The Future of Queens

Daren is the Managing Partner of HCP and has over 20 years of real estate experience and a diverse background as a real estate broker, telecommunications entrepreneur and as a real estate investor & developer. Prior to HCP, he was the Senior Vice President and Principal of Metropolitan Realty Associates where he was responsible for acquisitions and development projects. Prior to MRA, Mr. Hornig managed all investment and development activities in the Northeastern United States for SAXA and directed all acquisitions, developments, sales & marketing initiatives. He was also previously the President and CEO of The Quest Group, a New York based real estate services firm. Mr. Hornig is a 1989 graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelors degree in Business Marketing. He is married with twins and resides in Roslyn, New York.

A sought after voice in Queens real estate, Eric Benaim’s entry into real estate began in 2001, after a successful career as owner of a live event production and marketing firm. Initially concentrating on Manhattan luxury sales, Eric later recognized the untapped opportunity in his own beloved borough, and turned his focus exclusively to Long Island City. The result was the sale of 50 residences in 2006 alone. In the midst of 2008’s severe economic crisis, Eric instinctively decided the time was right to launch Modern Spaces, permanently changing the perception and value of real estate in LIC. In just 10 years, Eric’s insightful and personal approach resulted in the swift expansion of Modern Spaces, including opening additional offices in Astoria where 100 agents work, capturing a 70% market share in Long Island City. In 2019, Modern Spaces crossed the river to capture 10% of the burgeoning market share over the next three years, in Jersey City. He is responsible for successfully completing over $7B in sales and is currently responsible for overseeing over $4B in real estate, which translates to over 8000 units. Eric was the first person to be recognized as a 40 Under 40 Rising Star in both Queens and Brooklyn by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, respectively. Eric has been the recipient of the 2018 Community Impact Award by the LIC Partnership, as well as the Community Hero award by the Long Island City YMCA. Eric is a member of REBNY, and serves on the Advisory Board of Mount Sinai Hospital, as well as the Board of Directors for the Long Island City Partnership. In 2016 the City and State Award honored him for Corporate Social Responsibility. Eric is consistently called upon to speak at a diverse array of events and is frequently featured, quoted, interviewed and profiled in prominent outlets including CNN, Fox Business, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CRAIN’S, The Real Deal, CNBC, and NY1. Eric is an art collector and avid supporter of the arts. As the informal ‘Mayor of LIC,’ it is his passion for building a prosperous community that informs Modern Spaces ‘unparalleled perspective. He currently resides in Long Island City with his wife Stephanie and son Greyson.

Jonathan More is a Managing Director in the Debt & Equity Finance Group at Mission Capital, where he is responsible for originating, underwriting and structuring commercial real estate transactions nationwide on behalf of owner-operators, private equity firms, developers and family offices. Jonathan’s diverse skill sets, deep market knowledge and industry relationships have proved critical in working through transactions and originating business over his career. Jonathan More brings to every real estate transaction he works on the determination to win, the tenacity and hard work to succeed, and the confidence that comes from years of experience in the field. Having grown up in a multi-generation real estate family, Jonathan has been exposed to the asset and real estate discussion from a young age. He has worked in leasing, sales, financing and the principal side of the real estate business since 2003. Prior to joining Mission Capital, Jonathan served on the execution team for Ackman-Ziff, specializing in financing office, retail and residential properties, as well as loan sale advisory work. At Ackman-Ziff, Jonathan structured and completed $2.0 billion of closed debt, mezzanine, preferred equity, joint venture equity and loan sale transactions. Prior to Ackman-Ziff, Jonathan worked in leasing and investment sales for the Manhattan office of CBRE Group. Jonathan received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan, and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School, where he placed first overall in the Bodini Competition for Real Estate Investment & Entrepreneurship. He is licensed as a real estate broker in the state of New York.

