Petrovic of Ariel Property Advisors: Wears many hats

Name: Ivan Petrovic Title: Vice President of Operations Company/firm: Ariel Property Advisors Years with company/firm: January 2011 (one of the four founding members of the firm) Years in field: 11 Years in real estate industry: 11 Address: 122 East 42nd St., Suite 1015, New York, NY 10168 Telephone: 212-544-9500, ext. 15 Email: [email protected] URL: www.arielpa.com Which professional accomplishment, honor or achievement has meant the most to you and why? Without question, I consider starting Ariel Property Advisors with Shimon Shkury, Vic Sozio, and Mike Tortorici in January 2011 as my greatest professional accomplishment. When we created the company, we divided it into two divisions—investment sales and investment research. From day one, I was responsible for creating and managing the investment research and support division which in three and a half years has grown from a couple of people to more than 30. In my current role, I oversee ​ the platform that includes maintenance and development of our brand, web presence, proprietary database, marketing material, research, and lead generation. I'm very proud to be part of the team that sold nearly $600 million in 2013, almost triple our 2012 sales. What advice would you give to those just starting out in commercial real estate? I was a senior majoring in International Finance at Baruch College in 2003 when I began working as an intern for Shimon at Massey Knakal. I wasn't interested in selling, but there was a need for marketing support, so I jumped in and began incorporating technology into our sales operation. My advice is to identify ways in which you can add value to a commercial real estate team, work hard, stay curious, never stop learning, and don't be afraid to take on new projects or opportunities because you can always prepare yourself by speaking to experts in the field. My experience wearing multiple hats has enabled me to understand all aspects of both research and sales, which is an advantage because I've been able to translate our company's vision into new systems that support our sales staff and better serve our clients. How do you manage your personal and work life? When we started the company, we didn't have a large staff and we were transitioning from a team that concentrated on one area of N.Y.C. to a company that focused on all of N.Y.C. It was time consuming to create new systems and there were many long days and weekends. Now that our staff has grown and developed, I delegate more, which leaves me time to work on long-term projects. Now my goal is to work smarter not harder. Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career and why? Shimon Shkury has been my mentor and strongest influence. He has a very clear vision about the direction of Ariel Property Advisors and good instincts, but also is open to hearing ideas from members of the staff about how we can best reach our goals. In addition, he encourages every employee to go beyond their comfort zone and stretch and grow within the firm. The culture of Ariel Property Advisors is very collaborative and team-oriented, so I also learn from my colleagues and the members of the staff who report to me because they're experts in their fields. Where would you like to be 10 years from today? We are very fortunate today to have sharp, hard-working people in place that share our company's vision. My goal is to help Ariel Property Advisors expand its presence in New York City by improving the quality of our operation and finding ways to better serve our clients. Technology changes so rapidly that I imagine 10 years from now I'll still be learning more efficient ways in which to do business.