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push portfolios to their full potential across all activities,” DeLorenzo
said. “I’m excited to join the team at The Birch Group as they forge their path ahead and will work alongside Mark and the full team on innovative strategies that will support the company’s immense growth and build even further on opportunities in the market.”
ZOLTEK ANNOUNCES
TWO BROKER HIRES
Zoltek Commercial Real Estate Services has announced the addition of Alison Cohen and Robert Skinner to its Fair Lawn-based team of brokers.
According to the firm, Cohen serves as director of real estate, bringing more than 20 years of industry experience with companies such
as Ripco Real Estate, BKR Lamar, Winick Realty and Vanguard. She
has transacted with operators such as Burger King, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Firehouse Subs, Denny’s, Dunkin, Taco Bell and IHOP, along with retailers such as Williams Sonoma and West Elm in top locations throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Cohen has also represented
national quick-service tenants in assignments such as site development throughout New
Jersey, while
performing
leasing services
for landlords
in their strip,
neighborhood
and power
centers, Zoltek
said. What’s
more, she has acted as an exclusive leasing representative for a host of national chains and franchise tenants.
“Alison is known in the industry as being a prolific dealmaker having built relationships with the biggest names in the business,” Zoltek said in its announcement, noting that she holds a business degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University as well as a paralegal degree. She is
a licensed salesperson and is a longtime member of ICSC.
Meantime, the firm has hired Skinner as a senior associate, touting his 30- year career as a successful licensed real estate agent and as a sought- after commercial property specialist in New York City since 2012. His territory includes Manhattan,
Brooklyn and Queens as well as Long Island.
“Robert’s high skills, expertise and market knowledge in New York are exceptional,”
Zoltek said in a
foot co-working facility in southwest Hoboken.
Connell brings a background in banking combined with a degree
in real estate finance, the firm said. He initially joined JDA to focus on development, specifically on the mixed-use project known as The Boundary, which is now moving ahead after securing its final approval from the Hoboken zoning board.
Plans for the two-acre development include commercial and medical office space, retail, apartments, structured parking and an elevated park. Connell was also integral to JDA’s expansion and rebranding of Mission 50, which recently completed its transition to full-fledged co- working space and will serve as a key piece of The Boundary project.
“We achieved the vision of an entire office and co-working building that is a vibrant, supportive community,” Connell said. “That involved top- down analysis, from estimating the pro forma to designing and building out the new space.”
Connell has recently focused on expanding the firm through both acquisition and development, while refinancing a 50-unit luxury apartment
REALESTATENJTM 37 building in Hoboken known as The
Lexington. He also guided JDA’s acquisition of 2215 Route 4 East in Fort Lee, the site of a 1,800-square-foot Starbucks building and a freestanding Bank of America ATM kiosk.
Prior to joining JDA, Connell was a commercial real estate portfolio manager with Provident Bank
in Iselin,
specializing in commercial real estate lending analysis, the news release said. He holds
a bachelor’s
in business
administration in
real estate and finance from Villanova University and served as a judge for the Villanova Mulroy Real Estate Challenge in 2020 and 2021.
“I share JDA Group’s desire for growth and a passion for doing the job right,” Connell said. “I quickly realized that the core values of this family-style company aligned with my own, and that has allowed Greg and me to accomplish many of the tasks we originally set out for when I started here.”
press release.
The firm pointed
to his recent sale
of the Herald
Square Hotel in
Midtown, now
the Life Hotel,
among more
than $65 million in combined sales and leasing volume.
Skinner, a New Jersey resident, is active as chairman of his local rent control board and in public service
in Ocean County. Zoltek added that his knowledge of real estate and the workings of homeowner associations, as well as his local and city government experience, are useful
in dealing with boards, management, governmental agencies and other clients.
JDA GROUP EXEC
PROMOTED TO V.P.
Commercial real estate firm JDA Group LLC has promoted Timothy J. Connell to vice president, as it looks ahead to a high-profile development project and other growth opportunities.
In his new role, Connell facilitates
all aspects of development, portfolio management and investment initiatives for the Hoboken-based company. He joined JDA in 2019
and previously was an assistant vice president, the firm said, noting that the promotion follows a recent local approval for a 500,000-square-foot, mixed-use project on the border of Hoboken and Jersey City and a recent key acquisition in Bergen County.
“Tim and I work side by side on
the high-level strategy and deals
that are driving JDA forward,” said Gregory Dell’Aquila, the firm’s CEO. “Much of his success stems from his personal approach and commitment to being honest and transparent with stakeholders, and it is this mindset that makes him a perfect fit with our firm’s culture and expansion plans.”
In a news release, JDA said Connell has played a key role in positioning
it to grow, including spearheading refinancing deals and acquisitions. He has also supported the positioning of Mission 50, the firm’s 80,000-square-
Robert Skinner
Timothy J. Connell
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