Mastering Real Estate: Dinner with Oxford Properties Group, GAIA Real Estate, Marx Realty & The NRP Group

Craig joined Marx Realty as its President and CEO in 2017 and has been responsible for growing the company as well as streamlining the company’s strategy by focusing on value-add office investments in three core markets: New York City, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. Craig is also charged with repositioning Marx’s entire portfolio as well as growing the Marx team and profitability. Over his 25-year career, Craig has vast experience in every aspect of the real estate industry and believes in a very hands-on approach. Prior to Marx, he held senior roles at both private equity and private development companies, including redeveloping over 50 assets in major markets across the country with a particular emphasis on NY and DC. Craig’s projects have received various awards from industry groups such as NAIOP, BOMA, Globe St., Crain’s, Washington Business Journal and AIA. He has been interviewed as a thought and innovation leader in several features in the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Bloomberg and on CNBC, and was selected as one of the Real Estate Forum’s Best Bosses of 2019. Under Craig’s leadership, Marx was selected to Crain’s Best Places to Work in 2020 and 2021. Craig was named to the 2020 and 2021 Commercial Observer’s Power 100 List. Craig previously practiced law in the real estate and litigation departments at Skadden before transitioning to the business side of the industry.

Danny Fishman is the Co-founder and CEO of GAIA Real Estate, a U.S. Investment & Asset Management Company based in New York City. With AUM exceeding $3.9 billion, GAIA has executed more than 80 multifamily and office building investments and managed a portfolio of ~ 20,000 residential units in geographies across the United States. GAIA invests alongside leading global insurance companies, pension funds, foundations, family offices and high net worth individuals, offering clients attractive risk-return adjusted opportunities. GAIA also actively invests in venture capital, with a focus on proptech startups that aim to disrupt the real estate industry.

Danny’s experience as a founder extends beyond real estate, having initiated several major endeavors in investment banking and entrepreneurial finance. In 1996, Danny cofounded the Tamir Fishman Group, a full-service investment bank based in Tel Aviv with $6 billion AUM, 180 employees, and 60,000 clients. Danny is also the Co-founder of several Israeli venture capital funds.

Over the past 28 years, NRP has become one of the largest multifamily development, construction, and property
management companies in the U.S. Since its founding in 1994, The NRP Group has developed more than 50,000
apartment homes and currently manages over 26,000 residential units across its fifteen-state footprint.
The NRP Group ranks consistently in the Top 10 largest developers and builders in the U.S. by the National
Multifamily Housing Council and by Affordable Housing Finance. The NRP Group is a winner of the National
Association of Home Builders Multifamily Pillars of the Industry award for “Builder of the Year,” and a four-time
recipient of the Pillar Award for “Development Firm of the Year.” The NRP Group has become the top multifamily
developer in the U.S. that creates both affordable and market rate communities at national scale.
Prior to founding The NRP Group, Heller worked as a consultant for The Townsend Group where he was
responsible for more than $3.6 billion in real estate investments over a two-year period. Developments included
office, industrial, retail, single family, and multifamily construction projects. Additionally, he helped direct portfolio
diversification, asset management, investment strategy and project underwriting. Heller then spent five years at
Arthur Andersen & Co. in Chicago as a manager in the real estate consulting division. He performed feasibility
studies and market analysis, created strategic plans, and audited real estate partnerships for major clients of the
firm.
Heller is deeply committed to community service and has a long history of leadership positions in civic
organizations. In January 2009, the President of the United States appointed him to the United States Holocaust
Memorial Council. In 2010, Ernst & Young Cleveland recognized him as “Entrepreneur of the Year.” He joined the
Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund Board in 2008 and continued to serve after the board reappointed him in 2012,
2016 and 2020.
To support the multifamily sector, Heller currently serves on the executive committee and is past Chairman of the
Housing Credit Group for the National Association of Home Builders. He serves on the advisory board for the
Campaign for Affordable Housing and the editorial advisory board for Affordable Housing Finance magazine. He
also serves as a board officer for the Housing Advisory Group. A certified public accountant, Heller is a member of
the AICPA.

