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Jackie Totolo's foray into the real estate industry was unconventional. In 2008, at the height of the financial crisis, she set out to move to New York and work as a broker. She went to RKF, now known as Newmark, where she spent a year in the marketing department first.
She was on her own financially and needed to save money before jumping headfirst into commission-based brokerage, a job where she could meet people, learn every day and help change the city around her. Since making the transition, she has worked on behalf of SL Green, The Plaza hotel, RFR Realty and retail clients including Bobbi Brown, Pret a Manger and Swarovski.
A little more than a decade later, she's now a senior managing director at Newmark, and she's lost track of how many deals she has under her belt.
She recently was hired to lease the partially landmarked retail spaces at two of JDS Development's newest projects: 111 W. 57th St. in Manhattan and 9 DeKalb Ave. in Brooklyn.
Here, she discusses her favorite deals and the challenges she faces getting tenants into the two unusual properties.