Celebrating Milestones in his Journey to Becoming a Director at JLL
Years with company/firm: 4.5
Years in field: 6
Years in real estate industry: 6
What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment is getting promoted to Director on the JLL New Jersey Debt Team at age 26. Receiving the opportunity to partner with seven highly accomplished and incredibly capable debt producers is something that I am very proud of. I am also grateful to be supported by a talented group of analysts, graphic designers, and other team members.
What is your most notable project, deal or transaction?
My most notable deal was the construction financing for the development of Pathside, a 605-unit apartment high-rise building in Jersey City. It was an honor to work alongside my partners, Thomas R. Didio and Thomas E. Didio, Jr., to arrange the $193M non-recourse construction loan with an excellent lender, Pacific Life.
I am excited to witness Panepinto Properties deliver this exciting development and continue the transformation of the Journal Square neighborhood and overall Jersey City skyline. It was a privilege to play a small role in the project.
Who or what has been the strongest influence in your career?
My partner, Thomas E. Didio, Jr. has been the strongest influence in my career. Tom has taken me under his wing since he joined JLL a few months after me in 2020. His background and expertise in multifamily finance has pushed me to focus most of my time and efforts in that space.
Additionally, Tom’s trust and confidence in me has afforded me a lot of responsibility early in my career. This responsibility allowed me to play bigger roles and work on larger, more complex deals, which accelerated my learning and career development.
What unique qualities and or personality do you feel makes you most successful in your profession?
I think my ability to play different roles and match client, or teammate’s needs has helped me succeed tremendously. In debt capital markets, no two deals are the same. There are some clients that want to receive daily updates and others that only want to hear from you when the deal is closed. Same can be said for internal relationships; some senior partners like to be in the weeds with you on the numbers while others trust you are handling it correctly and prefer to spend all the time they can sourcing new business.
Figuring out what is being asked of you and how you can add value is a skill in itself.
Who do you feel was most influential in your life when choosing this profession?
My father was probably the most influential figure. He is an independent insurance agent in New Jersey and has been with his firm for the last 40 years.
Growing up I watched him work tirelessly to deliver the best execution for his clients day in and day out. I witnessed the pain in losing a deal or a client, and the joy in saving the day for a client in need.
Overall, I learned a ton from my father about client service and still learn from him until this day. Even though he is a self-proclaimed “dinosaur” when it comes to modern technology, he still is the most responsive person I know whether it's text, calls, or emails.
What outside activities do you enjoy during your free time?
I love sports – both watching & playing. I grew up playing every sport I could including soccer, basketball, and football, baseball, lacrosse, golf. It is where I developed my competitiveness that I have carried into my career.
Now my competitive sports outlet is men’s league basketball once a week and some occasional golf matches with friends.
What inspiring word of advice would you give to a young executive graduating from college?
Stay positive. It is a tough market today and easy to get discouraged. Opportunities will come if you stay the course, and you only need one opportunity to kick-start a career. Once you get your foot in the door somewhere, work hard and positive outcomes will begin to snowball.
Also - Network. Network. Network. It’s not just what you know, but who you know.
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