By Joshua Burd
Two multifamily investors in East Orange have been named to new roles with an industry group made up of fellow property owners in the city.

The East Orange Property Owners Association announced recently that Phillip Evanski, a managing member of Equis Realty Partners LLC, has been appointed president of its board of directors. Marc Watkins, CEO of West Orange-based Rockledge Ventures LLC, has been named secretary.
Evanski succeeds Peter Shapiro, who is retiring as managing member of Shapco Property Management.

“On behalf of my fellow board members and the EOPOA’s entire membership, I would like to extend our gratitude to Peter Shapiro for his vision and dedication in bringing the city’s landlords and officials together and creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and collaboration,” Evanski said. “By working closely with the city’s administration, we will continue to improve the living standards for all tenants in East Orange.”
Under Shapiro’s stewardship, the EOPOA and its leadership team achieved several key milestones, according to a news release. These included hosting the “State of the City of East Orange: Revitalization and Investment Initiatives” roundtable that focused on embracing and capitalizing on urbanism; piloting three integral city ordinance amendments; and being named the Best New Industry Association for 2016 by a regional real estate publication.