Dov Bleich.
Dov Bleich, 26
Managing Director at Tri State Commercial Realty
To Dov Bleich, it wasn’t that unusual to sell bagels and omelets in the middle of Brooklyn’s Hasidic community.
Bleich grew up above a fruit store on Lee Avenue in Williamsburg, across the street from his grandfather’s restaurant. On a strip where most stores, including his other grandfather’s men’s clothing shop, catered to the specific needs of the Haredi community, the cafe was the first in the area that offered bagels to a kosher clientele.
“All the prominent people in the community used to come and eat there in the morning — omelet, bagel, coffee,” Bleich said. “It was a very vibrant retail block, and I was always into the retail business.”
A career in real estate seemed out of reach to Bleich when he moved to Israel for a couple years and got married at the age of 19. But, when he returned to Brooklyn, he secured a job at DSA Realty (which merged with City Connections in 2017) doing residential and multifamily investment sales.
Then he managed his family’s residential portfolio of 8,200 units in the Catskills. It was an eye-opening experience — in that he had trouble keeping his eyes open because he was working constantly. “I was driving a lot and I got tired. There were always calls in the middle of the night to fix leaks. I love real estate, but not to that extent.”
Three years ago, Bleich told friends he wanted to try commercial real estate because it was a “sharp business with no leaks.” One friend introduced him to Tri State.
Now he’s making moves on the edge of the eruv, including 774 Broadway, a retail complex in Williamsburg that contains a Starbucks and a Chipotle, and a 10-year construction deal with 9,000 square feet at 14-09 Flatbush Avenue. Once the pandemic hit, Bleich shifted to medical offices and stores relocating from Manhattan.
He credits Tri State with showing him the ropes. “They trained me to where I am. I was in real estate, but I had no idea how commercial works; and they took me and made me into a commercial broker.”—A.S.
