Executive of the Month: Chris Havens, a 30-year industry veteran, named director of commercial property at aptsandlofts.com

aptsandlofts.com, one of New York City's largest privately owned full-service real estate brokerages, has expanded by adding Christopher Havens as the new director of commercial property. An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, Havens oversees the daily operations of the commercial division, further developing aptsandlofts.com's retail presence and launching the firm into the Brooklyn office space market. "With aptsandlofts.com's second office opening on 236 Court St. in Cobble Hill, the opportunity to create a commercial and retail division to match the firm's strong residential brokerage business is prime," said Havens. "I am honored to be leading the charge for aptsandlofts.com." Havens is working toward building a strong commercial and retail division as well as aptsandlofts.com's brand in the commercial marketplace. With this dedicated division, the firm now has the ability to market ground-floor retail space in many of the residential developments it markets. Havens is also interested in expanding aptsandlofts.com's commercial presence, adding on additional commercial brokers as the firm continues to gain traction. "As head of aptsandlofts.com's commercial division, I am taking this opportunity to focus on specialty projects and build a strong commercial and retail portfolio in this exciting and well trafficked neighborhood, as well as the areas surrounding our Williamsburg office," said Havens. aptsandlofts.com will represent Havens' current commercial conversion properties from his prior firm, Creative Real Estate Group (CREG), that have pre-built space, including 1000 Dean St. in Crown Heights and 231 Front St. in the Vinegar Hill/Dumbo area. Havens has also recruited Francis DeCarlo, one of his associates from CREG, to join the aptsandlofts.com commercial team. DeCarlo brings three years of commercial property expertise to the firm. Both Havens and DeCarlo will represent 231 Front St., the first office property in the Vinegar Hill/Dumbo area, and 1000 Dean St., a multi-purpose new media and creative office environment, the first of its kind in Crown Heights. They also represent 222 Water St., a high-visibility, ground floor office space in Dumbo's top rental apartment building. "These three properties are particularly notable as they offer unique aspects to the marketplace. 231 Front is the only restored brick and timber style office property in Dumbo; the property boasts a great level of security over comparable buildings with hands-on management by the ownership," Havens said. "1000 Dean is taking a 'holistic' approach to creative work space development by integrating building services and tenant amenities to connect tenants in ways that haven't been done before in Brooklyn. Lastly, 222 Water is a one-of-a-kind space in a highly sought-after building." David Maundrell, founder and president of aptsandlofts.com, is eager for his nearly 10-year-old firm to offer dedicated commercial real estate services under Havens' guidance. "Chris is an industry leader in retail, office and commercial real estate throughout Brooklyn and I've admired his work for some time," said Maundrell. "With Chris' extensive commercial experience, aptsandlofts.com will be able to expand our existing relationships on the residential side of the industry as well as further leverage the exposure of the aptsandlofts.com brand in the marketplace. I'm very excited about this marriage." In addition to Havens' portfolio, aptsandlofts.com has recently acquired the exclusive on a number of leases at The Bush Terminal Artist Lofts @ Industry City, located at 220 36th St. in Sunset Park. These lofts are located in a bustling community of affordable artist and creative industry work spaces in the heart of Brooklyn; becoming one of New York City's newest creative businesses and artist hubs for the 21st century. Preceding the launch of a dedicated commercial division, aptsandlofts.com served as the exclusive leasing and marketing agent for 231 Norman Ave., Brooklyn's first commercial condo development that offered business and lifestyle amenities. Prior to joining aptsandlofts.com, Havens founded CREG in 2007. As founder, he worked to market and lease creative work and office space in the emerging Brooklyn markets. At CREG, Havens was a consultant to Industry City Associates, one of the largest owners of multi-story warehouse properties within the U.S. He also served as a co-agent with CBRE for SL Green's 16 Court St. and GFI Development's 470 Vanderbilt Ave. Havens and CBRE leased 183,013 retail s/f in 54 leases and 532,000 retail s/f in three leases at 16 Court St. and 470 Vanderbilt Ave., respectively. CREG represented 32 Court St., an office property in Brooklyn, helping the owner bring it from 80% to 95% occupancy. Before founding CREG, Havens worked for David and Jed Walentas' Two Trees Management Company in Dumbo as director of leasing for their two million s/f commercial portfolio. There, he worked with Jed Walentas developing their modern office marketing and leasing operations from scratch, creating the current office market present in Dumbo. Havens also worked with Insignia/ESG, one of the largest commercial real estate service companies in the world, specializing in office leasing in Downtown Brooklyn and Western Queens, as well as the conversion of industrial properties into office space. Beginning his career at city hall, Havens managed the legislative and land use affairs for a prominent city council member. He then worked with the City of New York's Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where he renovated over 1,000 housing units in Crown Heights, Bedford - Stuyvesant and Prospect Heights. Havens received a master's degree in Urban Planning from Hunter College. He is currently a board member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and co-chair of the Chamber's Real Estate and Development Committee. Havens also serves as an advisory board member of the Association of African-American Real Estate Professionals, a member of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and a trustee of the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Founded in 2002, aptsandlofts.com has developed leading benchmark campaigns at some of Brooklyn's most notable rental and condominium developments. In the past five years, the firm has represented nearly $300 million worth of real estate, primarily in new condominium and rental developments in Brooklyn and Long Island City. Through the firm's steadily growing new development portfolio, aptsandlofts.com has added to their existing portfolio, consulting on nearly 60 new residential developments, amounting to nearly 3,000 units, slated to launch in the coming years throughout New York City. aptsandlofts.com is also expanding strategically, opening a second storefront in Cobble Hill with plans to hire 40 additional brokers. Known for innovative marketing strategies and pre-development expertise, aptsandlofts.com has sold or leased out 100 new developments in the past five years. The firm has built a reputation as a go-to partner for strategic positioning, project re-launches and hands-on service.