Dean J. Shapiro is Senior Vice President and Head of US Development for Oxford Properties. In this capacity, Dean is responsible for leading a 25-member team executing on major US projects including St. John’s Terminal in NYC; an array of life sciences projects in Boston, SF and Seattle; and Hudson Yards (as co-developer), the largest private development in US history.

Dean has over 30 years’ experience in the real estate industry including as Partner in Building and Land Technology in Stamford, CT where he was involved in the transformation of South Stamford, CT into a vibrant mixed-use destination, and at CBRE where he held various positions, ultimately as leader of the NYC business.

Ian Bruce Eichner, a seasoned developer of urban mixed-use properties, has a proven track record in real estate spanning more than three decades. His vast portfolio of projects includes Madison Square Park Tower, City Spire, One Broadway Place, The Manhattan Club, The Royale and Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. Outside of New York he has developed the Continuum South Beach, a 2-tower gated beachfront community in Miami Beach, FL and the Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas strip.

Mr. Eichner’s acute business sense has produced a series of visionary real estate developments that have been characterized by a creative mix of distinctive purpose-built properties. Each of these properties illustrates his extensive real estate expertise and ability to take situations which others may find unachievable and execute solutions which realize value for the investor, consumer and developer.

Mr. Eichner’s notable development achievements that were the first in their class include:
-First high-rise built in Brooklyn since landmarks height legislation was passed in 1965 (Montague Street, 1998)
-First urban timeshare in New York, with a new concept of being able to book stays one day at a time (The Manhattan Club, 1996)
-First and only beachfront gated community in South Beach (The Continuum, 2002-2008)
-First development on the Las Vegas strip to employ an urban development model, maximizing a small 8.5 acre site to its full square footage potential of 6 ½ million square feet (Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino)

​Mr. Eichner’s career in real estate follows almost a decade in the criminal justice system, including terms as an assistant District Attorney and program development chief of a gubernational agency during Nelson Rockefeller’s tenure.

Current responsibilities
As Vice Chairman, Cynthia Wasserberger focuses on tenant representation client services including new business development and implementation. She specializes in the New York City metropolitan area real estate for both larger, corporate users, and mid-sized boutique clients.

Experience
Over the course of her 28-year career in real estate, Cynthia has completed in excess of 15 million s.f. of transactions in the New York Region. She has been actively involved in providing real estate services to corporate clients such as Merrill Lynch / Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, State Street Bank, Allen and Overy, and Computer Associates. Cynthia’s current clients include Blackstone, BlackRock, Macquarie, and Discovery Communications, among others.

David E. Gross, AIA is the Executive Partner of GF55 Architects, a national firm with offices in New York City and Miami. GF55 has specific expertise in Multi Family, Retail, Educational, Hospitality, and Industrial Architecture. Since 1984, GF55 has designed and built over 12 million square feet of housing nationally. David’s projects have received two Urban Land Institute Models of Excellence Awards and was the recipient of the Andrew J. Thomas “Pioneer in Housing” Award in 2010 from the NYC AIA Chapter. David received an AIA Award of Merit for the renovation and addition of a historic and significant Mid Century Modern house in Rye NY. His work has also been featured in Architectural Digest and The New York Times. David has established the David E. Gross Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design for the study of Housing. The continued progress and intelligent development of Architecture through future generations was fundamental to David’s decision in establishing this Fellowship.
David is a board member at the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design advisory board to the School of Architecture, the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH); Citizens Housing and Planning Council (CHPC) as well as the NY Housing Conference. He has been a visiting design juror at Yale College, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Pratt Institute. From 2004 to 2016 he taught an annual session on the relationship of the Architect to the Development Process at the NYU Graduate School of Real Estate MBA Program. David graduated Cum Laude with Distinction from the University of Pennsylvania. He also earned his Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania where he was a Thesis Prize Finalist and a Stewardson Memorial Competition Representative.

Jodi Stein is a partner in the Real Estate, Energy, Land Use & Environmental Practice Group in the firm's New York office.

Areas of Practice:

Jodi has significant experience representing real estate developers in obtaining discretionary land use approvals through New York City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) and before the Board of Standards and Appeals. She also advises clients on the zoning and land use aspects of obtaining approvals or resolving issues that arise during the development and construction process. Jodi frequently appears before the New York City Department of City Planning, Department of Buildings and Department of Housing Preservation and Development, as well as the Landmarks Preservation Commission, City Council, Department of Transportation, local community boards and other city and state agencies.

Prior to private practice, Jodi was vice president of acquisitions and development for one of the largest privately held real estate companies in North America. In that role, she was responsible for growing the company’s $2 billion development platform in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles. Jodi worked on obtaining all approvals for all their new development projects — advising on acquisition and pre-development; directing and overseeing all discretionary and government approvals; forging relationships with community leaders in each city; and working with architects, general contractors, subcontractors and environmental consultants through the various approval and development phases of each project.

Judah is a Vice President at Greystone and specializes in originating FHA / HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, CMBS and Bridge loan products. His expertise is focused on market-rate and affordable multifamily, construction and substantial rehab assets. With years of real estate lending experience, Judah understands the nuances of multifamily financing and is dedicated to finding the right solutions for his clients. He is an active member of his community and service on the board of directors for Resident Relief Foundation.

Rosenberg has become one of the City’s go-to problem solvers for complex and unusual land use problems for the City’s leading developers, brokers, nonprofits, and religious organizations—advising them on everything from rezonings, to securing complex building approvals, to navigating the rapidly changing regulatory and political landscape.

His work includes advising on site selection, addressing compliance and permitting issues, negotiating transfers of development rights, overseeing environmental review, and leading applications for variances, special permits, and rezonings before the City’s land use agencies, including the City Planning Commission and Board of Standards and Appeals.

In the six months since David Rosenberg joined R+E he has brought valuable experience to complement and bolster the firm’s reputation for providing comprehensive and zealous advocacy in all areas of New York City real estate.

In addition to his advisory and transactional work, Rosenberg works with the firm’s noted litigation and administrative law practices on complex diligence and enforcement matters.

Through his work, Rosenberg has earned the respect of colleagues and key decision makers for his ability to leverage his knowledge of NYC government and politics to find creative and collaborative solutions for his clients--while also being able to fight for them when necessary. His recent notable work includes:

Identifying the site and required land use actions for a high-profile gaming facility proposal in the downstate region.
Securing a rezoning for one of the City’s most prominent religious organizations to facilitate the development of a new house of worship, senior center, and permanently affordable, family-sized housing.

Representing a national non-profit in the conceptual planning and development of a flagship supportive housing and clubhouse development.

Representing a major educational and healthcare institution in the creation of a 10-year master plan for future development.
Obtained timely approvals for critical upgrades to one of Manhattan’s most prominent synagogues.
Obtained a first-of-its-kind approval for the development of a day habilitation facility for adults with developmental disabilities.

Successfully managed a complex multi-year construction dispute with New York State agencies on behalf of a Bronx property owner to facilitate critical repairs to an 1,800-unit affordable housing complex.

Greg Corbin is the President and Founder of Northgate Real Estate Group.

In addition to his focus on the sale and workout of properties in Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Mr. Corbin also specializes in judicial and UCC foreclosures, loan and REO sales, restructuring, and the disposition of stalled construction sites. He has extensive expertise in these arenas and is widely recognized as one of the most active and sought-after industry leaders.

Mr. Corbin has received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career, most recently:

2023 RED Bankruptcy Broker of the Year
2023 CoStar PowerBroker
2023 NYREJ Commercial Real Estate Visionary
2023 IE Magazine Top Turnaround Professional
2022 Crain’s Most Influential People in Real Estate
2022 Property IDX Broker of the Year
2022 New York Real Estate Journal Industry Leader
2022 CoStar PowerBroker
Mr. Corbin and his team have been involved in the sale of over $3.3 Billion of investment properties spanning all major asset classes, including multi-family apartment buildings, development sites, factory/warehouses, transitional housing facilities, bulk condominium packages, industrial, retail, hotel, office, mixed-use, and commercial buildings.

