Executive of the Month: Jawdat of New York Commercial Real Estate, Ltd. has a natural affinity for making and closing deals

The New York Real Estate Journal recently sat down with Jack Jawdat, president and CEO of New York Commercial Real Estate, Ltd., for a question and answer session. Q. When did you enter the real estate field and what was it about the industry that attracted you? A. I entered the field of real estate in 1999. I have always had a passion for real estate, and from the onset, I had a natural affinity for making and closing real estate deals. I felt that I could make a significant impact on the commercial real estate market. Q. What have been some of the highlights of your professional career in real estate to date? A. Every time I close a deal, there is an immediate feeling of accomplishment. That feeling is multiplied many times over after completing a difficult transaction. What remains on the top of my list of highlights is having been able to close those arduous transactions. Real estate is a business of people. You get to meet many wonderful, professional people at all levels such as other real estate agents, landlords, developers, investors, attorneys, etc. While attending fundraisers, I've come to know many town supervisors, councilmen and other prominent people from various municipalities. I am happy to say that there is a long list of many good people who I have met along the way. Q. You have had consistent success over the course of your career. To what do you attribute your success? A. Honesty, integrity, dedication, hard work and maintaining a thorough knowledge of the market. Q. Under your leadership, New York Commercial Real Estate has grown considerably over the past several years. You have relocated to larger offices and tripled your staff. What are you doing to lead and motivate your new team to both their individual success and, of course, to further grow your firm? In other words, describe your leadership style and the advice you give to your younger staff members. A. Sharing with them the knowledge that I have acquired in this business is integral to my leadership. Equally important, I always treat my staff with respect. Unlike many other real estate offices where there is a very "cut throat" atmosphere with respect to sharing listings and helping others within the firm, I am always helping my people to acquire listings and to close transactions. I also assign my own listings to staff members to help them. This has established an atmosphere at New York Commercial Real Estate where my brokers help each other and share listings. Q. One of your new team members is Bob Harwood, a certified public accountant, as well as a real estate broker and a well-respected, high level real estate executive with a CFO background who has worked for many much larger New York City real estate firms. What do you believe is the value proposition New York Commercial Real Estate holds for Bob? And, what's the history between you? A. Bob and I worked together many years ago. His financial knowledge of investment real estate is paramount in providing the proper analysis for our investment clients to make decisions regarding properties. It is a privilege to have him join our firm. I can't speak for Bob, but I know he values the corporate culture of teamwork and success that prevails at New York Commercial Real Estate. There is a mutual respect that comes when two professionals share a strong work ethic and a commitment to doing business with integrity. Q. What do you believe distinguishes New York Commercial Real Estate from your many competitors? A. Service, integrity, honesty and hard work. Further, our congenial atmosphere that we have established for our brokerage team is a strong differentiator which contributes to our effective teamwork and, in turn, the closing of more deals. Q. What are the biggest challenges you and others in the commercial real estate field face today and how are you addressing them? A. At this time, because there is an uptick in the real estate market, many owners are pricing their properties high, at unrealistic numbers. Our job, and a primary challenge, is to try to bring them back to reality and negotiate deals that work both for buyers and sellers. Q. You have managed to retain almost all of the property owners/investors that you have represented over the years. Is that one of your secrets to success and what is your formula? A. Yes. It is definitely one of the secrets to my success. Again, my formula is to treat people honestly and with integrity. I believe in hard work and having a positive attitude. I also would add to that being sensitive to the needs of our clients, the property owners and buyers, and to try to fulfill those needs. Q. Where do you see New York Commercial Real Estate 10 years from now and what will you be doing? A. Hopefully, we will continue our growth, our success and be a driving force in the commercial real estate market.