Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
Welcome to Ten, CORE founder and CEO Shaun Osher’s rapid-fire interview series with prominent CORE figures. Read on to find out how this week’s subject deals with being on the hot seat.
I met Natalie Rakowski in 2002 when we did a deal together in the “Dance Building” in Chelsea. Even back then, she was one of the top New Development experts in the city, and a power broker. When I started Core in 2005, I was honored to have her by my side, and we’ve never looked back. She is not only one of the most trustworthy people I know, but one of the most genuine. Here is my interview with my friend…
1) When you were a kid, what did you dream of becoming?
I always wanted to be a documentary filmmaker. I am a Discovery and Travel Channel addict. About ten years ago, I had the opportunity to make a documentary called “Talking Tacheles” about artists who squatted in a bombed out building in (former) East Berlin. The building itself is a character in the story, so it was ideal subject matter combining all of my interests – art, travel, history and real estate!
2) You have created a name for yourself as one of the top people in the city who works with developers. How did you get involved in new development?
When I was 21, My father and I bought an old building in Berlin and renovated it. That was where I learned everything about being a developer. From that moment on, my love affair with real estate began.
3) What’s the most challenging deal you ever closed?
That was the one with the pot belly pig. DON’T ASK! Only in New York.
(more…)
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
Welcome to Ten, CORE founder and CEO Shaun Osher’s rapid-fire interview series with prominent CORE figures. Read on to find out how this week’s subject deals with being on the hot seat.
The CORE brand, the way we express who we are, what we stand for, and how we conduct our business is largely reliant on how we communicate our message to our clients and the world at large. Kristina Helb is our Director of Communications and in the past year has been responsible for that message. She is personable, responsive, and above all, she is a delight to work with.
1) What is the best part of your day?
When I’m out and about in the City and that idyllic moment unexpectedly catches me – where I feel so complete and so happy to be in a City that I love, doing what I love to do. This happens daily and I think any New Yorker will understand exactly what I mean.
2) How do you approach your job?
Expect the unexpected! People always ask me to describe my “typical day,” and there is no typical day, especially when heading up Communications for CORE. I approach my job with flexibility and nimbleness -– amid executing co-branded events, working on “Selling New York” episodes, managing CORE’s blog calendar, social media efforts and pitching stories to media, I can never plan for when CORE’s next million-dollar big deal will happen. I’ve learned to think quickly on my feet, react strategically and with confidence and secure press coverage for that big deal – while managing to keep all the other plates spinning.
3) The world has changed significantly over the last 10 years because of technology. How has that changed the way you work? (more…)
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
Welcome to Ten, CORE founder and CEO Shaun Osher’s rapid-fire interview series with prominent CORE agents. Read on to find out how this week’s subject deals with being on the hot seat.
I met Emily Beare five years ago when she joined CORE to work on our project at 520 West 19th Street, a high-profile West Chelsea condominium designed by Annabelle Selldorf and located steps from the High Line. She sold that project out in record time, and has built a business and reputation that is one of the best in the industry. Now she’s a busy Managing Director at CORE, but she still found the time to chat with me about her career.
1) What did you do before going into real estate?
Believe it or not, real estate is actually my fourth career! After studying art history and photography in college, I worked for several years at a museum and with photographers, before a total departure to work on the Commodities Exchange trading gold. After I got married, my husband started his own watch business. He handled the creative, while I ran the business end for 15 years.
2) Why did you go into real estate?
I was at a point in my life where I wanted to do something different and my daughter, Elizabeth, suggested I get my real estate license. I always had a passion for real estate and I was already involved with sales and marketing so it seemed to make sense. My friends and family all encouraged me…telling me I would be great at it since I loved working with people.
3) Who is your mentor?
In my personal life, I would say my mother and my grandmother. They were not only very strong career women, but also amazing mothers who knew how to do it all at a time when not many women were in the work force. In business I would have to say it is you, Shaun. You have been an inspiration in your knowledge, creativity and your focus and of course, your endless support.
4) What is your greatest daily challenge?
Trying to sleep past 5:00 AM. (more…)
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover – but Christian Rogers is the exception to this rule. He is the most impeccably dressed man I know, and always presents himself with a style that brings a breath of fresh air to any situation.
Shaun: What did you do before going into real estate?
