and if you keep them in good shape and looking good, they will always pay off. Q: For national retailers seeking locations in the New York-Metro market, what recommendations do you have in terms of securing the best sites? A: It starts with hiring an experienced, responsive broker, one who will listen to your needs and present properties and locations that meet your requirements. The New York market is one of the best in the world and we're not just talking about Manhattan. The boroughs and Long Island are among the nation's most attractive regions from a household income and discretionary spending standpoint. At Pliskin, we have helped many national retailers with our brokerage and preferred development services expand in the region with great success. These retailers represent a broad cross section of categories, from apparel, automotive supplies, health and beauty supplies, drug stores, fast food and family restaurants, to grocery, health and fitness, gyms, household furnishings, office services, shipping and vitamins.