Nick Charles (left) and Luis Gartner
By Joshua Burd
PEEK Properties has fortified its third-party development platform for multifamily projects with the additions of industry veterans Nick Charles and Luis Gartner.
The firm, which is based in West Orange, recently began offering single-source construction management, general contractor, project management and accounting services to investment entities, property owners and land development entities involved in bringing new apartment buildings to market in New Jersey. Charles, partner and director of construction, and Gartner, director of project management, are central to that effort after recently joining the PEEK Builders unit with a wealth of large-scale, complex construction experience touching everything from high-profile Manhattan skyscrapers to sophisticated transit infrastructure.
“When clients hire PEEK Builders, they are not just getting a general contractor — they are getting a partner with an owner’s perspective,” Charles said. “We manage the entire project lifecycle. This holistic approach ensures every decision, from material choice to phasing, directly contributes to the long-term value and operational efficiency of the asset, and we build accordingly. Our philosophy is rooted in complete transparency, consulting, problem-solving and of course results.”
Charles is a former general superintendent for Gilbane Building Co. in New York City, where his work included the more-than-$70 million penthouse units at The Residence for the Aman Group, according to PEEK. Prior to that, as a senior superintendent at Lend Lease, he delivered some of the most complex, prominent projects in New York City, including the third-tallest residential building internationally at 432 Park Avenue, the World Trade Center PATH Station and the MTA’s Fulton Transit Center.
Gartner, for his part, has worked internationally and locally, serving as a project manager for the likes of Blackstone 360 in East Orange after earning his master’s in construction management from Manhattan College.
“Our process is disciplined and ‘battle-tested,’” Gartner said. “By integrating every facet of the design-build process, we have perfected a methodology that keeps multimillion-dollar projects on track by constantly forecasting challenges and providing solutions before they impact the critical path. This efficiency is what allows us to deliver PEEK-caliber quality, every time.”
PEEK Properties, one of the earliest developers to leverage the tax benefits of building in federally designated Opportunity Zones, launched in 2018 under the leadership of Phillip J. Evanski and Manny Klein. It said it created PEEK Builders in 2021 to ensure end-to-end oversight and uncompromising quality for its luxury apartment portfolio across Orange, East Orange and elsewhere in Essex County.
“The quality and efficiency that PEEK Builders achieved internally set a new benchmark for us, from the CM and GC side as well as full control and direct communication with subcontractors,” Evanski said. “Extending these proprietary services — backed by Nick and Luis’s expertise – means we’re offering our industry peers a competitive advantage that protects their investment from start to finish.”
Since its founding, PEEK Properties has delivered a total of 590 units totaling 701,092 square feet and a hard cost of more than $107 million.
“Expanding PEEK Builders to third-party clients is a natural evolution for our team,” Klein said. “We cultivated PEEK’s internal construction entity because we demanded excellence and efficiency, standards we felt that the market couldn’t consistently provide. Based on feedback and discussions with our developer peer set, we’re pleased to offer our attention to the smallest details, proactive risk management and integrated development approach to our fellow developers.”