Christian: Define “before”! I was an architect’s apprentice, a graphic designer’s apprentice, a graphic designer, an Art Director, a waiter, a photo-illustrator, a waiter, a percussionist, (more…)
I have know Ryan for 3 years. He is reliable, personable and a pure joy to have as a part of my company.
Shaun: What did you do before going into real estate?
Ryan: I analyzed debt issued for affordable housing at Standard & Poor’s, where I focused on military housing deals. I traveled the country to all sorts of out of the way places visiting military bases I’d never heard of, it was fascinating – I call it the parallel universe! I began my career in the South Bronx working for a community development corporation that developed and managed affordable housing and related work in human services and economic development.
Shaun: Why did you go into real estate?
Ryan: In a real sense, I already worked in real estate in various capacities, though my focus has shifted from affordable to unaffordable housing! I have a strong family background in real estate (more…)
Michael Graves is a gentleman…..first and foremost. Beyond that, he is one of the most ambitious and hard working men I have met. He has a thirst for information and his future in the industry is bright.
Shaun: What did you do before going into real estate?
Michael: Well, this could be a convoluted answer! In the months before joining CORE, I tirelessly sought a career in music and completed Masters Degrees at NYU in the subjects of Music Theory and Scoring for Film and Multimedia. I was successful but it was not a career path that could support a family and we had just been blessed with our beautiful twin boys, Roma and Leo. Prior to my aspirations as a composer, I worked in nearly every aspect of the hospitality industry and as an undergraduate studied classical guitar performance.
Shaun: Why did you go into real estate?
Michael: I’m not sure if I got into real estate or if real estate got into me? I fell in love with New York City as a child first visiting the Big Apple as a seven year old. I am totally drawn by the art, music, culture and architecture (more…)
Thursday, April 28th, 2011
Michael has been a staple of the Chelsea condo market for years. He lives in The Chelsea Mercantile, and has sold more apartments in the building than anyone I know. His attention to detail and a dedication to the industry is refreshing (even after all these years)…
Shaun: What did you do before going into real estate?
Michael: Two jobs: Commercial leasing by day then I moonlighted as an actor in commercials, corporate films and small independent films.
Shaun: Why did you go into real estate?
Michael: Commercial real estate is a “do the numbers” type of job and acting wasn’t affording me the life style I wanted. Residential real estate is a much more personalized transaction: one on one advice to owners, giving emotional support in stressful times to buyers and (more…)
I met Doug Bowen about ten years ago, when I worked alongside him as a broker. His enthusiasm for the business is contagious. He is a deep thinker, a man with integrity and is always willing to lend a hand. I am fortunate that he joined CORE more than four years ago and is now an integral part of our company.
1. SHAUN: What did you do before going into real estate?
DOUG: I was a union set builder for 13 years where I worked on 40+ motion pictures, various TV shows and commercials, but mostly movies. I worked in ten different states and even out of the country. I was in Mexico for over a year on the Titanic set, where I was a construction foreman. For me it was like a paid Peace Corps mission; I created my own role as a kind of field general for between 30 and 70 Mexicans who came from the Sindicato (the Mexican film union) in Mexico City in groups with names like Las Estrellas (The Stars). Each group had a jefe ( chief ), a segundo(a foreman ) and the rest of the capinteros. I learned their language and, in turn, their respect. What they taught me is more than I could have ever imagined. I cried like a baby saying goodbye.
2.SHAUN: Why did you go into real estate?
DOUG: In 1999, I purchased my first brownstone in Brooklyn and then another a couple of years later. As a landlord and an investor I witnessed firsthand the potential of real estate. Back in ‘99, I was general contracting a 2,500-square foot loft renovation on Great Jones Street and a lifelong friend, who knew that I had been feeling constrained by union labor, told me that he thought that I would make a great real estate broker. I found myself taking the practical steps to consider this life change and my actions tell the rest of the story.
3.SHAUN: Who is your mentor?
DOUG: I will forever be a student of life and I have had many mentors. My Mom’s recent passing created a new intimacy between my two brothers and my father and I that I consider a gift. These men have mentored me through much and I am humbled, grateful and a better person as a result.
4.SHAUN: What is your greatest daily challenge?
DOUG: Time management.
5.SHAUN: What is the one value you admire most in a person?
