Key Management
James R. Wacht
President
A life-long resident of Manhattan, Jim brings three generations of knowledge of the New York real estate business to his role as President of Sierra Realty Corp. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, he earned his Juris Doctorate degree at Boston University School of Law. He then worked for the New York law firm of Bachner, Tally, Polevoy & Misher, as a real estate attorney specializing in commercial leasing, property financing and acquisitions. In 1989, he joined Sierra Realty Corp. as a Vice–President and assumed his current position as President in 2000.
Jim is an active member of the Real Estate Board of New York, the National Realty Conference, the New York State Bar Association, past First Vice Chairman of Community Board No. 8 in Manhattan, and currently sits on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Community Housing Improvement Program, a landlord advocacy organization. He is also a member of the executive board of the "Housing New York PAC" a political action committee formed to support elected officials who favor sensible housing legislation. In addition to contributing articles to The New York Law Journal and Commercial Lease Law Insider on a variety of real estate issues, Jim has lectured at The Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute of Baruch College. Jim has also moderated panel discussions at the National Realty Conference on "Deferring Payment of Real Estate Taxes on the Sale or Other Disposition of Real Estate" and "Techniques for Reducing Gift and Estate Taxes on Real Estate." Jim's charitable endeavors include serving on the New York Advisory Council of the Appleseed Foundation, a non-profit network of 16 public interest justice centers in the U.S. and Mexico, the board of directors of the Afro–Latin Jazz Orchestra, and the board of directors of the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts. Jim is currently spearheading Appleseed's effort to address the issue of affordable housing for public school teachers in New York.
Tel: (212) 490–1002 ext. 213
jwacht@srcny.com
Peter L. Braus
Executive Vice–President, Sierra Realty Corp.
Peter Braus has been involved in the ownership and brokerage of real estate for over a decade. He joined Sierra Realty in 2001, and was made a partner in 2004. Prior to Sierra, he worked for New Spectrum Realty Services and Newmark & Co. Real Estate. Peter currently represents M&T Bank (Manhattan retail locations), Reprise Media, Union Square Hospitality Group and The Suarez Restaurant Group, among others. He has also represented such landlords as the Battery Park City Authority, Gotham, Goldman, Sachs & Company, C&K Properties and the ownership of Brown Harris Stevens. Notable transactions in the last several years include several branches for M&T, including a new Manhattan flagship at 11 West 42nd Street, a new sales office for Milliken Textiles at 875 Avenue of the Americas, more than a dozen lease transactions in the Nolita neighborhood of Downtown Manhattan, as well as several major restaurant transactions and representation of JP Morgan Chase's Trusts & Estates Department in the leasing of space in its portfolio. In over 12 years in the real estate business, he has completed in excess of 500 commercial leasing transactions with an aggregate value of well over $250 million. Peter is also a principal of Prime Office Centers, which operates executive office suite centers in three locations.
Peter received his MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Columbia University Business School and his BBA from Emory University. Peter serves on the following organizations: REBNY Retail Committee (Membership Chair); and Board Member, Alliance for Downtown New York; International Council of Shopping Centers; and The National Realty Club. In 2005, Peter joined Community Board One, where he is Chair of the Tribeca Committee. He is a board member of Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT), and is also on the World Trade Center Redevelopment Committee. Peter is married to photographer Kaija Braus (who serves on the board of the Washington Square Market); Kaija, Peter, and their sons Nate and Henry, live in downtown Manhattan.
Tel: (646) 723–4720
pbraus@srcny.com
Shane Neuringer
Senior Vice–President — Acquisitions and Finance
Shane brings fourteen years of real estate acquisitions, finance, development and asset management experience to Sierra and has been involved in over $3 billion worth of residential and commercial acquisitions and development projects, primarily in New York City.
Prior to Sierra, Mr. Neuringer was Vice President of Acquisitions and Development for CB Developers, led by Charles Blaichman, one of downtown Manhattan's most active developers. At CB, Mr. Neuringer was involved in the acquisition, finance and development of over $200 million worth of projects including 450 West 14th Street (office/retail), 101 Ludlow Street (dormitory), 166 Perry Street (residential condo), and 246 West 17th (residential condo).
