What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021?
Often, I am retained to serve as white knight to assist clients with large projects facing massive construction problems. From April to August, I was deeply
What was the biggest lesson you learned while working during the pandemic?
How resilient we can all be and how strong the ability to adapt is. Pre-pandemic, if you had asked me whether Berdon would be able to shift to
What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021?
2021 was the first year of U.S. operations of Kalam, a Spain-based leading global historic preservation firm. Internationally, Kalam has been
What was the biggest lesson you learned while working during the pandemic?
With the world constantly changing, I learned to stay positive, be flexible/open minded and just focus on each day one at a time. I keep
What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021?
In 2021, I guided my customers through an unprecedented commercial market as they decided how to proceed with their commercial assets with timely information on
White Plains, NY The French-American School of New York (FASNY) said today that it has sold its 130-acre property to The Farrell Building Company, a residential developer
What was the biggest lesson you learned while working during the pandemic?
During the pandemic, I learned that I should have changed my cell phone from the “202” number I’ve had since college to a phone number with a
What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021?
I completed the largest square footage deal of my career; 73,000 s/f with 30,000 s/f of outdoor space for City Lumber in Glendale Queens. It was
What is the best advice you received in 2021, and who was it from?
“Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been.
What are your predictions for your industry in 2022?
I see a slow recovery as the market wakes up and looks around at the smoking ruins before it builds confidence and starts to act. I see a new level of
What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021?
My greatest accomplishments were to sell not one but two, prime Fifth Ave. trophy properties for exceptional prices in the middle of a global pandemic. Having been
What was the biggest lesson you learned while working during the pandemic?
Living in Manhattan and experiencing first-hand the effects of the pandemic on the city, I am heartened by the resilience of New Yorkers as we emerge from
What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021?
The most notable deal in 2021 was that of a lakefront restaurant property. After almost 60 years in business, the family decided it was time to pass the torch and
White Plains, NY The Westchester County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) has voted preliminary approval of financial incentives for the construction of One Lyon, an $83 million
What was the biggest lesson you learned while working during the pandemic?
I learned how to build a project out of sequence! So many things were delayed that we had to be creative when overseeing
What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021?
We were once again able to do the 76th United Nations General Assembly meeting. AFR has done these in the past and it’s always an exciting project
What was the biggest lesson you learned while working during the pandemic?
While working in the real estate industry, it’s imperative to recognize that the real estate market is constantly fluctuating. However, during
What is the best advice you received in 2021, and who was it from?
The best advice I received this year was related to a project but it translates well into a world view. My friend and client, David Greenbaum, in the
What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021?
We’re working on several projects aiming at bringing humane conditions and quality healthcare to inmates housed at the Rikers Island Correctional Facility.