James Whelan
James Whelan
President at Real Estate Board of New York
The Real Estate Board of New York is in the mood to make friends.
“We don’t operate in a vacuum, and it’s important to form partnerships and to build coalitions around issues,” said James Whelan, president of REBNY. “There’s been a number of issues over the past year now where we’ve done it, and we’ve seen success. And that’s really the model for the future.”
The need for partnerships became clear following the passage of the city’s rent laws last June, with the sweeping pro-tenant changes providing a jolt to both REBNY and the broader industry.
The organization has since moved to collaborate with groups like the Building and Construction Trades Council, to boost the creation of union jobs; the Five-Borough Jobs Campaign, which successfully petitioned the state for the extension of REAP benefits; and various environmental groups and labor unions to push for legislation to make it easier to create and transmit green energy.
Whelan, who’s been with REBNY since 2010, was tapped to take over the top post from John Banks in July.
Amid the coronavirus crisis, he’s been leading the group’s efforts to extend resources to the brokerage community, secure approvals for live distance learning on educational courses, help fashion guidelines for construction site safety, and coordinate with office owners on building operations. Securing financial aid for the industry, of course, has been another major goal.
“We’ve been very involved on the federal level, trying to secure federal money,” Whelan said. “Number one, for aid for the state and city. [Number] two is for rental assistance, both commercial and residential.”
Teaming up with leadership training firm Coro, the organization is launching a fellowship program this fall for 20 real estate professionals, aimed to “get them more involved in advocacy and get them more involved in the key issues that real estate is dealing with now,” Whelan said. Over the summer, REBNY has also been running career panels for students at CUNY.
“Diversity and inclusion were important to us before the murder of George Floyd; it’s taken on even greater importance because I think people realize we have so far to go,” Whelan said. “We really need to step up and be active participants in moving this conversation forward.”—S.G.
