Several New York Real Estate CEOs Battling Coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate New York’s health and economy, and the real estate industry hasn't been immune.
As the industry fights to stay afloat financially, some of its key players have contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and fallen ill or died. Others have tested positive for the virus but recovered. As deaths in New York neared 5,500 and total cases approached 140,000 Tuesday, here are some of the CRE executives that have been affected:
Crown Acquisitions founder, and close friend of President Donald Trump, Stanley Chera, 78, is hospitalized and in a coma due to complications from the virus, Vanity Fair reported. His company owns 650 Madison and the Olympic Tower.
Chera is the friend that Trump has repeatedly referred to in his coronavirus press briefings, The New York Times reported. He started experiencing symptoms in his vacation home in Deal, New Jersey, a popular retreat for a segment of the city's commercial real estate industry. He was rushed to a Manhattan hospital and has been in intensive care since.
Conor Flynn
Kimco Realty CEO Conor Flynn, 39, has tested positive for the coronavirus but is continuing to work, CoStar News reported Monday. In a public filing signed by Kimco Chief Operating Officer Glen Cohen, Kimco said Flynn's symptoms have been mild, CoStar reported.
Sharif El-Gamal
As Soho Properties’ development takes a pause amid New York’s partial construction ban, so does the company’s CEO, Sharif El-Gamal, as he recovers from the virus, The Real Deal reported last week. While he is now on the mend, El-Gamal told TRD that he had dealt with some serious symptoms, including extreme exhaustion.
Marty Burger
Silverstein Properties CEO Marty Burger announced last week that he tested positive for COVID-19. Burger told Commercial Observer that his symptoms were mild and came after a Colorado ski trip alongside major real estate players, some of whom also got sick.
Eddie Shapiro
NestSeekers CEO Eddie Shapiro is on the mend after a battle with COVID-19 he described to The Real Deal as painful.
“Last Friday, symptoms hit,” Shapiro said in an Instagram video produced by TRD. “I found myself with body pains on every inch of my body.”
Marc Goodman
Corcoran Group Vice President and broker Marc Goodman died at 67 from complications of the virus March 30, The Real Deal reported. He worked in the company’s Upper West Side office. Friends and colleagues said Goodman was jocular, magnetic and honest. In addition to his passion for real estate, he was also interested in fitness, photography and theater, according to a biography in memoriam on Corcoran’s website.
“He believed in providing world-class service which exceeded his clients’ expectations. He knew that listening to a client’s needs and aspirations, combined with his years of solid experience, was a proven recipe for success,” the bio says.
