Breather, a real-estate technology company, hasannounced that Dan Suozzi has joined the company as chief real estate officer. Key to his mandate is the growth of Breather’s portfolio of over 500, flexible meeting and office spaces used by over 16,000 companies worldwide.
At Breather, Suozzi’s immediate focus will be on expanding the company’s real estate footprint to meet growing customer demand, enhance the tenant experience and build partnerships with landlords seeking to incorporate flexible space into their portfolio.
Suozzi brings over 15 years of experience in software-as-a-service and commercial real estate to his new role. He previously spent a decade as a commercial broker at leading international firms including The Regus Group and JLL. Most recently, Suozzi was chief revenue officer at Workframe, a workflow optimization solution for the commercial real estate industry, where he was responsible for driving revenue growth and expanding the platform to new customers. Newmark Knight Frank acquired Workframe in September.
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Nareit (National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts) has elected its 2020 officers, the members of its executive board, the organization’s governing board, and its advisory board of governors.
Nareit’s new chair is A. William Stein, CEO of Digital Realty. Stein takes over from Nareit’s 2019 chair, Sandeep Mathrani, CEO of Brookfield Properties Retail and vice chairman of Brookfield Properties.
Stein has 30 years of leadership experience annd he also serves on the Board of Directors for Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., where he is a member of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Policy Committee. He is also a member of the Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics (FCREUE) Policy Advisory Board.
Other Nareit officers for 2020 are: First Vice Chair Michael J. Schall, president and CEO of Essex Property Trust, Inc.; Second Vice Chair Maria R. Hawthorne, president and CEO of PS Business Parks, Inc.; and Treasurer James F. Risoleo, president and CEO of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. All Nareit officers are also members of the Nareit 2020 Executive Board.
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Advance Realty Investors, an owner and developer, announced that it has hired Bill Bumber as managing director of industrial development.
A longtime veteran of the New York and New Jersey-area industrial real estate industry, Bumber will oversee the execution of all industrial development projects and the expansion of Advance’s industrial portfolio.
The company’s current industrial holdings include the 4.1 million s/f Linden Logistics Center – the largest planned industrial development in the Port of NY/NJ region that officially broke ground earlier this year. In addition to Linden Logistics Center, Advance is also in the process of developing Logan North Industrial Park, a 3 million s/f campus in Logan Township, N.J. Advance is partnering with Greek Development on both projects.
Bumber most recently served as senior vice president of Capital Deployment for Prologis, where he was responsible for industrial development and acquisitions for the company’s Northeast Region. Over five years in the role, he completed numerous build-to-suit transactions valued at more than $400 million combined, sold more than $32 million in non-strategic land and acquired more than $50 million in land for future developments.
Prior to his time at Prologis, Bumber spent more than eight years as vice president of development at Liberty Property Trust in both Pennsylvania and Maryland, developing more than 8.5 million square feet of industrial real estate across both states.
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BankUnited has nnounced the hiring of Carina Kalaw as senior vice president and sector manager for commercial real estate syndication in New York.
A banking industry veteran with over 20 years of experience, Kalaw will be responsible for developing the commercial real estate syndication platform for BankUnited. Prior to launching a startup real estate finance service provider overseas, Kalaw served most recently as managing director and head of real estate syndications at Capital One, N.A., and started their real estate syndication platform in New York.
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Time Equities Inc. (TEI), a real estate investment and development firm, has announced the promotion of Craig Mitnick to the position of senior vice president of Finance.
Mitnick possesses more than seven years of real estate, finance and accounting experience, and most recently was TEI’s director of financial reporting, where he led the preparation of the more than 400 property, fund and entity level financial statements. Mitnick has also been actively involved in advancing the use of technology to improve Time Equities’ operations, most recently having begun the implementation of a treasury management system.
In his new capacity, Mitnick will continue to oversee the preparation of financial statements, manage the distribution process to TEI’s investors, and will oversee a large portion of the Accounting Department. In addition, Mitnick will continue to be active in tax planning and forecasting for the firm’s various projects and will manage TEI’s 1031 Exchange Program.
The newly created Finance division, with Mitnick at the helm, will help the firm sustain and further grow its real estate business.
Prior to Time Equities, Mitnick, a CPA, worked in the Audit department at Deloitte & Touche.
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Union Square Partnership, a community-based non-profit organization, has hired Ed Janoff as deputy director and chief of staff. In his new role, Janoff will work closely with USP’s Executive Director Jennifer Falk in strategic planning, urban design, fundraising and advocacy for the Union Square-14th Street district’s continued growth and success.
Janoff brings 15-plus years of experience in government, business improvement districts and nonprofits, focused on placemaking and livable streets interventions in New York City and beyond. Most recently, he served as senior director of project development at the Street Plans Collaborative, where he led pedestrian, bicycle, public space and greening projects in cities across the United States.
In other prior roles, Janoff worked at Bryant Park Corporation and Madison Square Park Conservancy, and was also the NYC Parks Administrator for North Brooklyn and Executive Director of the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, where he orchestrated dozens of projects developing and managing signature parks and public spaces citywide. At the NYC Department of Transportation in the Bloomberg Administration, Janoff co-authored the NYC Street Design Manual, and helped launch the programs to install public plazas, pedestrian streets, “parklets” and sidewalk benches.
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Ferguson Partners has announced Elizabeth Gaffney as the firm’s new managing director, global human resources practice leader and head of the New York office.