Prior to CB Developers, Shane held senior positions at Stellar Management, Rockrose Development, Sentinel Real Estate, and began his career with The Stillman Group.
Shane holds a M.S. in Real Estate Investment and Development from New York University and received his B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder with concentrations in urban planning and policy and journalism. He has been a guest lecturer for Columbia University and NYU's graduate programs in real estate and has also been quoted in several news publications.
Barry Sanet
Senior Managing Director
Prior to joining Sierra Realty, Barry held the position of Senior Vice–President for over 10 years at Collins Tuttle & Company and the same position at M.J. Raynes & Company where he was responsible for the firm's portfolio of over 200 stores.
Barry has closed over 1,400 retail transactions during his 35-year career with an aggregate rental value in excess of $1 billion. He has represented chains including Nine West Shoes, the Oreck Corporation, The Yankee & Mets Clubhouse Stores, M & T Bank, Jennifer House Convertibles, and fashion tenants including Laura Biagiotti, J. Lindeberg, Ilias LaLaounis, Arche and Benetton's Sisley Division. He has done consulting work for Schwartz and Benjamin, Glickenhaus & Co. and Citicorp, and has served as leasing agent for numerous landlords including Bernard Spitzer, The Winter Organization, Ulm Realty, LaSeven Inc., and Brause Realty. He recently consummated deals for Le Pain Quotidien, M & T Bank, The Ultimate Triathlon, Fig & Olive and Salon de Quartier among others.
He holds an MBA from Long Island University and a Bachelor of Art in Business Administration from Franklin & Marshall College.
Tel: (646) 723–4701
bsanet@srcny.com
Perry D. Parker
Senior Vice–President — Commercial Property Management
Perry
comes to Sierra Realty after having spent over 17 years as a commercial
property manager with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union
(ILGWU), where he managed a nationwide portfolio containing approximately
1,000,000 square feet of space. Perry's most recent accomplishments
include successfully negotiating with a building union for one–third reduction in the
workforce, overseeing a $1 million–plus
full elevator modernization program and supervising the remediation
of a significant environmental contamination caused by a leaking, underground
oil storage tank. Perry is also an attorney, having obtained his Juris
Doctorate degree from New York Law School in 1985.
Tel: (646) 723–4715
pparker@srcny.com
Stephen B. Carter
Senior Vice–President — Residential Property Management
Prior to joining Sierra, Mr. Carter served as Vice–President and Director of Property Management at Manhattan North Management, where he oversaw the maintenance of 3,000 apartments and more than 100 buildings, consisting of condos, fair market and rent stabilized rentals, commercial and subsidized properties. His experience in the industry began in 1985, when he started a new Property Management Division at a diversified real estate company.
Mr. Carter, who serves as President of a 400–unit condominium association, was Vice–President of the New York Association of Realty Managers (NYARM) and a member of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY). He is a New York state–accredited realty manager, nationally certified apartment manager and New York state–approved real estate course instructor.
Tel: (646) 723–470
scarter@srcny.com
Peter E. Levitan
Managing Director
Peter joined Sierra in 2006 and has consummated deals totaling over 40,000 sf.with a gross rental value in excess of $35 Million. He has closed deals with numerous notable tenants and landlords including Pacific National Bank, Ed Hardy, Aramark, American Development Group, Scottrade, C&K Properties, Ebony & Co, Subway, and Regis Corp. He also exclusively represents the international companies Oilily and Flight Club. Peter has been quoted in Crain's Business Magazine, Real Estate Weekly, the New York Real Estate Journal, and recently bylined the article "Seizing Opportunity When the Sky is Falling" in The Commercial Mann Report. Mr. Levitan is a licensed New York Real Estate Broker and an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. A native New Yorker, Peter was born and raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and is a graduate of the Horace Mann School and Connecticut College.
Tel: (646) 723–4716
plevitan@srcny.com