Brooklyn State of the Market

Madeleine joined Domain as Director of Development in 2021 and is responsible for managing real estate transactions across a diverse, owner-operated portfolio in New York, New Orleans and Salt Lake City – including acquisitions, capital markets, and all components of new development from predevelopment stages through stabilization. Prior to Domain, Madeleine led over $2.5B of acquisitions and capital markets transactions in her roles with institutional real estate owners, including ARK Capital Advisors (WeWork’s $3.0B private equity arm) and the private New York development firm, Edward J. Minskoff Equities, Inc. Madeleine is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds a Bachelors of Science degree from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration with a concentration in Finance, Real Estate, and Accounting.

Sergey’s lifelong passion has always been to build. He founded RYBAK Development immediately after graduating from New York University, starting the company from scratch while continuing his real estate development education as a post-grad. What began with a modest 6 unit condominium property in South Brooklyn has evolved over the years into a trend-setting, industry-leading firm, with Sergey staying hands-on throughout each and every project. During that span, Sergey has managed the construction of Brooklyn’s largest multi-sporting facility, featured as an Industry Executive of the Month by New York Real Estate Journal, and managed RYBAK Development’s growth while keeping the firm agile to increase profits, not overhead. As a RYBAK Principal, Sergey personally guarantees all project completions and project debt where applicable.

James Murad is a Managing Director at RIPCO, where he leads all efforts relating to underwriting, structuring, and placing commercial real estate transactions with a focus on ground-up and transitional assets. Throughout his career, James has successfully closed in excess of $6 billion of commercial real estate loans and equity placements. He takes pride in acting as a true advisor for his clients and puts an emphasis on identifying the capital provider that is the best structural fit for the borrower while also providing the most attractive economic terms. Prior to joining RIPCO, James spent over five years as Managing Director at Meridian Capital Group as well as the prior three years as a Director at Eastern Consolidated. James received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Real Estate from the University of South Carolina where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Stephen has built BHSDM into a market leader through record-setting sales, unparalleled client service and creative marketing, leading an unmatched team of sales and marketing professionals. Stephen Kliegerman is trusted advisor to developers and investors, a leader and mentor to real estate agents and marketing professionals, a respected and often called-upon pundit to members of the media, and a 20-year veteran senior executive at Terra Holdings. He has overseen more than $15 billion in sales, representing over 10,000 units in the New York City area. He has also spearheaded some of the fastest-selling developments with the industry's most prominent developers and been lauded for achieving record-setting prices. With more than 30 years of experience in New York real estate, Stephen is recognized as a trailblazer in the brokerage community, known for cultivating genuine partnership, integrity and tenured market knowledge. He is widely quoted in globally recognized media as a market authority including; The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post and Crain's New York Business, among others. Under his leadership, prominent developers including Toll Brothers City Living, SJP Properties, Savanna, Adam America, The Stahl Organization, L+M Development Partners and The Gotham Organization, have sought his team for their skillful understanding of all stages of the development marketing process - from pre-development planning to turnaround strategies. A graduate of The George Washington University, Stephen serves on the Board of Directors for the school's Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis. He is the 2012 recipient of The Real Estate Board of New York's Henry Forster Award for lifetime achievement and currently serves as Co-Chair of the New Development Committee. He has also completed five terms on the Residential Ethics Committee, twice as Co-Chairman and four terms as Chairman of the Downtown Committee. A Licensed Real Estate Broker since 1989, Stephen previously owned and operated his own real estate brokerage, management and consulting firm, Herbert H. Kliegerman Associates, Inc. In 1998, the firm, which specialized in the management, sale and leasing of co-ops, condominiums, and lofts in Downtown Manhattan, merged with Terra Holdings. Stephen is a triathlete as well as an avid skier, tennis player and cyclist.

Sean R. Kelly, Esq. holds the title of Partner at Ariel Property Advisors. In addition to originating and executing exclusive listing sales, he is responsible for leading business development and networking initiatives in Brooklyn, with a particular focus on Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, Park Slope, Gowanus, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. Prior to joining Ariel Property Advisors, Mr. Kelly served as a Managing Director at CPEX Real Estate, where he led a team of dedicated sales professionals in selling and ground leasing development and conversion sites. In this role, Mr. Kelly managed all projects within his business line by maintaining client relationships, developing custom marketing campaigns, and leading the negotiation process. Since entering the New York City market, Mr. Kelly has successfully brokered more than 120 transactions, consisting of more than 6 million square feet with an aggregate value of over $800 million. His accomplishments earned him recognition as a CoStar “Power Broker,” and the Home Reporter and Brooklyn Spectator both named him a “Rising Star.” Mr. Kelly is licensed to practice law in New York and New Jersey. His professional affiliations and licenses include the following: New York Real Estate Associate Broker License, St. John’s University School of Law Alumni Association, St. John’s University Loughlin Society, University of South Carolina Alumni Association – President’s Club, The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, New York County Lawyers Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He received his Juris Doctorate from Saint John’s University School of Law, and his Bachelors of Science in Finance and Small Business Entrepreneurship from the University of South Carolina. He also worked as a journey-man Ironworker on 4 Times Square, 383 Madison Avenue, and several of the New York City bridges. Mr. Kelly currently resides in Staten Island, NY, with his wife and two daughters and can be reached at 212.544.9500 or via email at srkelly@arielpa.com