Greg is highly regarded as an industry authority in bankruptcy, foreclosure, and borrower/lender workouts, and frequently shares his insights and expertise on podcasts and at major conferences. In recent years, he has been a featured speaker at numerous prestigious events, including the 2024 IMN Distressed Forum for Bank Special Assets, the 2024 Real Estate Deal CRE Conference, the 2024 American Bankruptcy Institute ASM, the 2023 Financial Poise CREW, the 2023 PCON Real Estate Conference, the 2023 Beard Group Distressed Investing Conference, and the 2023 Debtwire Restructuring Forum. Additionally, Greg has appeared on numerous webinars and podcasts, the most recent of which include: Bisnow, Jacobs PC, Smith Gambrell, Olshan Law, Financial Poise, Volandes Law, and the New York Institute of Credit.

Prior to starting Northgate, Mr. Corbin spent 4 years at Rosewood Realty Group as the President of Bankruptcy and Restructuring. While there, he and his team arranged the sale, workout or recapitalization of over 100 buildings, development sites, membership interests and loans totaling $1.1 billion in underlying collateral.

Before Rosewood, Mr. Corbin spent a decade at Besen & Associates. Prior to that, he was a Director of Sales at Massey Knakal, now Cushman and Wakefield. Mr. Corbin was a Co-Chairman of the YJP Real Estate Division for over a decade, Co-Founder of the NYIC Real Estate Group, and is on the real estate board of the American Bankruptcy Institute. He was the founder and is a current board member of the not-for-profit Give to Give Foundation, was a co-founder of The Legion, and a co-founder of Fuel For Truth.

Mr. Corbin is a graduate of Horace Mann and Boston University. He is a native New Yorker and lives on the Upper West Side with his wife and children.

Joel Bergstein is the Executive Chairman of Lincoln Equities Group (LEG), one of the Northeast's leading full-service real estate companies.

Bergstein joined the company more than 32 years ago, spearheading the organization’s acquisition and development initiatives. He currently leads the firm’s large scale development platform, orchestrating major residential and industrial land development projects in the New York / New Jersey metro area.

Bergstein developed LEG’s current operating partner platform, leveraging domestic and international opportunities with private equity and pension funds. Bergstein is a founding partner and active participant in LEG’s $700M European property investment platform.

Some of his standout development projects include Halletts Point in Astoria, NY, where LEG transformed a seven acre waterfront site into 2,400 residential apartment units; 5 Giralda in Madison, NJ, a 431,000 square-foot property, that was modernized to become Allergan’s U.S. headquarters; and in early 2018, LEG closed on a 152 acre waterfront site in Bayonne, NJ, where 1.4M square-feet of e-commerce logistics warehousing will be developed to bolster trade with the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Lincoln has formed a partnership with Bruce Eichner’s Continuum Company to develop a mixed-income residential complex in Crown Heights, NY. It will be a 50/50 market and workforce development project to bring hundreds of needed housing units for middle and working class families in New York City. Bergstein is also leading the development and approval process for 1,500 new residential units in Jersey City including the construction of a light rail station.

Bergstein serves on numerous real estate advisory boards and is a speaker and frequent commentator in real estate trade and business media in addition to his philanthropic work.

MAG Partners is a woman-owned, WBE-certified, urban real estate company with decades of experience developing impactful, iconic, large-scale projects.

Led by MaryAnne Gilmartin, together the MAG Partners team has successfully designed, built and operated over seven million square feet of office, residential and mixed-use projects, including over 2,000 units of housing, with a total value of over $4.5 billion. Our current multi-million square foot development portfolio includes three multifamily rental buildings and a ground-up commercial development in Manhattan and a master plan redevelopment in Baltimore.

We believe and have proven that principles of beauty, diversity, inclusion and sustainability create great places with lasting value for our partners, investors and communities.