With more than 20 years of HR, recruiting, executive coaching and career management consulting experience, Gaffney will lead Ferguson’s recruitment of Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs), their direct reports and other critical HR leadership functions, including diversity and inclusion, talent management, talent acquisition and compensation. In addition to her leadership search work, she will partner with Ferguson’s Leadership, Management and Compensation Consulting Practices.
A major focus of her work will be to identify and place CHROs on company boards across the globe and emphasize the importance of skilled human resources executives on inclusive leadership teams within the real estate, hospitality and leisure, infrastructure, engineering and construction and innovation and technology industries.
Gaffney is also a board member and chair of the development committee for The HOPE Program, an organization that empowers New Yorkers through job training and career support.
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Design firm BuroHappold has announced that engineer and planner Francesco Maria Cerroni has joined the firm’s cities team as associate and mobility consulting leader in its New York office.
Cerroni joins BuroHappold from Milan-based firm MobilityInChain S.r.l., leaders in transportation planning. In his nine years with MobilityInChain, Francesco directed their branch offices first in Moscow and then in New York. His main areas of focus have been on urban transport planning, people movement, freight management and masterplan consultancy.
Cerroni’s notable clients have included Toyota, Facebook, The World Bank, Moscow’s DOT, and architecture firms including SOM. In 2014 he opened and directed an office in Moscow and helped create the city’s 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Masterplan. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Sharing Economy Council.
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TheGuarantors, a fintech company, recently announced the hiring of Hans Nordby as chief strategy officer.
Nordby has over 20 years experience working in risk solutions in real estate.
As a managing director at CoStar, he led the portfolio strategy division and oversaw the development of customized data and research offerings for REITs, advisors, holding companies and other real estate investment funds. Nordby also directed CoStar’s advisory practice to help lenders and investors on strategy, capital raises, and acquisitions.
Now, at TheGuarantors, Nordby will continue to drive innovation as the company expands its offerings to match its growing geographic footprint.
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Eastern Union, a commercial real estate finance firm, has hired Judah Fuld, Esq. to serve as vice president of underwriting for Eastern Equity Advisors. An affiliate of Eastern Union, Eastern Equity Advisors is an equity brokerage firm.
Fuld, an attorney, previously spearheaded origination and underwriting at the Baltimore-based Neuman Commercial Group, an investment sales firm where he also helped expand the company’s territory. Prior to that, Fuld practiced as an attorney, providing counsel on various types of real estate matters to regional developers, retailers, corporations and institutions.
Now, Fuld’s duties will also include the identification of equity sources that are prepared to participate in multi-family deals of all sizes.
Judah Fuld graduated on the dean’s list from Fordham University School of Law. He volunteers with the Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore and the Greater Pikesville Recreation Council in Pikesville, MD.
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Stroock, a law firm, has tapped partners Michele Jacobson and Jennifer S. Recine to lead its New York General Litigation and firmwide Real Estate Litigation practices, respectively.
Jacobson is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and a co-chair of its Insurance and Reinsurance Group. with over three decades of experience practicing law.
Jacobson is also is highly ranked in a number of legal directories including Chambers USA and The Legal 500, and she has been recognized as one of the top women lawyers in New York state by the New York Times Magazine. She recently was named one of 14 “Women to Watch” by Business Insurance magazine.
Recine is a first-chair trial lawyer and strategic advisor who has handled complex real estate cases and other high-stakes and high-profile matters across industries. She joined Stroock’s New York office in March, 2019 after 14 years with a litigation boutique.
Recine was recently named as one of Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation,” the second time she has received this honor. She has also been named a “Trailblazer in Litigation” by The National Law Journal and shortlisted as a “Next Generation Lawyer” for Commercial Disputes by The Legal 500.
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Choyce Peterson, a real estate brokerage firm, announced that Charlene S. O’Connell has joined the brokerage team as vice president after nearly four years spearheading the firm’s marketing and operations.
O’Connell brings with her 15 years of experience in banking and will be responsible for generating real estate solutions for companies in both Fairfield and Westchester counties.
Before joining Choyce Peterson, O’Connell served in commercial banking at The Bank of America. She worked out of the bank’s Stamford, Connecticut, office and managed both commercial loan and cash management portfolios. A top performer, she provided real estate and commercial financing solutions to both private and public companies throughout Fairfield County.
She also volunteers for St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
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Robert Martin Company LLC, a real estate company, has announced that Jerry Fletcher has been promoted to director of property management, overseeing the company’s property management related activities in Westchester and Fairfield Counties.
Fletcher, who has more than 25 years of commercial property management experience, began his career as a property manager with Robert Martin in 1994. Fletcher worked at Mack-Cali Realty Corp. from 1997-2019 as the property manager for the Westchester Financial Center and the Cross Westchester Executive Park.
Since rejoining Robert Martin earlier this year, Fletcher has assumed direct responsibility for property management of the Cross Westchester Executive Park and Stamford Executive Park as well as oversight of the Mid Westchester and South Westchester Executive Parks.
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NAI James E. Hanson, a commercial real estate firm, announces that William C. Ericksen, Jr. has joined its Parsippany, N.J. office as an associate specializing in office sales and leasing in northern New Jersey.
Previously, Ericksen served as a summer associate with Pfizer Inc. and as as a legal intern to the Honorable Rosemary Gambardella in the United States Bankruptcy Court of Newark, N.J., where he helped conduct research on legal and policy issues pertaining to Puerto Rico’s financial crisis and ongoing debt refinancing.
Ericksen also works with the George Street Co-op and the Rutgers University Dance Marathon.