Mitch Korbey is a partner, and chair of Herrick’s Land Use & Zoning Group. Mitch is an accomplished urban planner and land use attorney with more than 30 years of experience in private practice and government service. Mitch is a former Commissioner of the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA), a former director of the Department of City Planning's (DCP) Brooklyn office, and a former deputy director of DCP’s Staten Island office. Mitch has been recognized by Chambers USA as one of New York City’s leading zoning lawyers for the past seven years. He advises clients on a wide range of issues, including site acquisitions and assemblages, site development options, zoning lot mergers and development rights transfers, as well as applications for zoning variances, special permits and other discretionary approvals from the BSA, DCP, Department of Buildings, Landmarks Preservation Commission, and other agencies. Mitch also regularly counsels prominent developers, owners and lenders on the management of millions of square-feet of New York City real estate. In doing so, he navigates the complexities of the City’s byzantine zoning resolution – guiding clients to the most efficient intersection of their business goals and what the rules will allow. He also keeps clients abreast of political headwinds that could impact their properties or development plans. Mitch is an adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School, and an adjunct with Hunter College's graduate program in urban planning.

Joe joined Rubenstein Partners in 2021. Joe has over 25 years of real estate investment, development, asset management, and restructuring experience across all major property classes, with deep experience both in New York City and globally. In 2015, Mr. Zuber was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Amstar Group LLC, a privately owned real estate organization based in Denver, Colorado with ~$2.5 billion of AUM. Joe successfully led the restructuring of Amstar, including streamlining its operations, enhancing its liquidity, and repositioning the organization for growth before returning home to New York in late 2016. Joe was the Managing Principal of Black Walnut Capital LLC, a real estate private equity entity that invests in longer duration real estate investments on behalf of institutions and ultra-high net worth families. Joe was previously the President and Chief Operating Officer of O’Connor Capital Partners and a partner in the firm. Joe was responsible for O’Connor’s multi-billion dollar real estate funds business, including direct responsibility for its investment management platform. Mr. Zuber led the firm’s investment strategy, including the day-to-day management of 18 investing professionals, and the strategic oversight of the firm’s portfolio of 40 plus real estate investments with total capitalization in excess of $4.1 billion. Previously, Mr. Zuber served as the Chief Investment Officer of The City Investment Fund, LP (CIF), a fully integrated real estate investment manager designed to pursue opportunistic real estate investments within New York City. Established in 2004 by Fisher Brothers and Morgan Stanley, CIF committed to 31 investments with a total capitalization of ~$4.0 billion during his tenure. Mr. Zuber was also an Executive Director of The Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds (“MSREF”), where he was responsible for sourcing and executing U.S. investment opportunities and led MSREF’s investing activities in New York City. Joe received an MBA from The Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia and a B.Arch. degree from Cornell University.

Johnny is a creative thinking sales executive with over 10 years of experience pioneering rapid growth at WeWork. He is active employee #3 at WeWork globally, a true testament to his long term commitment. He currently oversees WeWork's Downtown & Boroughs portfolio, however has led sales and training efforts in Miami, London, and Los Angeles. A self-driven leader who has proven he can quickly adapt to change while motivating his teams to maintain high-level focus within a fast-paced environment. Johnny has managed over 30 different individual contributors since moving into a leadership role in 2018. Johnny received his Bachelor's degree from Fairfield University in 2012. He resides in Bronxville NY with his wife Kristen and his legendary son, Johnny III.

Jorge has been with Lisa Management for over 10 years. Prior to becoming President in 2019, Jorge led the Leasing and Marketing department through many leasing cycles and four successful new development lease-ups. Under his tenure as President, Lisa Management was designated as a Property Manager for NYCHA’s PACT Round 8 Boulevard Houses, was recognized as one of the best small businesses to work for in New York City, and successfully completed the re-syndication of a 550-unit LIHTC preservation project. Jorge has a bachelor’s degree in Finance and a master’s degree in Accounting from St. John’s University. He is a proud supporter and prior participant of the Coro Foundation’s Leadership New York Program.

Meredith Zenkel is Poppin's longest tenured employee. A Native New Yorker, she began her marketing career at Brooks Brothers before joining Poppin as the Director of PR in 2010. As the VP of Marketing and Communications, Meredith has been an integral part of Poppin’s ongoing success, including Poppin’s 2020 acquisition by Kimball International (KBAL). With over 12 years of experience in the workplace industry, she is a well-respected voice on the future of office design and culture.