Prominent Broker Chris O’Callaghan Joins RM Friedland

http://thebcw.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ocallaghan-headshot-560×373-1.jpgAt a time when the office market is retrenching, RM Friedland, the largest privately held commercial real estate brokerage company in Westchester County, is emphatically stating that it believes the office market will rebound with the announcement today that Chris O’Callaghan, one of Westchester’s most prominent commercial brokers, has joined the company to lead its newly formed Office Brokerage Division.

“We are thrilled to have Chris O’Callaghan joining our team. He brings a wealth of expertise and market knowledge as one of the region’s premier commercial brokers,” said Sarah Jones-Maturo, President of RM Friedland. “We’ve been looking to start an office division for some time, but I wasn’t willing to settle for anyone to lead it other than Chris, a highly regarded and experienced real estate professional with an unmatched record of success. We are confident that the suburban office market will recover, and we see this as an opportune time to bring on board someone of Chris O’Callaghan’s caliber to lead our new Office Brokerage Division,” she added.

“I am very excited to be joining Sarah and her outstanding brokerage team.  What I really like about RM Friedland is that they have all the disciplines covered under one roof – office, industrial, investment and retail. They are nimble and flexible so they can quickly respond to today’s rapidly changing commercial market,” said O’Callaghan. “This is an opportune time to be engaged in the office sector which is so unsettled. There are companies all over the region that are going to need advice on their new footprint. How are they going to operate? How many people are going to work remotely? What is their work-at-home policy?” he added.

O’Callaghan said the need for office space will continue regardless of the growing work-at-home trend. “Despite the reduced cost and the flexibility that working from home offers, productivity and true innovation depends on the ability of people to collaborate face to face in the workplace. Growth depends on innovation, and that’s fueled when creative people come together to collaborate in an environment that can’t be replicated in virtual meetings,” he said.

O’Callaghan, who recently served as a Managing Director of Jones Lang LaSalle responsible for the Westchester market, has been one of the most active commercial office brokers in the Tri-State Region for nearly three decades. In his distinguished real estate career, he has negotiated lease and sale transactions valued at $750 Million involving more than 17 million square feet of space.

He has negotiated many of the most significant commercial real estate transactions in the region including Morgan Stanley (750,000-s.f. purchase of former Texaco Headquarters in Purchase), Prodigy Services (340,000-s.f. lease at 445 Hamilton Avenue, White Plains) Atlas Air (120,000-s.f. lease at 2000 Westchester Avenue, Purchase) Cadbury Schweppes (135,000-s.f. lease at 900 King Street, Rye Brook) and Greenwich Hospital (75,000-s.f. lease at 900 King Street, Rye Brook). Prior to joining Jones Lang LaSalle in 2013, he served as a Senior Director with Cushman & Wakefield.

In addition to being one the area’s top commercial brokers, O’Callaghan has been actively involved in the Westchester business community having served as Chairman of the Board of the Business Council of Westchester and Chairman of the Westchester Economic Development Business Coalition. He has also served on the boards of many not-for-profit organizations including Food Bank of Westchester (now Feeding Westchester), the American Red Cross, Greenwich Hospital and United Hospital Medical Center. O’Callaghan also served as President of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Westchester and is a member of the Westchester Country Club in Rye. Professionally he is a member of REFA (The Real Estate Finance Association) and served on the board of NAIOP (National Association of Industrial and Office Parks). He is a resident of Rye, NY.

RM Friedland, which is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, is the largest privately held commercial real estate brokerage company in Westchester County. The company specializes in industrial, investment, retail and office brokerage in the New York Metro Area. To find out more about RM Friedland, please visit rmfriedland.com.