Ira Meister, founder and president of Matthew Adam Properties, Inc., a premier residential management firm, was among three real estate leaders honored by the The Real Estate Division of Young Jewish Professionals. The award was presented at the YJP Real Estate Summit attended by more than 250 at the Chelsea Pearl in Manhattan.
Meister received the Real Estate Deal Maker and Achievement Award for Matthew Adam’s successful intern/mentoring program. Started 12 years ago with students from Baruch College of the City University, it has since added students from the Stern School of Business at NYU. Those chosen for the highly selective program work part-time in their area of interest and receive a small stipend. Students in the program, Meister pointed out, often receive offers for full-time employment at Matthew Adam or other real estate companies.
“Several factors have led to the success of this program,” Meister said. “First of all, we give the interns real work to do and as they show their capabilities we can give them more responsibility. Secondly, we provide a small stipend so they know we put value on what they are doing.”
Meister noted that the program accepts only a few interns at a time and that each is assigned to a mentor. “In this way,” Meister said, “the intern feels connected to the work he or she is doing and can get guidance. They do not feel isolated. The intern also gets to see if this is the career path he or she wants to follow. It’s a marvelous learning experience and also gives us a fresh viewpoint from young, bright and talented people.”
Honored by YJP with Meister were Stephen A. “Chip” Weiss, director of finance and development at Flintlock Construction Services, and Michael Stern, founder, JDS Development. Weiss was honored for the innovative approaches to construction he has developed which are raising the quality standard of construction. Stern received the award for the plethora of new developments his company is building in New York.
The event featured a panel discussion on current real estate issues moderated by Marty Miner, Partner, Holland & Knight. On the panel were: Ken Bernstein, president and CEO, Arcadia Realty Trust; Michael Cohen, President Tri-State Region, Colliers International NYC LLC; David Kramer, Principal, Hudson Companies, Inc; and Emanuel Stern, President & COO, Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc.