Cooper Katz, 25 

Katz spent three years in central Pennsylvania studying at Franklin & Marshall College, where he would sometimes see horses and buggies in the Target parking lot. Maybe this was the kind of thing that would make someone yearn for the excitement of Gotham — which is what happened with Katz.

While looking for a summer internship in New York (he grew up in Westchester County, where his dad worked in the construction business) Katz contacted Mark Tergesen at ABS, who took him under his wing. Tergesen told him to buy a comfortable pair of dress shoes and canvas the city, making lists of commercial tenants like coffee shops and restaurants as well as empty space in various neighborhoods. He got his real estate license by the end of the summer of 2018.

Katz started full time at ABS just before Covid, a pretty unlucky time to get into the business. Despite this enormous disadvantage, he has managed to pull out retail deals that many of his fellow brokers would envy. “Gregg Schenker [ABS’ president and co-managing partner] would do these Zoom meetings where he instilled the concept that there were deals to be made in all markets,” Katz said.

That seems to have stuck with Katz. Two months into the pandemic he leased space to a gym that decided to reimagine itself as a sports medicine clinic called JDI Barbell. He has been creative (and aggressive) ever since.

Katz leased most of the retail space at Macklowe Development’s 110 University Place in under a year to tenants such as Serafina, Panera and Glaze Teriyaki. He put Lincoln Market in the 27,000-square-foot retail condo at 300 West 122nd Street in West Harlem. And he’s even found space for two autism care providers, City Pro Group at 1930 Bedford Avenue in Prospect Lefferts Garden and the Gersh Academy at 113-05 Springfield Boulevard in Queens Village. — M.G.