Personalities

The real estate industry is full of them, especially in New Jersey. Real Estate NJ is your source for Q&A-style stories with top newsmakers and profiles of the market’s major players.

Locally grown: Lee & Associates, marking 10 years in New Jersey, is primed for additional expansion

Lee & Associates is marking 10 years since the launch of its New Jersey office, having grown from just four brokers and three employees to a team of 55, thanks in large part to the firm’s distinctive broker-owned model and a growing number of service lines.

Marchetto, once on the front lines of Hoboken’s rebirth, is now growing beyond Hudson County

A design firm that has been a key player in Hoboken’s rebirth has expanded well beyond Hudson County, amassing a pipeline of suburban but transit-oriented residential projects in well-known locales such as Morristown, Montclair and Westfield.

Kokes family, with third generation at the helm, is writing its next chapter in real estate

A third generation has taken the reins at one of the state’s best-known homebuilders, leading a boutique investment firm that has positioned the family as an equity investor, lender and developer with a new pipeline that is largely centered on rental properties.

A winning formula: How CBRE helped engineer some of New Jersey’s top office sales

In a time when investors have reaped windfalls from upgraded office buildings in New Jersey, CBRE’s capital markets team has been on the front lines — spearheading a host of high-profile deals involving newly stabilized, Class A buildings in the state.

For Pierson, believing in untapped markets has been a key ingredient for success

Pierson Commercial has gained a foothold in some of New Jersey’s largest and best-known cities, fueling its growth in recent years while remaining just as active in the state’s suburbs and highway retail corridors.

Building a legacy: Panepinto, a pillar in Jersey City’s redevelopment, has much more to come

Panepinto Properties has had ties to virtually every major project in Jersey City since its founding in the late 1970s — and that involvement is poised to continue through new development downtown and in the resurgent Journal Square neighborhood.

Delivering data: In his latest venture, Black seeks to offer a user-friendly directory for brokers

Four decades after founding Black’s Guide, Jim Black has launched a new online platform that allows users to search, sort and compile lists from a database of nearly 2,000 commercial brokers in New Jersey, allowing fellow agents to reach a specific audience as they market their properties. With contact information from more than 300 brokerage firms, Black sees an opportunity to once again be a resource for the industry.

Guiding the way: Brennan, Simon have positioned Colliers for continued growth in New Jersey

It has been a busy three years for both Kim Brennan and David Simon, who have worked together to lead Colliers International’s expansion in northern and central New Jersey. The global real estate services firm has grown to about 36 leasing and sales brokers in the market — roughly double the size of its team in 2015 — with an expanded focus on industrial, retail and investments sales. Colliers is also marking one year since it opened an office in Woodbridge, its third in New Jersey, to help support its long-term ambitions.

Building on their brands: Touhey has helped drive Investors’ growth in central, southern N.J.

Investors Bank’s expansion into central and southern New Jersey and neighboring states has been key to its growth during that time, with Tim Touhey’s team having originated more than $3.4 billion in loans.

Staying power: As retail changes, Harding sees new opportunities for longtime industry player

Aside from its focus on retail property, Levin Management Corp. executives say change is one of the only other constants in their business. It’s one reason why they feel they’re built to withstand the next set of shifts and challenges to an industry that is evolving as quickly as ever.