OPEN Impact Real Estate launches woman-owned advisory services firm

New York, NY OPEN Impact Real Estate LLC announces the launch of its platform, which will deliver strategic commercial real estate advisory services to social-minded, mission-driven clients. A woman-owned business, OPEN was founded by Lindsay Ornstein and Stephen Powers, New York City commercial real estate market leaders, who have completed more than 15 million s/f of real estate transactions on behalf of nonprofit, educational and corporations.

“I am thrilled to lead this new impact real estate company that will provide world-class real estate solutions to organizations committed to hiring a firm that reflects their values,” said Ornstein, co-founder of OPEN.

OPEN, which is based in New York City, will serve clients across the United States that value the benefits of working with a woman-owned business with deep expertise in furthering mission through physical space. The firm will provide a full range of commercial real estate advisory services to organizations of all sizes. In addition to its founding, the firm has announced an exclusive affiliation with Transwestern, in which clients of each firm will be able to access the services of both firms.

“Throughout our careers, helping nonprofits and socially minded companies craft and implement real estate solutions in support of their values and mission has been foundational to our reputation as real estate experts, and we are thrilled to announce this new platform to deepen that commitment,” said co-founder Stephen Powers.

“We fully support OPEN Impact Real Estate, not only as a woman-owned business enterprise but also as a leader in the real estate community,” said Bruce Ford, Transwestern’s East Region president. “Transwestern clients that want to hire a WBE/MWBE will have the opportunity to work with OPEN while continuing to benefit from Transwestern’s robust platform of supporting services.”

Ornstein has nearly 20 years of commercial real estate experience, during which she has completed over 10 million s/f of transactions across multiple disciplines, including tenant advisory, agency leasing, portfolio strategy, branding and consulting advisory work. In 2011, she co-founded Transwestern’s New York office and was named a “2020 Occupier Services Top Producer” nationally for the firm.

An experienced real estate professional who has spent the past 17 years of his career exclusively working on behalf of nonprofit organizations, Powers has successfully completed nearly 8 million square feet of transactions for nonprofits, with a keen eye toward ensuring that the organization’s real estate strategy is in complete support of its critical mission. He was a partner in Transwestern’s New York office, led the firm’s national nonprofit practice and was named a “2020 Occupier Services Top Producer” for the firm nationally.

Together, OPEN’s partners have worked with many of the nation’s leading nonprofit organizations and corporations, including The Robin Hood Foundation, Children’s Aid, KIPP Public Charter Schools, Sheltering Arms, Good Shephard, Relay Graduate School, Zeta Charter Schools, Goodwill, Democracy Prep Charter Schools, Selfhelp, City Year, and the National Museum of Mathematics.  Their corporate clients include Advent International, LUMA Partners, Eurazeo, Brause Realty and JPMorgan Chase.