By Gus Delaporte 2/27 2:38pm

Acquisitions

bio-Ira_Web-01

Real Estate Principals Acquire Winoker Realty Company

Less than a year after Winoker Realty President David Winoker died in a parachuting accident, a group of four New York real estate principals has acquired the firm, it was announced today.

Business partners Ira Fishman and Dana Moskowitz, both of ID Real Estate Partners, are joining in the venture with Nathan Halegua and Josh Halegua of Jonis Realty and Citi-Urban Management.

Mr. Fishman was formerly part of the Winoker Realty team, from 1998 to 2008, and was one of Mr. Winoker’s partners for seven years of his tenure there Read More

By Karsten Strauss 7:45am

The Year in Review

A sketch of David Winoker.

Commercial Real Estate In Memorium: 2012

New York real estate is some of the most desirable and expensive in the world, but the ever-fluctuating price of a square foot of space in a given neighborhood is unquestionably dwarfed by the value of human life. This year, the commercial real estate world lost several notable figures and The Commercial Observer would like to take a moment to remember them. Read More

By Daniel Edward Rosen 6/20/12 10:19am

David Winoker

David Winoker and family (photo courtesy of Facebook)

Winoker’s Helmet May Have Caused Skydiving Accident, Say Cops

Upstate police are investigating whether the tragic skydiving accident that claimed the life of real estate investor and broker David Winoker and the instructor he was jumping in tandem with was caused by Mr. Winoker’s helmet.

After reviewing bruises on the throat of skydiving instructor Aleksandr Chulsky, 25, Plattekill police suspect that it could have been Mr. Winoker’s helmet that knocked the man unconscious mid-air.  Read More

By Daniel Geiger 6/18/12 4:27pm

David Winoker

Corey Abdo

Winoker Realty Will Soldier On After Loss Of Chief Executive

Corey Abdo vowed to continue running Winoker Realty after a tragic skydiving accident took the life of its president and chief executive David Winoker on Friday.

“Our captain is gone but the ship is going to continue to go on,” Mr. Abdo, who is a partner in the firm and was the company’s senior most executive under Mr. Winoker. “That’s the way David would have wanted it.”

Mr. Abdo grieved the loss of his friend and colleague on Monday. Read More

By Daniel Geiger 6/18/12 3:50pm

David Winoker

David Winoker

Friends and Colleagues Remember David Winoker

Friends and colleagues remembered real estate executive David Winoker on Monday, just days after his tragic death in a skydiving accident at the age of 49.

“We’re all devastated right now,” David Simon, a long time friend of Mr. Winoker’s, told The Commercial Observer. “He was a person who never had an argument with anyone. Anyone who knew him knew what a kind and fair and thoughtful person he was. He was a star of a person.”

Mr. Winoker’s death was horribly ironic according to friends. In life he was known for his conservative and cautious approach, favoring to grow his family business Winoker Realty with a slow but steady approach. Read More

By Daniel Edward Rosen 6/18/12 2:06pm

David Winoker

David Winoker

Winoker’s Parachute: What Went Wrong?

Skydiving instructor Alexander (or “Aleksandr”) Chulsky may have been knocked out by either a pre-existing medical condition or from the sudden jerk felt after he deployed the drogue chute and the parachute during the skydiving incident that claimed real estate executive David Winoker’s life.

Mr. Chulsky, 25, an instructor at the Skydive The Ranch in Ulster County, was connected in tandem with Mr. Winoker when the two fell to their deaths following a skydiving accident last Friday. Read More

By Daniel Edward Rosen 6/18/12 12:20pm

David Winoker

Alexander Chulsky (photo courtesy of the SI Advance)

David Winoker Remembered By Wife as Cautious Man

The wife of real estate investor David Winoker told mourners during his funeral service yesterday that she encouraged her husband to go on what would become a fatal skydiving birthday party with friends.

“He never said ‘no’ to me. Maybe this time, he should have said no,” said Jillian Winoker during the memorial service for her husband at the Temple Shaaray Tefila in Bedford Corners, as was reported by The NY Post.

“I can’t think of when he said ‘no.’ That was the problem,” she added, according to the NY Daily News.

She went on to describe her husband as a man was cautious by nature.  Read More

By Daniel Edward Rosen 6/18/12 11:43am

David Winoker

A portrait of David Winoker

Winoker Realty Deals With the Aftermath of David Winoker’s Death

The staff of Winoker Realty have returned to work just days after their president David Winoker was killed in a skydiving accident.

Executive Vice President and Principal Corey Abdo addressed the Winoker team during a brief 5-minute meeting before everyone resumed their jobs.

“Everybody is doing what people would be doing on a Monday morning, which is really weird,” said Jonata Dayan, a senior vice president at Winoker Realty.  Read More

By Daniel Edward Rosen 6/17/12 11:59am

David Winoker RIP

david winoker

Remembering David Winoker: Leave Us Your Memories of the Man in The Comments Section

Real estate investor David Winoker died Friday in a bizarre skydiving accident while celebrating a friend’s 50th birthday at Skydive The Ranch in Gardiner, NY.

Skydiving instructor Alexander Chulsky, 25, of Brooklyn, was connected to Mr. Winoker during the jump when their parachute malfunctioned, Plattekill authorities told YNN Hudson Valley.

Those close to Mr. Winoker, president of Winoker Realty, told The Commercial Observer that Mr. Chulsky may have become incapacitated and unresponsive during the jump. That account could not be immediately confirmed.  Read More

By Jotham Sederstrom 7/12/11 10:54am

The Sit-Down

david_winoker_1

David Winoker on the Garment Center: ‘The World Has Changed, and It’s Been Changing for Years’

As the president of Winoker Realty, David Winoker has greatly expanded the firm from its relatively modest roots. Although the firm’s tenant rep, management and ownership can be seen across the city, its presence is most conspicuous in the garment center, where a majority of the company’s 32 properties stand. Mr. Winoker, 48, talks about that neighborhood’s present and what he has in mind for the firm’s future.

The Commercial Observer: Winoker has a large portfolio of assets in the garment center. Where is the neighborhood heading and where is it now, tenant-wise?

Mr. Winoker: It’s changed over the years and you have more office tenants continually signing leases in this neighborhood. It still has excellent transportation and subway access, and a lot of the buildings have undergone major renovations and redevelopment.

So it’s not purely garment anymore. Read More

By Jotham Sederstrom 6/24/11 9:22am

The Sit-Down

img_dave-winoker_100504

David Winoker: Call It Whatever You Want, It’s Always the Garment Center

As president of Winoker Realty, David Winoker has greatly expanded the firm from its relatively modest roots under his father’s leadership. Its presence is most conspicuous in the Garment Center, where a majority of the firm’s 32 properties reside. Mr. Winoker, 48, spoke with to The Observer earlier this month about that neighborhood’s present and what he has in mind for its future.

The Observer: Winoker has a large portfolio of assets in the Garment Center. Where is the neighborhood heading and where is it at now, tenant-wise?

Mr. Winoker: It’s changed over the years and you have more office tenants continually signing leases in this neighborhood. It still has excellent transportation and subway access, and a lot of the buildings have undergone major renovations and redevelopment. So it’s not purely garment anymore.

Clearly, we still have buildings that will house showrooms and dress companies. They’re here and they’ll be here for a long time. But the world has changed, and it’s been changing for years. Read More