Aron Weber of Cammeby’s International: 5 Questions

Aron Weber started his career more than 30 years ago in multifamily development and management. Two years after joining Cammeby’s in 2004, however, he felt a strong pull to the commercial side. 

Now, he leads all commercial building operations for Cammeby’s in the Northeast region, including the iconic Woolworth Building at 233 Broadway. The firm manages an additional four properties in Lower Manhattan, an area that during the past two decades has undergone a transformation from a strictly 9-to-5 working neighborhood to a more vibrant live-work-play environment. 

Commercial Observer caught up with Weber earlier this year to discuss his career, improving the Woolworth Building, and more. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Commercial Observer: Can you give us a quick rundown of your career in the real estate space?

Aron Weber: I’ve been in the real estate industry, commercial and residential, since the mid-1990s. I started out working for a small company in Queens; we were doing multifamily residential management. I was there for about seven years doing multifamily property management. 

I joined Cammeby’s in 2004. I started out on the residential side, and, at the time, Cammeby’s had just bought the Trump family’s outer-borough portfolio in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens. I managed a large portion of the Brooklyn portfolio and the Staten Island portfolio. Then in 2006 I moved over to the commercial side. 

What drew you to a career in this industry?

It’s multifaceted. I like interacting with people and having exposure to the different parts of the company within our portfolio. I learn something new every day. And I love building, I love construction. Part of what I do at Cammeby’s — besides managing the portfolio — is I’m also responsible for all the construction that happens within the portfolio. So I get to build new things. I get to plan with tenants from start to finish, from when they’re looking at this space, to helping out with the design phase, and then actually building the building out the offices.

Do you have a particular favorite asset within the Cammeby’s portfolio?

The Woolworth Building is very special. Just walking into that lobby takes you back to another era. We are constantly trying to attract tenants and users to that building. There’s been a big change in the way people come to work. It’s not just about working, it’s about building a community environment. We have that at the Woolworth Building. Just in the past year we leased to a restaurant user.

I mean, you walk into that lobby and the tenant experience is at a level where it’s not just about going to work, but also having a good time at work. Just being able to be part of the Woolworth Building’s story, as well as the other buildings downtown, and to see how downtown has been changing over the years. 

What kind of programming is there in the Woolworth Building?

We’ve even had fashion shows. We have a tenant of the building, Altuzarra, which is a fashion icon. We have done a number of fashion shows there. We’ve had bridal shows in the lobby. 

We’ve had some artists do different classes and seminars in the building. So we’re definitely focusing on building that programming, whether it’s involving a tenant in the building, or the public. That will help bring good exposure to the building, and also create that collaborative experience within the tower. 

You mentioned that an exciting part of the Woolworth Building project was seeing the transformation in Lower Manhattan. How has downtown changed over the years?

There’s a lot of retail, restaurants and families there now. Years ago you didn’t see mothers with carriages on the street. Just the entire downtown has changed. Some landlords have decided to convert their buildings to residential. So it’s just changing. It’s not the downtown we’ve always known for offices. 

But I think that transformation will help offices. Downtown is transforming and becoming more of a cultural and residential area of the city, but people still have to go to work. 

Amanda Schiavo can be reached at aschiavo@commercialobserver.com.