Shoshana of Eastern Union: Gets in the zone and stays focused

Name: Uri Shoshana Title: Director of Underwriting Company/firm: Eastern Union Funding Years with company/firm: 3 Years in field: 12 Years in real estate industry: 12 Address: 481 Oak Glen Road Howell, NJ 07731 Telephone: 732-301-3917 Email: [email protected] Which professional accomplishment, honor or achievement has meant the most to you and why? The time that I spent working as a loan consultant for Washington Mutual Bank in Midtown Manhattan, which was my first experience working in corporate America. This was around 2006-7 when WAMU was taking over New York by storm. I started originating multifamily loans and then moved over to the commercial side where I was actually doing a lot of Eastern Union's deals. That's when I began working with Eastern Union's president, Ira Zlotowitz. Ira had good relationships and was extremely loyal, making sure all the commercial deals went to me instead of other people at the bank. Which project, deal or transaction was the "game changer" in the advancement of your career? When I came to Eastern I was given the task of developing banking relationships for the company. My experience working with banks helped identify and bring on board several key lenders in this market, such as Chase, Peapack Gladstone, and Bayonne Community Bank. We've closed a quarter of a billion dollars with these lenders, which is impressive because Eastern wasn't doing anything with them beforehand. What advice would you give to those just starting out in commercial real estate? Understand the fundamentals of real estate. On top of that, it's critical to understand how banks work. Think like a lender, because every deal takes on its own personality and the better you can capture it, the better you are to determine which lender is best-suited for that deal. It's like match-making. The more you know about both sides, their families and backgrounds, the better you are. Deals have personality, borrowers do and so do banks. How do you manage your personal and work life? I get into the zone and stay focused. I accomplish the most when I trigger my adrenaline, which enables me to prepare a super-sharp mental list of tasks at hand and prioritize. If you have a lot on your plate you accomplish more - rather than subconsciously pushing things off. That's why they say if you want to get things done, give them to a busy person.