DOUG:Personal conduct. The way we conduct ourselves with all the people we meet in the course of our daily lives is a responsibility. And there is always room for improvement.
6.SHAUN: Name one place you find inspiration?
DOUG: The Noguchi Museum in Long Island City. This magical place has one of the oldest Japanese Gardens in New York. It is a lovingly cared for meditation on the life a great artist, landscape architect, thinker and doer.
7.SHAUN: What is your favorite book, artist or movie? Name just one.
DOUG: Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees, The Life of Contemporary Artist Robert Irwin.
8.SHAUN: What makes you choose that?
DOUG:I am reading this book for the third time. For me, this is a book about perception and being truly in the moment with your life. For many years, Irwin did not allow people to photograph his work. After much success, he rejected the studio environment and his subsequent work transforming space as his medium is a oner.
9.SHAUN: How would you like to be remembered?
DOUG: As hardworking and a decent friend.
10.SHAUN: Do you have a question for me?
DOUG: Where do you find stillness in your life?
SHAUN: I find stillness with my daughters in my arms, asleep.
….has been working with me for over a year now, and CORE (and I) are incredibly fortunate to have her. We are a better place because of her. She is our Executive Director of Operations, and has skill and talent well beyond her years. Personally, she is one of the most supportive, trustworthy, and dedicated people I have met – ever. She has taught me many things through her unique thought process and attention to detail. A rare individual indeed, and she’s Fancy as well!
1. SHAUN: What did you do before joining CORE?
NANCY: I began my career in strategic/corporate communications at a boutique firm in New York, working with Fortune 100 clients across all industries on a diverse array of projects. I found it fascinating to peek inside some of the largest and most respected businesses and meet the people who were a part of them. I learned what made them tick and why, and what their challenges were and how they maneuvered through those challenges. I then moved to Los Angeles to pursue my dream of owning a flower shop and serendipitously became a part of a team producing some of the most innovative and creative floral designs and events in the industry. The shop itself was a space of timeless beauty which was curated largely through curiosity. I enjoyed some of my most inspiring and rewarding years working with an amazingly talented team led by a true dreamer. I find inspiration and satisfaction in harmony – no matter if it is in business, a beautiful floral arrangement, music or in life – I find I am constantly examining what works and what doesn’t to find those tweaks or adjustments that will lead to the creation of those precious moments of harmony.
2.SHAUN: Why did you join CORE?
NANCY: The literal answer is that my New Year’s resolution for 2010 was to say yes to any opportunity that life presented to me and trust that it would all unfold wonderfully – perhaps in a more beautiful way than if I had planned it. You called in February. Lucky me – thank you universe! And it felt right – CORE has all of the aspects of a business that excite me. CORE is a growing, innovative, entrepreneurial business enveloped by and exuding creativity and inspiration with a talented, dedicated team led by a visionary who is, most importantly, an exceptional human being. Needless to say, I am very fortunate to be a part of it.
3.SHAUN: Who is your mentor in life?
NANCY: Those who choose to see life through rose-colored glasses – who seek out laughter and the good stuff. I purposely say “choose” as it is a choice we each have every day and I am in wonder of those to whom it seems as though it has become as natural as breathing. I am fortunate to meet these people daily – even more fortunate when I am present and realize it – and am blessed to have a couple in particular in my life who have inspired me throughout the years, sometimes even lending me their glasses.
4.SHAUN: What is your greatest daily challenge?
NANCY: Not over thinking things, but instead trusting my gut. It can be a fine line between strategic thinking and paralysis by analysis.
5.SHAUN: What is the one value you admire most in a person?
NANCY: Sincerity in all aspects – especially in living one’s life authentically. To be in the presence of someone who is fully aware of who they are and committed to being completely honest and present in that – that is truly magnificent…it is remarkable.
6.SHAUN: Name one place you find inspiration?
NANCY: Any where I see flowers.
7.SHAUN: What is your favorite book, artist or movie? Name just one.
8.SHAUN: Why did you pick that?
NANCY: Greg Mortenson is an exceptional man promoting peace through education. He is a man who, instead of focusing on his failed attempt at climbing Pakistan’s K2 (the world’s second highest mountain), listened to a group of children he met while he was recovering in a small village there, made a promise to build a school and let life unfold in keeping that promise. Through his incredible perseverance, he has built almost two hundred schools in remote and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan providing education so far to 68,000 children, 54,000 of which are girls. He has maneuvered through his journey with grace and by gut…he is truly a hero to me.
