A year ago, as COVID-19 gripped New York City, I did the unthinkable: I launched a retail brokerage.

To many of my colleagues, commercial real estate—and retail in particular—seemed all but dead. When the pandemic shut down the city and most brokers retreated upstate, I stayed in the city with my boots on the ground, searching for opportunities to creatively engage with landlords and tenants. And through that experience and against that backdrop, I saw tremendous potential for the sector and the city's shared renaissance. 

MONA, short for "Making Of A New Age," launched from my steadfast belief in the future of New York City's retail and restaurant scene. You might call me an eternal optimist or just incredibly bullish (or maybe both), but I believed then—as I do now—that a shift is upon us, and that this change will ultimately make the city better and stronger.