NEW YORK CITY—RKF has announced that for the first time in its nearly 17-year history, it has elevated brokerage professionals to the position of vice chairman.
The five brokers who have been promoted at the retail powerhouse firm are Karen Bellantoni, Robert Cohen, Barry Fishbach, Jeff Fishman and Ariel Schuster.
“Each of these individuals has helped make RKF what it is today,” says Robert Futterman, chairman & CEO. “They are consistently among the top producers of the firm and have provided far-reaching impact to the organization beyond revenue generation, including forging new relationships, paving the way for the firm's entry into new markets, mentoring and managing junior members of the firm and providing leadership on small and large scales. These promotions are well-deserved and we are grateful for their contributions to the firm.”
Formerly EVP, Bellantoni has been with the company since 1999 and has been instrumental in expanding RKF's brand globally. With over 25 years of experience in retail, leasing and merchandising, her clients include J.Crew, Apple, Ellie Tahari, Kiehl's, Alexis Bittar, Eddie Bauer, Rag & Bone, Columbia, Sorel, and Tumi. She has worked on several notable assignments, including consulting on the Time Warner Center; serving as the exclusive leasing agent for Grand Central Terminal on behalf of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority; merchandising and leasing Chelsea Market on behalf of Jamestown Properties; and advising the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey for the World Trade Center redevelopment.
Robert Cohen, formerly EVP and president, Southern California, started his career in New York City and has been with RKF since its inception in 1998. He has forged the way for much of RKF's national tenant representation work, working with tenants like Dylan's Candy Bar, Topshop, John Varvatos, Sam Edelman, Swarovski, Oliver Peoples and Michael Kors across multiple markets. His notable transactions include the leasing of flagship spaces for Dylan's Candy Bar in Los Angeles and Miami; Topshop in Chicago and Los Angeles; two locations for J.Crew's Madewell in Pasadena and Santa Monica and more.
Also a former EVP, Barry Fishbach has been with RKF since 1998 and has helped to lead the company's expansion into the outer boroughs, as well as spearheaded the firm's entry in New Jersey and Long Island. He exclusively represents retailers like UFC Gym, PetSmart, FedEx Office, Sleepy's and Capital One Bank. Fishbach also has handled the dispositions of surplus property for numerous retailers, including Federated Department Stores, Rite Aid, CVS, Citibank, Macy's, United Artists Theatres, Woolworth, Loews Cineplex Entertainment and Capital One Bank.
As president, investment sales, Jeff Fishman oversees the firm's investment sales & advisory services practice. With over 25 years of experience in real estate, he has arranged more than $2 billion in transactions for owners and investors. Fishman has been with RKF for 10 years and some of his recent transactions include the sales/purchases of 257 Water St., 250 Bowery and 102 Greene St. in Manhattan; 260 Court St. in Brooklyn; 47-25 34th St. in Long Island City and Harmon Meadow in Secaucus, NJ.
Ariel Schuster has been with RKF since 2001 and is the youngest person to ever become a partner and EVP at the firm. Some of his retail clients include the Gap brands, Chico's, White House | Black Market, Vineyard Vines, Pret A Manger, Organic Avenue, La Colombe, Children's Place, Finish Line and Barnes & Noble. In 2010, Ariel completed the city's two largest supermarket leases with Whole Foods at 250 E. 57th St. and Fairway at 240 E.86th Street, which earned the REBNY Retail Deal of the Year award.
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Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
