By Joshua Burd
Diversified Properties has hired a longtime real estate executive as its new director of acquisitions and development, the Montville-based firm announced.
In his new role, Jon Leifer will oversee the company’s building and land acquisitions as well as both ground-up development and redevelopment projects in key growth markets, according to a news release. He joins the commercial and residential real estate firm from Bowery Farming, a New York City-based vertical farming and indoor agriculture company with farms in New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania, where he served as head of real estate.
“Jon’s extensive acquisitions experience across multiple asset classes speaks to his ability to provide substantial long-term value to our company,” Diversified Properties’ Founding and Managing Partner Nicholas Minoia said. “We are thrilled to welcome Jon to the team and are excited to have his vision and expertise help us as we continue to improve properties and create distinctive and thoughtfully programmed spaces where businesses and communities can thrive.”
With Bowery Farming, Leifer executed expansion strategy and led corporate site selection for indoor vertical farms and research and development facilities, including leasing and facility buildout negotiations, incentive procurement and project entitlement, the news release said. He also spearheaded renewable energy purchases, sustainable design initiatives and design-build feasibility analysis.
Leifer is also a former director of acquisitions for Rochelle Park-based Case Real Estate Capital, where he led deal sourcing and execution, due diligence, purchase and sale negotiations, capital raising and joint venture partnership structuring. Diversified also pointed to his involvement in several high-profile projects during his career, including the development of the 1.2 million-square-foot Chicago O’Hare Northeast Cargo Center, a 700,000-square-foot cargo facility redevelopment at Miami International Airport and the design-build of indoor farms throughout the Eastern Seaboard.
He holds a master’s in real estate from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School and a bachelor’s in urban planning and real estate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the news release said. Additionally, Leifer was named to Commercial Property Executive’s Stars to Watch list in 2017 and to NJBIZ’s 40 under 40 in 2016.
“Success in today’s commercial real estate world is no longer defined solely by a company’s bottom line but instead the broader, lasting impact it makes on the local community,” Leifer said. “From my first conversation with their team, it was clear that Diversified Properties shared my focus on community-oriented development and benefitting the residents and tenants we serve. I look forward to immediately helping Diversified realize its long-term business goals.”
