14D — August 19 - September 15, 2022 — Best and Brightest Under 40 — M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marej.com
B est and B rightest U nder 40
Henry Mathies, Senior Managing Director at Greysteel
Gregory Koenig, The Kislak Co.
Kislak, my father unexpect - edly passed away, and three months after that the pan - demic started. That was an incredibly tough time for both myself and my family. I really struggled with finding a sense of direction, and motivation. However if it weren’t for that time I don’t think I would be where I am today. What inspiring word of advice would you give to a young executive graduat- ing from college today? Work hard, stay positive, and just do what makes you happy, the rest will figure itself out. MAREJ
continued from page 4D If I can bring some sort of laughter or enjoyment to a client during a meeting or a phone call, that to me is a great success. I think it allows me to be memorable to clients, and also helps to brush off any re - jection or negativity I face. Its just something that comes very natural to me, and I can attri - bute it all to my family, friends and the way I was brought up. What challenges and or obstacles do you feel you needed to overcome to be- come as successful as you are today? Five months into my time at
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hat is your great- est professional accomplishment?
Henry Mathies Senior Managing Director Years with company/firm: 4 years Years in the field: 4 years Years in the real estate industry: 4 Years
What is your greatest professional accomplish- ment? Co-creating Greysteel Black Professional Network (GBPN). GBPN was started as an internal network focused on recruiting, retaining, and mentoring African Americans interested in commercial real estate. Since our launch, we have had a 200% increase in the number of applicants and brokers within the firm. As we continue to build within, we hope to soon use our model to expand into the industry as a whole. What is your most notable project, deal, or transac- tion? Eighty-Two Hundred Apartments. Notable in the sense that this property is within walking distance from my childhood home. Full circle as I have walked past this building many times in my life as a kid... Now I am part of the team selling it as an adult. How do you contribute to your company and/or the in- dustry? Championing diversity throughout the industry both internally & externally. Cur - rently, in CRE only 3% of the professionals are minorities. By being a voice within the industry, I am contributing to the progression of our industry’s racial equality as a whole. Who or what has been the strongest influence in your career? Ari Firoozabadi. Hands down Ari is the smartest real es - tate mind I’ve ever been around. Working with him directly has had a tremendous influence on my skillset, work ethic, & over - all business acumen. Tell us how and when you Building out the Afford - able Housing Sales team at Greysteel to be a full national practice while making Senior Managing Director in four years. I could not be prouder of the team we have. Not only are all of its members consum - mate professionals, but they are great people, as well. What was the most defin - ing moment for you? The most defining moment for me is the day I finished my first year in brokerage; I had worked 70 to 80 hours a week for the entire year, including 50 out of 52 Sundays, and only made $5,400. My wife (girlfriend at the time) and I were having family planning
discussions, and I had lost all of the money I saved in my career up until then to pivot to brokerage. I had to make the very difficult decision of whether to continue on the path that was not yet fruit - ful or cut my losses and go do something else. I am very happy I decided to stick with brokerage. What inspiring word of advice would you give to a
young executive graduat- ing from college today? To be good at anything requires patience and a will - ingness to put in an amount work that most people are not willing to put in. If you are pursuing something that you enjoy doing, it makes it much easier to be patient, work through the challenges, and ultimately achieve your goals. MAREJ
Max Levinston, The Kislak Co.
continued from page 4D What unique qualities and or personality do you feel makes you most suc- cessful in your profession? Being adaptable has been an important trait for me throughout my career. Often times, the path to success is not a straight line and when challenges come up in a deal, having the ability to adapt quickly has been extremely helpful. What challenges and or obstacles do you feel you needed to overcome to be- come as successful as you are today? Having a positive mindset, especially as business came to a halt for me as Covid began. Persistence has also been essential for me, rarely does a deal happen on the first contact so following up is absolutely key.
What was the most defin - ing moment for you? Closing on my very first deal and feeling much more confident in myself. I was excited about the future and working on bigger and better properties. What outside activities do you enjoy during you free time? I enjoy playing with my dog, cooking and traveling. What inspiring word of advice would you give to a young executive graduat- ing from college? This is an amazing industry! If you know someone in the business already, reach out to them and take them for lunch or coffee to learn more about what they do. If you don’t know anyone yet, utilize your university’s alumni network and connect with someone that way. MAREJ
Nigel Crayton, Director at Greysteel
Nigel Crayton Director Years with company/firm: 2 years Years in the field: 4 years Years in the real estate industry: 6 years Real estate organizations/affiliations: GBPN, AAREP, ULI
began your career in the profession you are in, about your current position and why you choose the field/ profession you are in today? Having a super competitive spirit, I wanted to go into an industry where your successes are a direct correlation to your work. With this mindset, some - thing in sales (preferably 100% commission) seemed like the path for me. I chose multifamily because I knew that product needs would be around forever. I didn’t want to build my business on a niche product type that could quickly go extent and/or be replaced by AI. In my day-to-day, I co-lead our Mid-Atlantic practice out of our DC office. My main responsibili - ties on the team include origi - nating new clients, servicing existing relationships, deal term negotiation, and mentoring younger agents on the platform. What unique qualities and or personality do you feel make you most successful in your profession? I am very solutions-oriented. Alluding again to my competi - tive spirit, I do not like to lose. Not providing my clients with solutions is a loss. I think
what makes me unique in this profession is that I will go that extra mile to provide a solu - tion. Even if that solution does not benefit me or my business, I pride myself on always pro - viding an actionable next step. What challenges and or obstacles do you feel you need to overcome to be- come as successful as you are today? The biggest chal - lenge/obstacle coming into the industry for me was my lack of exposure to it. Most of my industry colleagues have had a family member (mom/dad, distant cousin) who was in the commercial real estate space. Being newly introduced to this investment world in my early 20s did not afford me the equal start as my peers. While not impossible to move from the last position to the pole posi - tion, to get where I am today took a lot of trial & tribulation that most were able to learn at a younger stage. What was the most defin - ing moment for you? Being named one of the co-leaders of our team. While I am not in the business for the recognition, it always feels good to be recog - nized, especially by your team - mates & peers. MAREJ
Michelle Vernuccio, North Jersey Chamber of Commerce
and photography. What inspiring word of advice would you give to a young executive graduat- ing from college today? The most aspiring advice I can give a young executive graduating from college is to listen to what you hear, and try various opportunities that come their way, even if they feel it is a dead end because it is those moments of defining passion that allow us to grow professionally while staying tunnel vision on that ultimate end goal. Do not listen to fam - ily and friends, but rather to internship supervisors, men - tors, and those who know you professionally. MAREJ
as a guest until I saw my name on the program to serve as a speaker representing partner - ship strategy with businesses in New Jersey. I panicked at first but built up enough courage to come up with a five- minute speech, translated into Chinese with a standing ova - tion. I am always quick to think of a solution in a short time. that chamber offered me a full-time director position. What outside activities do you enjoy during you free time? I enjoy spending time with family and friends, New York City, art and culture, working out, reading books, fashion continued from page 10D
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