6B — June 10 - 23, 2016 — Northern New Jersey — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
N orthern N ew J ersey Enduring success tied to sales growth and philosophies of late founders Gebroe-Hammer Associates marks 40th year as leader in multi-family property sales L IVINGSTON, NJ — The strongly held per- sonal principles for life
inant multi-family brokerage firm,” said Ken Uranowitz , president, who was hired 40 years ago by Hammer. “They created a company where hon- esty, resourcefulness and qual- ity transcend every facet of our business model and pays ‘dividends’ when it comes to our long-term client relationships and employee tenure.” Uranowitz is tasked with overseeing the day-to-day op- erations of the company while remaining hands-on in sales. Alan Gebroe , Mel’s son, is at the helm as chairman. The elder Gebroe, whose 2011 passing was predeceased
by his business partner’s in 2003, and Hammer, gained tre- mendous personal and profes- sional satisfaction from invest- ing in other people. Known for their generous philanthropy, these industry icons launched their careers selling single- family homes in the 1960s be- fore specializing in apartment buildings and ascending to the pinnacle of their profession. In a small office in Clifton in late 1975, they hung their shingle as Gebroe-Hammer Associates. New Benchmarks in the New Millennium Today, Livingston-based Gebroe-Hammer represents
a wide range of private indi- viduals, REITS, private equity firms and other institutional investors, many of whom are long-time or second/third-gen- eration clients. The firm also has expanded its reach from its initial northern New Jersey geographic focus to include New York State, the Philadel- phia market and beyond. “Not many companies can say this, but Gebroe-Hammer’s track record for success has resulted in consistent year- over-year growth since our inception – even during deep recessionary cycles – with a large percentage of repeat busi- ness from long-time owners and investors,” said Uranowitz. The latest figures speak for themselves: the firm has arranged more than 51 trans- actions thus far this year. In total, the deals involved over 5,456 units sold for a combined $880.838 million. This pace comes on the heels of closing out 2015 with a 178% sales increase over 2014 for its best year in the firm’s history. While Gebroe-Hammer’s brokerage activity primar- ily focuses on suburban and urban high-rise, mid-rise and garden-apartment properties – its “bread and butter” – it also markets mixed-use and free-standing office and retail properties. The firm’s market specialists are on the front- lines of thriving and emerging centers of multi-family activity throughout the tri-state region, where they also are identifying future opportunities. “The secret to our long-term success is our people, who’s per- sonal and professional achieve- ments are directly linked to strong internal teamwork and a vast network of external re- lationships,” added Uranowitz. “They are motivated – not bur- dened – to carry on the tenets set forth by Mel and Morris. They are driven to keep work- ing and help one another be successful. This is what keeps us going through the economic highs and lows that are part and parcel of the commercial real estate business.” Me n t o r i ng Pr o g r am Gr o oms Ne x t B r o k e r Generation For many at Gebroe-Ham- mer, the firm’s industry-unique mentoring programhas framed their success. “Our talent pool is very diverse,” said Uranow- itz, whose youth and lack of experience could have posed continued on page 9B
and business – integrity, cre- ativity, excellence – inspired the late Mel Gebroe and Morris Hammer to estab- lish a unique commercial real estate investment brokerage firm in the mid-1970s. Forty years later, these same tenets are being safeguarded and put into modern-day practice by a second, third and fourth gen- eration of Gebroe-Hammer Associates professionals. “The ‘traditional’ beliefs that brought Mel andMorris togeth- er to create Gebroe-Hammer
Mel Gebroe (L) and Morris Hammer
Associates still define who we are and how we conduct our business in this fourth decade as the most respected and dom-
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