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education. Below are excerpts from the interview, edited for space and clarity.
REAL ESTATE NJ: It was a difficult two years on many levels. What has it been like for your members as they’ve moved past the tension and financial pain of the eviction moratorium? How long will it take for landlords and their tenants to recover?
DAVID BROGAN: I think this is something that is not going be fully resolved for a number of years, because if I filed for an eviction today in Essex County, I probably wouldn’t get a court date until February. And then, whether the state comes through with additional rental assistance, we’ll have to wait and see. So I think it’s going to take another couple years before we fully recover from the losses that were incurred and deal with the tenants that haven’t been paying and are still protected under state statute and the guidelines put out by the Supreme Court. It’s going to be a process.
RENJ: Securing rental assistance funds from Trenton was a major win during COVID, but you’re also proud of how NJAA supported its members on a day- to-day basis. Explain how.
DB: Clearly, this is the first time anybody in our generation or slightly above
or below had gone through a global pandemic. And we were doing things on the fly, trying to provide our members with the most up-to-date information possible. In the first year, from March of 2020 to December 31st of 2020, we put out over a hundred updates with various pieces of information. When you’re running a membership association, you want to demonstrate the value to the members. You want to demonstrate that you’re there for the members and that you’re a resource for the members. And I think we did that.
RENJ: So you were probably talking
to the rank and file a little bit more frequently than you would in a normal time.
DB: I would say that we had a lot more interaction with our members on a day-to-day basis than we ever did before and ... seeing how important the association was during the pandemic,
it made me reflect upon the true visionaries who saw the need for an organization that focused solely on the multifamily industry. People like David
Legow (of Legow Management Co.), Jonathan Gershen (of The Gershen Group), Michael Goldberg (of Goldberg Realty Associates), Jeff Smith (of Kreigman & Smith Inc.) and Michael Haydinger (of First Montgomery Group). These were some of the key people who saw government affairs in Trenton as being a priority.
The organization did a great job prior to us coming here. But, starting in 2014, I felt like we raised the bar. My goal has always been to elevate the organization in every aspect. We (Nichole, Nick and I) wanted an organization that was commensurate with the impact that the multifamily industry has, not only on housing, but also the state’s economy.
RENJ: Which brings us back to the importance of being in Trenton. Aside from the location, what else were you looking for in a new office?
DB: In a general sense, we wanted an office that reflected the staff now. We wanted an office that felt comfortable, because I know (many) people
are saying that they want to work
from home now, but if you create a comfortable work environment, they’re going to want to come to work. And
I think we’ve created an environment that really promotes critical thinking and coming up with new ideas. When you’re in a stuffy cubicle or in an office with no windows, ideas don’t flow freely. When you see the light that comes into this office, you see the way that we’ve decorated the office — and I’ll give Nichole a hundred percent
of the credit for that — it’s a very comfortable office, it’s an office that you’d want to go to. That was important to us. It wasn’t just being close or being in Trenton, but it was about creating an environment that promoted a positive work ethic and environment.
RENJ: You’re also focused on education, as you have been for many years now. Tell us how things are going on that front.
DB: From the day I got here, I saw education as the place where we could see the biggest growth and the greatest importance outside of advocacy ... and it’s twofold: It’s education on laws and regulations that come down the pike. We just had a Fair Chance in Housing Act seminar. So far, we’ve educated over 600 people on that law. That’s
Photo by Aaron Houston for Real Estate NJ
David Brogan speaks from the New Jersey Apartment Association’s new office at 162 West State St. in Trenton. He has helped raise the group’s profile in state politics and policymaking since joining it in 2014 as its executive director, while leading efforts to professionalize the industry through education.
good for the association and, from a member perspective, it helps them in staying compliant.
The second part of education is professionalizing the industry, and that is a very important role that we play. And it demonstrates to the Legislature that we’re different from the slumlords out there. A slumlord is not going to
spend money on soft skills for their leasing professional, for designations. We have national designations through the National Apartment Association for leasing professionals, for maintenance technicians, for apartment complex managers, for portfolio supervisors. And we’re providing all of that education to professionalize the industry. RE
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