2024 Ones to Watch Industry Leaders: Matthew Colantonio, Schuckman Realty Inc.

“Matt has led a team of around 10, and growing, investment sales agents under the guidance of Ken Schuckman at Schuckman Realty since 2015, during which he has expanded the reach and quality of the investment sales team’s asset classes to include multi-family, mixed-use, and development sales, as well as the national STNL retail markets, in addition to their historical specialty, multi-tenant retail sales.” - Jack Pierce, Director of Marketing at Schuckman Realty Inc. 

In the last 12 months what accomplishment are you most proud of? With our team all at different points in their careers, some having seen swings in transaction volume and rates and some haven’t, I’m proud of the work ethic and perseverance of each team member in this difficult market. We’ve grown in numbers, doubled-down on our specializations to increase market share, and increased our collective output as a team to acquire and execute new business.

Best advice for new leaders: Leadership comes from being an accountable teammate.

In the last 12 months what was one of the biggest challenges you faced as a leader and how did you overcome it? Navigating our team through this higher interest rate environment has been our biggest challenge. Working in a low interest rate environment can make a broker complacent. Transactions come easier. More demand, contract negotiations are easier, financing and capital are more fluid. The brokers who are still transacting are putting themselves in owners’ shoes and getting creative, and encouraging our team to find owner solutions instead of a basic brokerage has been the biggest challenge.