What Do These Real Estate Pros Do Away From The Office?
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. And Jill. And most any real estate pro who can't leave work at work. We asked to hear from those of you who seriously indulge in personal passions away from the boardrooms and hustle of commercial real estate, and you delivered. The result is a Murderer's Row of talent.
Windy City RE principal Amy Rubenstein graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis with a theater degree and acted in Chicago and LA before real estate beckoned. But the acting bug never went away. Last year, Amy, along with Windy City RE principals, husband Milan Rubenstein and brother Josh Rubenstein, launched Windy City Playhouse, an Actors Equity theater at 3014 W Irving Park Rd, to rave reviews. Amy serves as Windy City Playhouse's artistic director and says the rewards have been worth the risks. She adds Windy City Playhouse allows her to combine her artistic and business skills at their highest levels.
When Cushman & Wakefield senior director Loren Guzik isn't dealing with healthcare real estate clients, he can be found drumming in The Dead On, a local band whose self-titled debut album was released on a British indie label. The Dead On has hints of The Rolling Stones, The Replacements and DIY garage rock in its sound, and Loren holds down the rhythm section with power and perfect timing. Loren used to drum in a band called Penthouse Sweets, and he played some drums on two albums by the band Mood Elevator.
Proving age is only a number, Perry Commercial co-founder Joe Perry has been bodybuilding for more than a decade, but didn't start formally entering bodybuilding competitions until last year at age 48. Joe says he participated in three different national qualifier competitions last year and placed sixth out of 16 competitors in his best show. He's competing in another national show in Chicago in early July.
Highland Management Associates SVP Charles Margosian III has a need for speed that can't be filled with retail real estate. So he spends his free time competing in auto races. Charles first raced in 2008 at an event sponsored by Northern Trust. Two years later, he was licensed and competing in wheel-to-wheel races. Charles races a Porsche (pictured) and his home track is the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet. He's competed in sprint and endurance races with different sanctioning bodies, including the Autobahn Member Series and the National Auto Sports Association, is a licensed instructor for the Porsche Club of America, and has burned rubber at Blackhawk Farms in South Beloit, IL, Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI, and Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, FL.
If you ever ask JLL managing director Pam Stamataky to dance, let her lead. Pam is a competitive ballroom dancer and one of 11 real estate professionals taking part in Dancing with the Brokers, a contest which raises funds for local charities. The competition is broadcast online to over 15,000 fellow real estate pros and vendors who cast text votes to see who's best. Pam has done well so far, placing in the top two in the competition's first two rounds. Pam, aka "Scarlet Mamelóns" is dancing for Stanley Manne Research Institute, which funds Lurie Children’s Hospital. The Dancing with the Brokers finals will be held at House of Blues May 26.
Sieben Energy Associates' founder and president Craig Sieben (pictured, left) sings and plays the harmonica in "30 Something," a band of real estate all-stars that includes CBRE EVP David Tropp on saxophone (right), Chicago Public Buildings commissioner Felicia Davis, Metropolitan Planning Council president Mary Sue Barrett, Taproot Foundation executive director Jaime Guzman and Wexford Capital Partners partner Robert Barnett. (They're all also members of the Leadership Greater Chicago organization.) Craig says the group only plays three or four times a year to raise money for charity. 30 Something's next gig is an LGC fundraiser at Lagunitas Brewery and Taproom May 9.
Although KTGY Architecture + Planning principal David Kennedy (pictured, third from right) doesn’t have a lot of free time since establishing KTGY’s new Chicago office with partner Craig Pryde last fall, he still makes time to rock out and raise funds with his band, “One Night Only.” Proceeds from their appearances have recently benefited Misericordia, homeless shelter DuPagePads, and the DuPage Senior Citizens Council (Meals on Wheels), to name a few.