David Brause is a member of the Brause family of real estate investors and the president of New York City-based family-run firm Brause Realty. He joined the family firm established by his grandfather, Jack Brause, of which his father Louis is president, in 1995. Since 2005, Brause has served as chairman of the Long Island City Business Improvement District. From 1992 to 1994, he worked as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs, the investment bank. The Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association of New York honored him as its 2010 Young Man of the Year. In 1992, Brause received a BS from The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, where he concentrated in finance. He married Cheryl Vigder in 1996. -MK

Ms. Williams is a Managing Director at Vanbarton Group Interborough Fund. Her responsibilities include acquisitions, both underwriting and performing due diligence, and asset management. Ms. Williams' previous experience at Vanbarton Group has included the asset management of retail, industrial, multi-family and office properties in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. Previously, she served as Director of Economic Development for Pratt Area Community Council (PACC), a Brooklyn affordable housing developer. At PACC, she managed a neighborhood commercial revitalization program involving nearly 300 properties and led the company's commercial leasing activities. Ms. Williams received her B.A. from American University and a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School where she was a Toigo Fellow.

Brian S. Waterman joined Newmark Grubb Knight Frank in 1985 at the firm's Manhattan headquarters, became a principal in 2000 and currently serves as a vice chairman. He has negotiated leasing transactions in excess of $1.0 billion dollars, cementing his reputation as a leader in landlord and tenant representation. Among the numerous high-profile building owners he has represented are Malkin Holdings; AmTrust Realty Corp.; SL Green Realty Corp.; Emmes & Company; Apollo Partners; Equity Office Properties; Sterling Equities; Stellar Management; Edward J. Minskoff; The Moinian Group; The Chetrit Group; Vornado Realty Trust, TIAA-CREF, Orda Management Corp., The Wolfson Group; and Taconic Investment Partners. In addition, he has successfully led leasing campaigns at such properties as 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza, 731 Lexington Avenue, 100 Church Street, 125 Park Avenue, 3 Columbus Circle, One Grand Central Place, 535, 545, 575 and 590 Fifth Avenue, Metropolitan Tower, 80-02 Kew Gardens Road, 1333 Broadway, 1359 Broadway, 1501 and 1560 Broadway, the former McGraw Hill Building, Penncom Plaza, the A & D Building (150 East 58th Street), 250 Broadway, 59 Maiden Lane, 500 and 512 Seventh Avenue, 5 Bryant Park, 1065 Avenue of the Americas, 229 West 43rd Street, Milk Studios and 450 West 14th Street. Recently, Mr. Waterman represented Morgan Stanley in a lease for 1.2 million square feet at One New York Plaza, one of the largest single-asset office leases in New York City, for which he received the Most Ingenious Deal of the Year award from The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY). In addition to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Waterman has represented such prominent tenants as J.P. Morgan Chase; North Shore-LIJ Health Systems; Hain Celestial; Glenview Capital Management; ITOCHU International, Inc.; Golub Capital; Sony Corp.; Mizuho Capital; MetLife; Goldman Sachs; Theory; Alice+Olivia; Bad Boy Records; Keryx Pharmaceuticals; American Stock Transfer and Trust Co.; SAIC; UJA Federation; The FBI; The Queens District Attorney; The New York State Tax and Finance Office; and The New York State Office of Management and Budget. In 2012, Mr. Waterman earned Newmark Grubb Knight Frank's Broker of the Year award, a prestigious honor that was recognized in January 8, 2013, edition of The Commercial Observer, in part for closing 3.2 million square feet in transactions. That same year, Real Estate Forum recognized Mr. Waterman as the top leasing broker in New York City in terms of total square feet of deals, total number of deals and total value of deals. A popular subject with The Observer, Mr. Waterman was profiled as a Power Broker in its exclusive feature on January 22, 2013, for his exceptional success as a commercial real estate broker. He has won REBNY's Henry Hart Rice Achievement Award for The Most Ingenious Deal of the Year twice: in 2013, for the Morgan Stanley transaction at One New York Plaza; and in 1998, for the Federation Employment and Guidance Service transaction at 315 Hudson Street. He was also awarded the Association for a Better Long Island and the Commercial Industrial Brokers Society's Most Ingenious Deal of the Year for the Hain Celestial Group, Inc., international headquarters relocation transaction in 2012. Mr. Waterman has consistently won CoStar's Power Broker of the Year Award for the past 10 years. A REBNY member, he is also involved in fundraising for numerous not-for-profits. Mr. Waterman actively supports the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and The New Renaissance Basketball Association (The Rens). He is a past chairman, vice chairman and membership chairman of the Young Men's/Women's Real Estate Association and received its award in conjunction with REBNY's Young Real Estate Man of the Year award in 2001. He is also a former chairman and vice chairman of the New Leadership Division of Israel Bonds. He currently serves on the board of trustees for the New York City Police Museum as well as the Henry Kaufman Campgrounds. Mr. Waterman also guest lectures at the NYU Real Estate Institute, Columbia University, Fordham Law School and REBNY.

Mr. Fehskens joined Atlas in 2014, he is responsible for commercial property operations including market analysis, leasing, tenant matters, expense management, budgeting and reporting. Prior to joining Atlas, he was an Asset Manager at Time Equities, Inc. where he was primarily responsible for managing the Manhattan office portfolio, serving as project manager and investment analyst. Mr. Fehskens graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, received a graduate certificate from Maryland Bankers School and earned a Master’s in Real Estate Finance from New York University Schack Institute of Real Estate. Mr. Fehskens holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst and LEED AP designations.

Lisa Knee is a Tax Partner with over 20 years of experience. Her expertise covers a range of real estate transactions and situations, including acquisitions, refinancing, like-kind exchanges, joint venture agreements, and structuring tax rehabilitation credits for a variety of clients, such as leading real estate owners, operators, investors, family offices, and developers, as well as hospitality companies, world-renowned restaurant groups, and financial service firms. She has also consulted with large boutique hotel groups on their acquisitions, dispositions, partner buy-outs, property renovations and rebuilds. As an advisor, Lisa assists high net worth individuals and family/owner-managed business clients with preserving and enhancing business and family net worth. She also provides business succession planning services for multigenerational families, including analyzing and updating estate plans, reviewing wills and trusts, and developing liquidity strategies. Lisa has worked on a variety of highly complex transactions for clients, including domestic and international tax structuring for portfolio companies, management companies, and individual owners. Her legal background has also made her adept in mitigating tax issues and providing expert litigation services involving partnership disputes. Lisa graduated from Boston University with a B.S. degree, with a concentration in Accounting. She received a J.D. cum laude from Brooklyn Law School where she was a research editor for the International Journal of Law; and a Master of Law degree in Taxation from New York University Law School. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) as well as the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), Nassau County Bar Association (NCBA), Commercial Real Estate Women New York (CREW New York) and Long Island Real Estate Group (LIREG). In addition, Lisa is frequently featured and quoted in various business publications, providing insight on tax and tax planning topics. She has also co-authored various articles for the Nassau Lawyer and moderated various real estate industry events. - See more at: http://www.eisneramper.com/professional-directory-Lisa-knee.aspx#sthash.l3zGABVG.dpuf

Greg Smith is the President of JRT Realty Group, Inc. (“JRT”), the real estate industry’s largest certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise. He offers more than 30 years of asset management and transaction experience on behalf of major property owners and tenants in New York City and across the U.S. An acknowledged leader in the commercial real estate industry, he has handled exclusive agency and management assignments totaling more than 30 million square feet of space, and negotiated leasing and sales transactions valued at more than $3 billion. Mr. Smith brings his clients a unique blend of complementary skills, including transaction management, asset management and strategic planning. As such, he is one of nation’s leading professionals who has the ability to simultaneously orchestrate multiple transactions, involving numerous assets in several states, all while providing daily market and activity reporting to institutional and entrepreneurial clients alike. He routinely leverages a professional staff of office, industrial, and investment sales brokers and research analysts to provide clients with a full spectrum of real estate services, including strategic planning; leasing and marketing; property, project and facilities management; tenant representation; corporate real estate portfolio management; and financing and investment sales. Extremely knowledgeable in all facets of account management, ranging from operations and lease administration, to the management of tenant improvements and capital renovations, Mr. Smith provides strategic oversight for a portfolio that exceeds 13 million square feet of office space in key urban and suburban markets across the U.S.