
October 08, 2010 -
Front Section
According to Robert Friedland, founder and chainrman of NAI Friedland, the firm has promoted Anthony "Tony" Lembeck to CEO and appointed Jay Olshonsky as COO. Lembeck, who was formerly COO, has been with NAI Friedland since 1995. Olshonsky joins the firm after 15 years as managing director and senior VP of CB Richard Ellis in Washington, D.C.
One of Washington, D.C.'s most respected commercial real estate professionals, Jay Olshonsky brings to NAI Friedland 27 years of transactional and management experience. While managing director of CBRE, he oversaw each of its Washington, D.C. metropolitan offices, including Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Olshonsky had complete profit and loss responsibility for over 75 commissioned brokers and 225 employees, producing $109 million of gross revenue.
Olshonsky led both the Insignia and Trammell Crow corporate mergers in Washington, D.C. and has represented both owners and occupiers in multimillion dollar sales and leasing transactions. As senior VP at CBRE, he helped spearhead efforts in the field of emerging renewable energy with national utility companies and solar providers, placing solar systems onto sites such as industrial parks, warehouses, and shopping malls.
"NAI Friedland is a true gem with a long history as a dominating force in the region," said Olshonsky. "Together with Tony, I am excited to explore new avenues for growth and expansion while nurturing our firm's current reputation. Friedland's brokers are top-notch with the knowledge, experience, and expertise necessary to best serve their clients, especially in this economic environment. I believe there is great potential here and am thrilled to be a part of it."
Olshonsky is the former chairman of the National Association of Realtors Commercial Alliance and a past president of the Washington D.C. Association of Realtors and Greater Washington D.C. Commercial Association of Realtors. He has served on the Board of the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington and the Ring and Landow Houses. Olshonsky received a B.S. in Business Administration from Arizona State University. He and his wife, Gayle Forst, have two children, Alexander and Hilary.
Prior to assuming the role of NAI Friedland's COO in April 2009, Lembeck was executive VP and manager of the firm's industrial division. As a broker, Lembeck had the reputation of being a good and savvy negotiator. Throughout his career he represented large property holders in both Westchester and the Bronx, including the exclusive representation of the Lockheed Martin Corp. on multiple transactions. He was successful in negotiating with the N.Y.C. Board of Education for the creation of a new high school in the Soundview section of the Bronx and twice completed the transfer of the former 9 1/2 acre Loral Electronics site in the South Bronx to real estate developers. Lembeck was also successful in placing the N.Y.C. Department's Drug Enforcement Agency in its current location in the Bronx.
Since taking on the role of COO and now CEO, Lembeck has made it his mission to take NAI Friedland to new heights, and believes the addition of Jay Olshonsky is just what the company needs to increase its market share. "Jay is an incredibly astute individual, and I am thrilled to have him with us at NAI Friedland," said Lembeck. "He brings to us 'big firm' experience and believes our company has the potential to gain market share in every aspect of our business. I look forward to working with him and know we will be a great team."
Prior to NAI Friedland, he practiced real estate law in Manhattan. In addition to real estate, Lembeck has run a textile importing company, worked as a theatre producer in New York City, and owned a boys sports summer camp in Maine. Lembeck is a member of the Board of Trustees of Temple Shaaray Tefila in Bedford Corners and is on the Board of Directors of Family Services of Westchester. For the past 17 years, he has helped run Camp Viva, a one-week sleep away camp for families affected by HIV/Aids. He is one of the founders of the Camp. Lembeck received a Bachelor of Arts in 1979 from Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami's School of Law. He resides in Goldens Bridge with his wife, Andrea. They have four children, Jared, Sophie, Averi, and Amelia.
"This is an exciting time for NAI Friedland as we celebrate the past forty years and look toward building an even brighter future," said Robert Friedland, Chairman, NAI Friedland. "I am confident that Tony and Jay, both forward-thinking industry leaders with decades of experience, will prove invaluable to our firm as we begin a new chapter in our company's history."