By Joshua Burd
The Kislak Co. Inc. has recognized three standout brokers in the residential and commercial space as part of its newly announced company sales awards.
The Woodbridge-based firm on Monday said Executive Vice President Barry Waisbrod received both the Jay I. Kislak Producer of the Year and the Sima Kislak Jelin Salesperson of the Year awards. Meantime, fellow executive vice presidents Joni Sweetwood and Peter Wisniewski received the Sales Transactions and Lease Transactions awards, respectively.
Kislak announced the winners at its annual awards ceremony, which it held earlier this month at the Publick House in Mountainside.
“Last year presented many challenges in the real estate market with sales down significantly since the recent market peaks of 2021 and 2022 yet our awards recipients overcame those challenges and excelled,” CEO Jason Pucci said. “They and our sales team completed 120 transactions throughout 2023 and I celebrate them for their tremendous perseverance, resilience and accomplishments.”
According to a news release, the Jay I. Kislak Producer of the Year award is given to the individual who generated the highest sales during the past year and is named after the Kislak Organization’s late chairman, who was an entrepreneur, real estate pioneer and philanthropist. Waisbrod had a strong 2023 after closing eight market-rate, affordable and age-restricted multifamily sales throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania for nearly $50 million in total, including the $9.75 million sale of Virgina Court Apartments in Long Branch, which to date is the largest multifamily sale in Monmouth County since 2022.
He joined Kislak in 2001 and is consistently among the team’s leading salespeople, the firm said. The veteran broker specializes in the sale of multifamily and other investment properties throughout New Jersey and its neighboring states, with career transactions totaling more than $1.6 billion, having previously received the award in 2021.
The annual Sima Kislak Jelin Salesperson of the Year award goes to the individual whose performance and professionalism demonstrated the firm’s high standards of excellence, the news release said, noting that Jelin was an executive, key mentor and motivator to many salespeople and the daughter of the firm’s founder. Waisbrod received the award for the fourth time, following prior recognitions in 2019, 2015 and 2013.
The Sales Transactions award is presented to the individual who closed the highest number of sales transactions during the year. Sweetwood received the honor for the third consecutive time after closing 13 multifamily sales in New Jersey for $45 million in 2023, including a seven-property portfolio with 184 residential units and six retail spaces in Irvington, which to date is the largest multifamily sale in Essex County since 2022.
She joined Kislak in 1996 and is one of the firm’s all-time leading salespeople, consistently ranking as a top producer each year, the news release said. She has also won several other sales awards, including Sima Kislak Jelin Salesperson of the Year and Jay I. Kislak Producer of the Year five times, with career investment sales of more than $1.3 billion.
The Lease Transactions award is presented to the individual who completed the highest number of commercial leases during the past year, Kislak said. Wisniewski closed 30 commercial leases and several commercial sales in New Jersey in 2023, with a combined value exceeding $10 million, including the trade of a large parcel in downtown Flemington for a planned 100-unit luxury apartment complex.
He also inked a long-term lease with Inclusion Pathways in downtown Red Bank, the news release said. The company will open a café for the community while training and employing individuals with special needs for independent living and working.
Wisniewski joined Kislak in 2015 and leads the firm’s commercial sales and leasing affiliate, Kislak Commercial Real Estate Services Inc. Throughout his career, he has leased or sold more than 8 million square feet of commercial space and well over 1,500 acres of land, while he is actively growing Kislak’s presence in the New Jersey commercial real estate market.
The award is his seventh consecutive recognition.
