On this episode of the Closed! podcast, Cooper and Lee chat with renowned developer, Robert A. Levine, the founder and CEO of RAL, who has been responsible for the development of more than 100 luxury residential, hotel and mixed-use projects throughout the country totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars in project valuations. The conversation focuses on Mr. Levine's experience developing One Brooklyn Bridge Park, the biggest residential conversion in Brooklyn’s history, but also touches on some of RALs other projects including Zero Irving, a recently finished office building on 14th street, and Quay Towers. Mr. Levine also shares his thoughts on the future of development and affordable housing in NYC. It's a fascinating conversation with a legend in the field. We hope you give it a listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the Closed! podcast Brad and Cooper chat with David Lombino, the managing director of external affairs at Two Trees, about the newly opened Refinery at Domino. The Refinery at Domino is the centerpiece of the 11-acre Domino Sugar Factory site in Williamsburg -- a 15-story, 460,000-square-foot Class A office space built within an industrial brick structure originally completed in 1884. During the conversation Lombino shares the history of the project, including how Two Trees acquired the property, why they made the decision to turn this building into office space (when it was originally supposed to be a residential) and some of the unique challenges associated with developing a historic building like this one. Lombino also shares the variety of amenities offered in the Refinery and some updates about the building's current status. It's an amazing project and a fascinating conversation. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the Closed! podcast, Lee and Cooper chat with Stephen Wendell, Founder and CEO of Mountain Shore Properties, a company that develops commercial and residential properties across the US. During the conversation Stephen discusses how Mountain Shore vets and selects its projects, how the pandemic impacted travel trends, and the challenges the company faced when recently developing a hotel in the Catskills. Stephen also shares his perspective on how the new Airbnb rules in New York City are likely to impact the hotel industry and the future of tourism in New York City. It’s a wide-ranging conversation with a lot of relevant insights for developers and anyone involved in the world of hotels. We hope you give it a listen!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Closed! Mike and Lee chat with Councilman Joe Borelli, the Council Minority Leader from Staten Island, about NYC's affordable housing crisis. The conversation focuses on why it's so difficult to construct new units in NYC, how the end of 421a is affecting development, and potential compromises between the right and left on housing issues. They also discuss why so many rent stabilized units are vacant, why Brooklyn is leading the way in new development, and NYC's implementation of local law 97. It's an interesting conversation and we appreciate Councilman Borelli giving us some of his time and weighing in on these important issues.Joe Borelli is the Minority Leader of the New York City Council who represents the 51st Council District, which encompasses Staten Island's South Shore, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the Closed podcast Lee and Cooper chat with Briggs Elwell, the CEO and co-founder of RLTY Capital, a New York-based specialty finance firm for the real estate community offering a comprehensive suite of services for agents. During this conversation Briggs explains the nuts and bolts of RLTY's platform for advancing commissions for agents. Briggs also shares details about the suite of other products RLTY offers brokers including LLC formation, wealth management services, and (coming soon!) a comprehensive health insurance plan. We really enjoyed hearing all about what RLTY is doing in the real estate space and we hope you take some time to listen. For more on RLTY check out: https://rltycap.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Closed! we chat with New York Times best selling author William Cohan about the current state of the commercial real estate market. The conversation focuses on how the dual blows of the pandemic and rapidly rising rates have put the squeeze on owners of class B real estate, and the holders of office focused REITs. Cohan also shares his thoughts on the what future looks like for this asset class, and how building owners are likely to respond. It's an extremely informative conversation and we hope you give it a listen. William D. Cohan, a former senior Wall Street M&A investment banker for 17 years at Lazard Frères & Co., Merrill Lynch and JPMorganChase, is the New York Times bestselling author of three non-fiction narratives about Wall Street: Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World; House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street; and, The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co., the winner of the 2007 FT/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Closed Podcast, Lee Bergstein and Mike Flynn chat with Filippo Incorvaia, the CEO of FI Real Estate based in Miami. During this conversation Filippo explains how he is using AI tools like ChatGPT to improve systems and maximize efficiency within his business. He also shares how AI technologies have the potential to reshape the world of real estate and provides some practical advice for all professionals looking to learn how to use these powerful new tools. It's an incredibly interesting conversation and we hope you learn as much from it as we did! Give it a listen and let us know what you think.Filippo Incorvaia, is a Venezuelan-born entrepreneur of Italian heritage who relocated to New York at a young age. With a Bachelor's degree in Engineering Science, he began his professional career at Wall Street's New York Board of Trade before eventually venturing out to start his own business. Drawing on his diverse professional background and international upbringing, Filippo possesses a deep understanding of his clients' unique real estate needs and desires. He is committed to going above and beyond to find the perfect solution for each and every client he serves, and is well-versed in utilizing cutting-edge internet marketing tools to attract the widest possible range of qualified buyers. With an unwavering dedication to providing the highest level of service to his clients, Filippo's work ethic and principles have earned him a reputation as one of the most motivated and trustworthy agents in the industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Sheldon is a coordinator and member of the community advocacy group Save Our Seaport, which is part of the Seaport Coalition. The Seaport Coalition recently came out victorious in a lawsuit against the Landmark Preservation Committee (LPC) over approval to build a tower in place of a parking lot (​​South St. Seaport Coalition v. LPC). In this episode of the Closed podcast Cooper Knowlton and Michael Flynn chat with David about this case, and discuss the larger implications that this matter may have on development and the preservation of historical sites in New York City. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Closed! podcast, Lee Bergstein and Bradley Pollina chat with Suzannah Cavanaugh, a reporter and podcast producer at The Real Deal, where her work focuses on the intersection of CRE and public policy. In this conversation they discuss how the recent banking crisis is impacting owners of rent stabilized properties in New York City and what that might mean for the future of rent stabilization laws. They also chat about the the recent SDNY ruling on the New York City guarantee law and what the likely impact of that decision will be. This is one of the best conversations we've had on the podcast and hope you give it a listen! More from Suzannah can be found here: https://therealdeal.com/author/suzannah-cavanaugh/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Closed! Lee Bergstein and Emily Ashe chat with Irina Strembitsky, the director of sales at Life at Sea Cruises, the world’s first three-year world cruise, which covers more than 130,000 miles, visiting 375 ports across 135 countries and seven continents. During this conversation they chat about the origin of the three-year world cruise project, how Life at Sea came up with the three-year itinerary, and how they attempt to balance luxury and affordability. While the conversation might not have much to do with NYC real estate, it's an interesting business and one we thought our listeners would enjoy learning more about. Let us know what you think! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.