Alison Horbach and Michael Rawlins
By Joshua Burd
Ripco Real Estate has made its first promotions in New Jersey since opening its office here in 2013, elevating two brokers to vice president.
The retail real estate services firm announced this week that it had promoted Alison Horbach and Michael Rawlins, who are both based in its Lyndhurst office. Both are longtime retail brokers who have been instrumental in Ripco’s growth in the Garden State, the firm said.
Horbach, who has been with Ripco since May 2013, will now assist in leading a retail team of 14 brokers and generating business growth on behalf of the firm, according to a news release. She specializes her brokerage services in retail, landlord and tenant representation, as well as investment sales.
She has provided tenant advisory services and deployment strategies for brands such as Uncle Giuseppe’s, F21 Red, Sephora, Panera, Noon Mediterranean, Bed Bath & Beyond and DXL, Ripco said. Horbach is also an expert in New Jersey’s Gold Coast submarket, covering the waterfront from Edgewater to Jersey City, and has helped bring brands such as Sephora and Athleta to Hoboken.
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“Alison has been vital to the growth of the New Jersey office,” said Curtis Nassau, managing partner at Ripco New Jersey. “Her high-level relationships with top retailers, market expertise and role in executing significant transactions have allowed us to become one of the premier brokerage firms in the state.
“Ripco’s philosophy is centered on growing its brokers internally and Alison has demonstrated every characteristic we look for in our leaders.”
Rawlins has been with Ripco New Jersey since the office first opened in 2013 and was initially tasked with building up the firm’s agency assignments throughout northern and central New Jersey. During the last 18 months, he has leased more than 250,000 square feet and sold nearly $30 million in retail properties.
Outside of his agency work, he represents national retailers such as The Goddard School and iFLY Indoor Skydiving, the firm said. He also represents Shake Shack, having recently completed five transactions on behalf of the chain in New Jersey.
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“Within the last five years, Michael has become one of the New Jersey office’s top brokers, thanks in large part to his outside the box thinking, determination to execute transactions and approach to strategically marketing his clients,” said Florian Suserman, the firm’s other managing partner in New Jersey. “We are thrilled to have a broker like Michael on our team, because he goes above and beyond to gather knowledge about the market and retailers he is passionate about, which has resulted in numerous high-level deals.”
Horbach is a licensed real estate salesperson in New Jersey, New York and Florida, a CCIM candidate and a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Next Generation Planning Board. Rawlins, meantime, was recently recognized by CoStar as one of its “Power Brokers” for the northern New Jersey region.
In addition to the promotions, Ripco has also expanded its team in New Jersey with new hires, including two over the past two months. The firm was formed in 1991 with a focus on representing retailers, landlords and developers in the New York metropolitan region.
