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Outside of work, Justina enjoys spending time with her daughter and volunteering in her community.

Read below to find out more about Justina’s journey and tap into her secrets for success.

On campus, Sampah serves as a reactive maintenance technician, managing day-to-day facility operations at ITE College West and attending to user complaints regarding building services. He addresses issues and liaises with users to close every case as quickly and efficiently as possible.

While Sampah himself is a man of few words, his supervisor, Lok Tonglin, praised his outstanding skill set and experience: “Sampah is very experienced and is able to attend to a wide scope of building problems – ACMV, plumbing and general building services; he is able to respond to facility issues with high-quality solutions independently.”

When asked how he feels about Cushman & Wakefield, Sampah says he is glad to see that the company is growing bigger and stronger each year. He enjoys coming in to work every day, and he looks forward to the future of the company.

Among many notable achievements over a long career, Robert, a graduate of Harvard University, authored the Directory of Manhattan Office Buildings, published by McGraw-Hill Book Company in 1978, and to this day maintains a file of 2,036 office buildings. In 2013, he represented NYC Health & Hospitals Corporation in a 221,180 square foot lease at 55 Water Street.

Below, Robert discusses his long-term career, memorable experiences, what makes him tick, and seek his advice for young people in our business.

Never Give Up: Some time ago, during a slow period, I began my “letter-a-day” campaign to CEOs of major corporations. Every day, a letter went out, followed up by a call. The letter was one sentence long, requesting a meeting. One day, after numerous letters had gone out, I hit the jackpot: Coca Cola called me, and it was the beginning of a great relationship.

Hurricane Sandy: When it was safe to venture out after Hurricane Sandy, my wife and I went downtown, where my major client had office space in 160 Water Street. We wanted to assess the damage. The insurance district was a ghost town, and my client’s basement was under water. The next day, my good friend and Cushman & Wakefield neighbor Jeff Lichtenberg, the leasing agent for 40 Wall Street, placed my client in a vacant, short-term sublet and they were up and running immediately. You always have to solve a client’s needs.

Our firm’s 100th anniversary has special meaning to Tom. As he puts it: “Cushman & Wakefield’s Centennial means a great deal to me, and I am of course extremely proud to be a member of a company that so many of my relatives built or have been part of and helped make so successful.”

Tom has been an active participant in that success story. From 1980 to 2000, he played a leadership role in the growth of Cushman & Wakefield in the Pacific Northwest, acting as Managing Director for our Oregon operations. Over the last 17 years, he has parlayed his skills into strategic planning and problem solving for clients with complex real estate needs, working in collaboration with his “very talented and successful brokerage team”, which includes Mark Carnese, Doug Deurwaarder, and Matt Johnson. Tom also operates in an advisory role for both expanding and emerging companies.

Tom takes pride in being the kind of person who “genuinely enjoys working as a mentor to young people in the firm”—an attitude shaped by the guidance and sound advice he himself received from others as he moved up the ladder.

Explains Tom: “I’ve stood on the shoulders of some really great teachers at Cushman & Wakefield, and will always feel a debt of gratitude to those who were such great mentors to me within the real estate industry and my life. Those who deserve special credit include my cousins John and Lou Cushman, my brother Kirk Usher, who retired from Cushman & Wakefield after a stellar career of over 35 years, and Ted Bruno, a former colleague who passed away several years ago, at the age of 90. Reaching back to the beginning of my career, I also want to recognize Steve Gilley who took a chance on me in 1975, and hired me at the Gilley Company, which was acquired by Cushman & Wakefield in 1979.”

Below, Tom discusses his experiences and views on Cushman & Wakefield and the commercial real estate industry:

There is also a lot more velocity and we are able to handle more transactions at one time. Further, when I started in the business, we were typically engaged in just one-off deals for clients. Today, we handle numerous transactions in multiple U.S. and global markets on behalf of a single client.

Over the years, I’ve watched star brokers who I helped train leave our firm and then come back after a period of time. Their decision to return is always based on missing the unbeatable standards the Cushman & Wakefield brand offers — our great people, culture, values, and unwavering focus on delivering the very best services to our clients.

Equally, I love playing the role of a “coach”, which gives me an opportunity to help others learn and succeed, especially those newer to the business. When we help others, we help create a successful culture for everyone. Being a good listener is one of the most important skills in working with clients or in a team.

Today, our Centennial means a great deal to me and I am extremely proud to be a member of a company that so many of my relatives built or have been part of and helped make so successful.

E-commerce and the internet will continue to transform business, including real estate, and our lives in ways we cannot imagine. Driverless cars, for example, will be an enormous game changer for numerous aspects of business and life ahead.

It all goes back to 1960, when, after two years in the U.S. Navy and after graduating from NYU night classes in finance, Augie took his first career position with Sperry Rand Company as a property tax accountant. But it wasn’t the right fit. Shortly after, while reading the New York Times Sunday Magazine, a full-page color ad promoting Cushman & Wakefield caught his eye—and he liked what he saw.

A born salesperson, Augie picked up the phone, got an interview, and promptly landed a position in property management bookkeeping at Cushman & Wakefield’s 281 Madison Ave. office for a salary of $90 per week. That was in 1961—the year John F. Kennedy was elected President.

Within two years, Augie was promoted to Rent Collection Manager for residential properties, reporting to John Cushman Sr. Around the same time, Augie’s brother Don DiRenzo was hired by the accounting department, and also went on to have a storied career with our firm.

Not long after, Augie moved over to the listing desk (today’s market research). There, he met a young Steve Siegel, who had joined Cushman & Wakefield in property management accounting (and went on to become Chief Executive Officer of CBRE), and they became lasting friends.

