What are your resolutions for 2012?
I will open a new office in the region. I will grow my team significantly in all of our business lines to better service our clients.
What was your Greatest Accomplishments in 2011?
My wife and I are expecting our first child in February 2012, so I would have to say that is my biggest accomplishment in 2011!
With regards to my business, we have grown our team by over 20 real estate advisors specializing in sales and financing this year and expanded rapidly into several product lines. We have grown our business by over 60% for the second year in a row.
Please tell us about some of your most notable projects, deals and transactions from 2011?
The sale of 1450 Broadway - $204 million
The sale of the Note on 18 E 68th Street - $33 million
The sale of 220 Park Avenue South - $20 million
The financing of the Double Tree Resort in Orlando - $42 million
The financing of a 9 building NYC Mixed-Use portfolio - $31 million
What are your Predictions for Commercial Real Estate in 2012?
Manhattan and the region will have continued growth and the economic recovery crawls forward. I expect interest rates will hold in a 50 to 100 basis point range that they have been fluctuating in until at least after the presidential election, unless we have a significant disruption in the financial markets that is unforeseen.
Demand will outpace supply and competition for core assets will remain strong. I expect to see demand for B and C assets in secondary and tertiary markets grow significantly throughout the year as investors risk tolerance grows and they chase yield to meet return expectations.
We should see steady growth in the velocity of sales transactions throughout the region in 2012.
The New York Real Estate Journal is proud to present Ones to Watch: INNOVATORS IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, the third installment in our annual Ones to Watch Series. This special section recognizes companies and individuals who are driving innovation, inspiring change, and making lasting impacts within the industry. You can also read about innovative products and services that fuel growth, streamline success, and help business owners achieve their goals.
Merritt Environmental Consulting Corp. (MECC) was established in June of 2009 after being part of a larger engineering firm for almost 20 years. The focus of the company is to assist lending institutions, attorneys, real estate investors, and property owners with environmental concerns. Today, MECC has offices in New York, Florida, and Vermont and has grown into a regional consulting firm serving clients along the East Coast.
The Long Island Board of Realtors (LIBOR) Commercial Network continues to play a key role in advancing opportunities and strengthening the commercial real estate landscape across Queens. Through targeted programming and global outreach
North Hempstead, NY ERG Retail Leasing is the dedicated leasing division of ERG Commercial Real Estate, an established full-service commercial real estate brokerage for over 35 years.
Adaptive reuse has become one of the most important conversations in commercial real estate today. Long Island has a large inventory of aging retail, office and industrial