9.SHAUN: How would you like to be remembered?
NANCY: Smiling.
10.SHAUN: Do you have a question for me?
NANCY: What does happiness look like to you?
SHAUN: A sunset over the African bush, where the sky is deep blue, the earth dark red, and the animals, birds, and plants all know their place and purpose……. and live together harmoniously.
I have known Mark for only a few years, yet he is one of those people who feels like a long-time friend from childhood. He is personable, sincere, a husband, a father and a man you can count on. He is also one of our agents at CORE.
1. SHAUN: What did you do before going into real estate?
MARK: Before going into real estate I pursued a career as an actor- and as a waiter, bartender, janitor, office temp… No, but seriously, I covered all the bases: I trained at The Circle in The Square Theatre School, carried a spear in “Turandot” at the N.Y.C. Opera, beat up Placido Domingo at the Met. I was pure coincidence that my first two jobs on stage in N.Y. involved the opera, especially when the first opera I saw I was also in! I also did “Death of a Salesman” in a church basement, toured for children’s theater, Shakespeare Festivals, Off-Off Broadway, more church basements, a few independent films, commercials, soap operas , avant garde theater in South Korea, The New York Fringe Festival (twice!), and the creme de la crème – “Law & Order” (I found the body at the start of the show). Geez, I feel like I’m writing a bio for Playbill. I can go on, if you like…
2.SHAUN: I get the picture! Why did you go into real estate?
MARK: A big part of my decision to go in to real rstate was motivated by the economics of show-biz: I always had to do something else to support my acting habit. When my wife and I decided to take the plunge and start a family that meant (for me, anyway) shifting course, career-wise, and focusing my energies on a more lucrative career path. Plus, I’ve always lived in NY in just about any type of living situation you can think of, so I absorbed a lot of ‘know how’ without realizing it. Now, that’s not to say I will never act again, and like my dear friend and esteemed colleague, Tom Postilio, I do “To be, or not to be…” on occasion, but right now my focus is on the market.
3.SHAUN: Who is your mentor?
MARK: That’s an easy one: Managing Director, Real Estate Salesperson extraordinaire, and all around good guy – Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for CORE’s very own Kirk Rundhuag! We met as Cater Waiters at The Sign of The Dove, oh, a few years back, just as he was getting started in the business. We fell out of touch, but would cross paths from time to time. When I was giving serious thought to entering the business I sought out his advice, which he was most generous with. Now, here we are at CORE working together on the same team.
4.SHAUN: What is your greatest daily challenge?
MARK: Not speaking.
5.SHAUN: What is the one value you admire most in a person?
MARK:Sincerity: say what you mean. Mean what you say.
6.SHAUN: Name one place you find inspiration?
MARK: The theater – both live and in films. (does that count as two?)
7.SHAUN: What is your favorite book, artist or movie? Name just one.
MARK: Movie: “The Godfather”.
8.SHAUN: Why did you pick that?
MARK:Do we have enough room, here? It’s my “desert island” movie – I never tire of seeing it. It’s loaded with great lines (who hasn’t heard, or used, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse”?), the performances are superb across the board, it’s a really a great ensemble piece, it’s filmed beautifully and although it was part of the whole ’70’s new wave of young directors. The first time I saw it, I was on vacation, it was a rainy day, and my mother had to do something with her two younger children. It was the only movie playing in Cape Cod, so she took the plunge and took us to see it. I was 12 and felt like I was getting away with murder! Since parts of it were filmed in my hometown of Staten Island, a lot of the wedding scene extras were locals, and my mother kept pointing out people she knew – I was so impressed! When I’m back on the island (that’s what we natives call it) I’ve taken much pleasure in taking visiting friends on the grand tour to show them the house that served as the Corleone family compound.
9.SHAUN: How would you like to be remembered?
MARK: I’m not going to over-think this one, so I’ll simply say, “As a good guy”.
10.SHAUN: Do you have a question for me?
MARK:How would YOU like to be remembered?
SHAUN:I’m not going to over-think this one, so I’ll simply say, “As a loving father”.
