News
YESTERDAY’S REBNY LUNCHEON; NYCEDC MEETS NYCREW
March 20, 2009
| Bisnow can’t get enough of rubbing elbows with real estate’s best, so we dropped by the Hilton New York yesterday for REBNY’s member luncheon, where attendees packed the Grand Ballroom to hear four industry experts give their ’09 NYC outlooks. |
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| The esteemed panel: CB Richard Ellis’ John Powers, Cushman & Wakefield’s Ken McCarthy (moderator), Eastern Consolidated’s Peter Hauspurg, and Lansco Corp.’s Robin Abrams. We’ve had enough of gloom, so we’ll give you some positive notes. Robin says that fast food and service companies are expanding, while more retailers are looking to lock in long-term deals. Peter is starting to see investment sales close again. And John says we’re past the fear part of the cycle; he sees a light at the end of the tunnel, and when more people join him, we’ll see a switch in the economy. |
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| There were some harrowing points, but we should begin to see some recovery next year. Ken, with Janko Rasic Architects’ Janko Rasic, tells us that 80k jobs have already been lost, and Mayor Mike predicts we’ll lose a total of 295k—150k of those office users. Look for a turnaround in the first half of ’10. |
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| Studley’s Bill Montana, who chairs REBNY’s Commercial Board of Directors, announces the finalists of the Most Promising Commercial Salesperson of the Year Award, which recognizes a REBNY member with less than five years’ experience and has already made a significant contribution to a firm’s success. Behind him, the board: ID Real Estate Partners' Ira Fishman; Massey Knakal's Paul Massey; The Vortex Group's Rick Marek; CBRE's Paul Myers; Murray Hill's Rob Nager; The Singer & Bassuk Org.'s Scott Singer; and The Durst Org.'s John Grotto. The finalists: FirstService Williams' Seth Hecht, Newmark Knight Frank's Robin Fisher; and Cushman & Wakefield's Clark Finney. |
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| And the winner is Robin Fisher, who specializes in tenant rep of legal, biz consulting, and financial firms, as well as non-profits. Her new perks? A one-year seat on REBNY’s Board of Governors and a lifetime membership in REBNY’s Circle of Winners, which meets four times a year for a private dinner with a leading member of the industry. Congrats! |
