Eddie Keda, 25

Growing up around his father’s shoe stores in Brooklyn, Eddie Keda was exposed to an unrelenting work ethic at a young age — never mind in a business that hinged on moving merchandise.

“There was no such thing as days off,” Keda said. “I was brought up with the mindset of ‘Do it all yourself, get out in the field, don’t slack.’ ”

When Avi Akiva, a partner at Tri State Commercial Real Estate, approached an 18-year-old Keda with an offer to mentor him through the process of entering the world of CRE, the younger man was hesitant. 

But that was in 2018, and he’s still in commercial leasing in Brooklyn.

Some of the more notable deals Keda has worked on include K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel, which took a 16,187-square-foot lease at Eliezer Breco’s 295 Front Street in May 2024, as well as a 26,000-square-foot deal with Ember Charter School and a 12,000-square-foot deal with Tarlow Events in the same building.

Ember Charter School was facing a deadline, “so from the time that they saw the space they had around four weeks to sign a lease before the next school,” Keda said. “Anybody in commercial real estate will tell you it’s impossible. You can’t get approvals for a charter school on the upper floor in a four-week span. … Just to get the deal done, we had to get super creative.”

In reality, that deal should have taken about six to eight months to gel, according to Keda.

Keda also worked on a deal on the landlord side that involved famed chef Enrique Olvera when he was establishing a new location for Tacos Atla in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, one of the city’s trendiest neighborhoods. Olvera signed for 2,800 square feet at 142 North Fifth Street in June 2023.