O'Hara of Sperry Van Ness passes away at age 54

John O'Hara, a leading industrial real estate broker in Suffolk County and managing partner of the L.I. office of Sperry Van Ness Commercial Real Estate Advisors in Holbrook, died on Nov. 15th. He was 54. A specialist in land sales, industrial and office sales and leasing, he assisted in the development and completion of four major industrial parks in Suffolk County totaling hundreds of acres. He also arranged more than 80 build-to-suit industrial properties totaling more than 4 million s/f in Islip and Brookhaven towns. In addition, he put together leasing and sales transactions totaling more than 1 million s/f. "His presence will be greatly missed," said David Madigan, president of Sperry Van Ness Long Island, "He was the dominant industrial real estate broker in Suffolk County. O'Hara's career as a commercial real estate broker spanned 20 years, He joined Sperry Vann Ness in early 2012 after leaving the firm he co-founded in 2003, Corporate Realty Services LLC, of Hauppauge. Before that he worked for Brown Harris Stevens Real Estate Services and George Tsunis Real Estate, Prior to becoming a broker, O'Hara was vice president of a regional petroleum marketer. "John's comprehensive knowledge of Long Island's commercial real estate market and economic development enabled him to work with his clients in all aspects of their real estate transactions," Madigan added. Among O'Hara's biggest transactions was a 37-acre land deal that enabled Ronkonkoma-based Quality King Distributors, the largest private company on Long Island, to build 560,000 s/f of offices and warehouse in Yaphank. He's also arranged other deals for the distributor of pharmaceuticals and health and beauty care products. O'Hara's clients attributed his success to his knowledge of Long Island and its municipalities and his ability to follow through on details to bring a transaction to fruition. In 2011, O'Hara became a member of the New York State Real Estate Board, which regulates the state's real estate industry. He also was a founding member and president of the Brookhaven Industrial Group Association, a business group that provides networking and a forum for businesses in and around the Brookhaven industrial parks. Madigan said that he and other brokers at Sperry Van Ness would continue to advise and assist O'Hara's clients. His wife, Lorraine, his brothers Brian and Kevin, and sisters, Ilene and Julie, survive O'Hara.