Last Friday at 10 AM, I was heading into my regularly scheduled managers meeting and I was surprised by what I saw.  It was a surprise catered breakfast that was organized in my honor to celebrate my 50th birthday.  The gesture to me was one of my most memorable and special moments as the president of the company.  Often times, you go on through your day to day operations and do the best you can to make the company thrive, and there are times when you might wonder if the extra effort that you are making is really appreciated by those affected.  Well, when I walked into the room and was greeted with the balloons, decorations and a great welcome, I felt like a million bucks.  The managers topped it off by chippin’ in for a most special diamond bracelet that is not only physically beautiful, but as a gesture is one that I will cherish forever.

50th Birthday Surprise Party from Managers

You see, it’s been a tough road as the president of the company for the past few years.  I took over the helm after my dad passed away, almost five years ago (Wow…isn’t that hard to believe!).  Nobody could ever replace my father.  He was that type of person that one meets just once in a lifetime…if you were lucky.   I was certainly blessed to have him as a role model, a father, and a boss (or as dad would say, partner) in the business.  I learned from the best, but his natural ability that just can’t be trained.  I could never be like dad…nobody could.  So, what were the expectations of the existing Fillmore team that I was now responsible for leading and taking to the next level?  I was faced with the challenge of transition during the worst possible time ever..when the market first started to tank in 2005-06!  Numbers were down, morale was getting pressured and I”m sure I was getting questioned and called to task to try to explain why the sales numbers were going down, since I took over.  Was it me?  I think it was a lot of things…and many things that were beyond any of our control; but that didn’t make it any easier.

After trying as hard as I could to make things happen, the market was still not cooperating.  When we look at the whole story in retrospect, we see that we did a lot better than other companies in the market…in fact our market share has gained steadily over the past few years and our overhead is dramatically reduced.  So, we’re on the right track…but getting there was sometimes painful…especially when it came time to make those tough decisions to cut advertising and close offices in the down time.  There seemed to be a constant struggle where I had to prove my theories out.  We measured all things that we changed and it ended up that together, we made some pretty good decisions.  We made decisions that will help keep the company strong and position us for catapulting growth when the market shifts back in our favor.  I am indebted to the great management team at Fillmore for their input, advice and support during a time that was one of the most important times in our company’s history.  I needed the managers, and they were there for me!

Today is dad’s birthday, so it seems fitting that I am writing about him at this time.  Dad was an amazing person that has left a legacy on the company and the industry in Brooklyn forever.  This larger than life personality had an breathtaking ability to naturally attract people to want to be around him, and to instantly make everyone feel special.  It didn’t matter if you were the chef at his favorite restaurant or the busboy…you were all treated the same and with utmost respect as a person.  Dad always did the right thing for people.  He taught us that the good of the group was better than the good of any individual; especially himself.

I might never be able to be the same larger than life figure that dad was, but let me tell you that it does feel good when you are appreciated for what YOU are.  I think this time has finally come, and for that I’m grateful.  That’s what makes it all worth it.  So, Dad..if you’re up there looking down on us today, understand that we are always looking up to you!  You have left me with a company that I am so proud of, and a team of managers that could never be replaced.  I am beginning to see more and more each day why you always said that “Real Estate is the Best Career in the World!”