Freedberg joins Ashlind Properties commercial real estate team

After 18 years of selling baby cribs, Michael Freedberg has made a change — to commercial real estate. Freedberg has given up his job as president of Bellini Baby & Teen Furniture, the Islandia-based franchised retailer founded in 1982 ago by his father, Barry, and his uncle, Irving, to become a director at Ashlind Properties, a commercial real estate firm. He remains a partner in Bellini, but no longer is active in the affairs of the business. At Ashlind, largely a one-man firm for most of its 30 years, Freedberg will join president Richard Cohen in the leasing and sales of industrial and commercial properties. "Michael Freedberg is a highly experienced executive in operations, logistics, facilities and sales and I expect him to rapidly attain success in commercial property brokerage," Cohen said. The Bellini franchise, which specializes in upscale children's furniture, was founded 30 years ago and has become one of the nation's most unique and exclusive retail specialty boutiques. "I believe I can make good use of my diverse property background and deep experience at Ashlind," Freedberg said, noting that he currently owns stakes and is involved in the day-to-day management of more than 10 industrial, retail and mixed-use properties with 50 tenants. Freedberg, who holds undergraduate and master's degrees in history from the University of Michigan, says Bellini, once a chain of 50 stores, is down to 18. The company has put its Islandia warehouse up for sale and is moving those operations to New Jersey, Founded in 1990, Hauppauge, New York-based Ashlind Properties has been recognized as Co-Star's Top Brokerage Firm in the Long Island market place every single year since 2002. It has been recognized every year since 2008 for arranging the largest real estate deals of each year. Ashlind, which specializes in all types of commercial real estate and leasing transactions focused largely on Suffolk County, has numerous repeat clients, including ELM, LNK International, CVD Equipment, North American Enclosures, Corwood Laboratories, Global Tissue Corp. and CMB Wireless.