development dates back to when he was younger and loved playing with Legos. Little did he know that his Lego hobby would one day inform his career. At the beginning of his professional career, Charles connected the dots while working a summer internship at a Boston-based property management company. Not intending to pursue real estate before that summer, Charles quickly realized he found his calling. That summer internship turned into a four-year job, where Charles’ responsibilities constantly evolved. Catching the attention of his superiors with his can-do attitude and committed work ethic, Charles, who started working in the leasing department, quickly transitioned into a property management role. Soon after, he was also trusted to oversee a variety of construction projects for the company. Charles realized how much overhead in construction came from outsourcing projects to a third-party general contractor, so he took it upon himself to become a licensed general contractor to save the firm money. Years later, Charles and his brother, Ari – who also had a background in real estate – partnered to develop their own firm where the concept for The Goldman Group was born. In addition to laying the groundwork for a vertically-integrated company – one that could develop, construct, and manage assets all under one company – Charles and Ari had a strategy pertaining to what kind of opportunities they wanted to pursue. The Goldman Group originally focused on identifying underutilized commercial buildings, which were often selling for a huge discount compared to their replacement cost and presented themselves as ideal opportunities for adaptive reuse to apartments or mixed-use. “Our goal was to find opportunities with unrealized potential,” Charles explains. “Of course, that’s AUGUST 2024
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTYzNTg=