The Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association “YM/WREA” held its annual Joanne Wittlin Mentoring Day on Friday, October 24, 2014. Each year, YMWREA members volunteer to spend a day with students who are majoring in and considering a career in real estate. This year 18 graduate student mentees from Columbia University, New York University and Baruch College participated alongside 20 YMWREA mentors. The morning started with breakfast in Vornado Realty Trust’s marketing center at 90 Park Avenue followed by a presentation by Paul Massey, founder and CEO of Massey Knakal, about the highs and lows associated with starting a commercial real estate firm in New York City.
Mentors and mentees were then paired up and Mentors were available to answer any questions a mentee might have during their travels down to the The Greenwich Lane sales center. The participants were given a terrific presentation by Michael Rudin who, along with his sister Samantha, comprise the 4th generation of the Rudin Family real estate business. Mr. Rudin explained in detail how this specific deal came together including their negotiations with the previous owner, St. Vincent’s Hospital, dealing with the community board and working through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process. Mr. Rudin then elaborated on the development itself and the tasteful residential product they will be delivering followed by a tour of the construction site.
The group then travelled back to 90 Park Avenue and concluded the day with lunch and a Q&A session. Several YMWREA members including Bill Montana, Mark Lauzon, Alex Janoff, Alan Miller, Michael Rudder and Adam Sabella spoke about their individual real estate journeys, day-to-day interactions and how the industry has evolved and shaped their careers. The YMWREA Board of Governors would like to thank all of its members, the students, Mr. Massey and Mr. Rudin and looks forward to successful Mentoring Day’s in the future.