Augie joined brokerage in 1968 as a “canvasser” for the late Vincent J. (VJ) Peters. VJ, who became his mentor, was the youngest of the three legendary Peters brothers—Leon, Anthony, and Vincent—each of whom rose to become President & Chief Executive Officer of Cushman & Wakefield. “Working with VJ was a great experience I’ll never forget,” says Augie. “He was demanding but at the same time supportive and, above all, a close friend.”

Deal Upended: Toy Industry Building

In 1970, Augie canvassed a 700-square-foot travel agency at 609 Fifth Ave., which led to an introduction to the President of the Toy Industry Association. It developed into one of the largest and, as it turned out, most controversial lease transactions at the time: the consolidation and relocation of five of the top toy companies in New York (including Mattel and Tonka) from the Toy Industry Building at 200 Fifth Ave. into 350,000 square feet (sf) at Two Penn Plaza, built over the Penn Station. It was far from a done deal.

Months later, the toy building’s famous owner, Harry Helmsley stepped in with a brazen offer to take over the toy tenants’ lease obligations at Two Penn Plaza if they relocated back to 200 Fifth to prevent the defection of other toy companies. Money talks, and the companies all moved back. The good news, says Augie, is that “we collected our brokerage fee at Two Penn.”

Long Island Tour of Duty

In 1980, Augie opened the first full-service Cushman & Wakefield Long Island office. During his four years at the helm, he blazed trails, negotiating almost five million square feet of transactions. After this successful “tour of duty,” Augie moved back to the Midtown Manhattan office, where he continued to solidify relationships and deliver out-of-the-box solutions. He also served on Cushman & Wakefield’s Board of Directors before it was acquired by RCA.

2001 World Trade Center Complex Sale

Augie’s signature achievement—leading the sale of the World Trade Center (WTC) properties—is one mixed in pride and pain.

The deal unfolded in 1995 when the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PA) put the World Trade Center Complex out for tender on a 99-year net lease disposition basis. The 10.2-million-square-foot complex included the Twin Towers—then, the tallest buildings in the world—along with five other major buildings and retail space.

Augie contacted the “Port” and was told that only investment banks were being considered. He didn’t stop there. Instead, Augie approached Arthur Mirante, then Cushman & Wakefield President & Chief Executive Officer, and asked him to reach out to his contact at JP Morgan Chase (JPM) and put forward the idea of a joint-venture. The two firms joined forces and, in a ground-breaking decision, the PA awarded them the assignment.

“Our firm’s role was to support JPM in the due diligence process, including the market research, appraisal, project consulting on existing conditions, as well as to interface with JPM and provide regular updates to the port,” explains Augie, who led Cushman & Wakefield’s cross-service team.

The net-lease sale disposition process faced tremendous odds. During the mid-1990s, the New York commercial real estate market was in a deep recession with sky-high vacancy rates, including the WTC’s, which was over 30%.

Augie came up with a recommendation: Because there were “few takers”, he suggested that the Port Authority take the property off the market until conditions improved. The gamble paid off: Vacancy recovered, and, on July 24, 2001, the 99-year net lease was awarded to Silverstein Properties for $3.2-billion.

Less than two months later, the 9/11 tragedy struck.

On that shocking day, Augie was on a flight back to New York. The pilot announced that he had been ordered to land the plane immediately, and that’s when a passenger said the WTC had been attacked and destroyed.

Augie, who hired a limo to get back to New York City, recalls the “eerie feeling” when he first saw the Downtown Manhattan skyline across the Hudson River. The Twin Towers were gone and smoke filled the sky.

Practically every New Yorker knows of someone lost on that terrible day. Augie had friends and business associates who were at the WTC at the time of the attack. One close friend who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald was able to escape; however, another friend’s daughter, a young lady in her twenties, was not so fortunate.

So many years later, Augie says that, although “9/11 is a day that we will always remember,” he is gratified by the tremendous recovery of the Downtown area and success of One World Trade Center. “It’s a powerful symbol of the strength and resilience of New Yorkers, and the entire country,” he adds.

Strong Relationships, Full Pipeline

Augie is a colorful guy, who’s earned a tremendous amount of respect for his innovative thinking and loyal client relationships in one of the most competitive cities in the world. Still going full tilt, Augie and his team closed a number of major transactions in 2016, including the renewal of Starr Companies 210,000-sf HQ in New York City, and have a full pipeline of deals in place for 2017, many involving long-standing clients.

Below, Augie discusses what makes him tick and his incredible career:

Tenant occupancy requirements: The standard usable square foot space per employee is now down to about 225 sf per employee—much less than a few years ago.

I derive tremendous satisfaction from my charitable work with After School All Stars, a not-for-profit organization serving over 100,000 at-risk middle school children in cities throughout the U.S..

During her 31 years in the business, Parizah’s decision to take advantage of every opportunity has seen her gain experience in carpentry, air-conditioning, and electrical maintenance, alongside her day-to-day administrative roles.

Her optimistic attitude, coupled with her belief in consistently working to the best of her ability, saw Parizah rise to become the Personal Assistant to the former General Manager, the late Mr. Chay Peng Cheong—a man she describes as “exemplary”—and a role she still calls the highlight of her career.

Today, Parizah works in the Facilities & Engineering office in Singapore where she provides administrative support to all business units.

Our local and global leadership teams are hyper-focused on putting the right people in the right places, developing a culture of high performance, and gaining client wallet share. For employees who want to be part of the growth, there is nothing but upside – exciting new career opportunities, new and interesting clients to represent, and the ability to deepen existing relationships with the broadening of services.