'Mama's boy': NYC broker tries to copy mom's success.

It might be pretty unusual in a business dominated by men, but Christopher Mathieson's first role model was a woman.

According to the head of JC DeNiro & Associates, his mom's unrivaled business acumen made him want to get out there and make some deals.

"My mom is a developer and when I was growing up, she would tell me all about the complex transactions she was working on," Mathieson explains. "And I just felt that real estate was so dynamic--it's not a nine-to-five job, it's something that is always changing, it's so much what you make of it."

What Mathieson, who moved to New York from Florida only a few years ago, wanted to make of it was a boutique residential brokerage firm, with offices throughout downtown Manhattan. He already had some business experience with brokerage and property management in the South, but when he heard that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was giving out grants to new businesses, he knew his chance had come.

"A few days after I learned about those grants I went to Florida and happened to run into Jack DeNiro, who's been in the luxury real estate business there for years," he says.

"I mentioned my idea to open a brokerage to him and he asked me to stay in Florida for a few days. We started talking about it and because I was so enthusiastic about the idea, I ended up selling myself."

In just a short while, JC DeNiro & Associates was opening up its first office on North Moore Street--a comfy little space with exposed brick walls, a real fireplace and art chosen specifically to fit each broker's personality.

According to Mathieson, the office is supposed to represent what JC DeNiro is all about--personal service.

"We make sure that our customers can present their properties in the best possible way," he explains.

"We do everything from staging the apartment [taking out furniture and accessories that detract from the attraction of the space] to a comparative market analysis. The first time a buyer calls, we send them a letter detailing all of our services. You don't see most smaller brokerages doing it, but it's so important for someone who's just emerging."

Mathieson also goes through the trouble of training all new employees--he wants to make sure that the quality of service the firm offers is consistent. And he wants everyone to feel comfortable--"We don't have star brokers because we have to work as a team," he points out.

"There are only a couple of us in the office and it's really a family feeling and we don't want someone coming in who'll make it all about competition."

In the spirit of fraternity (and success), Mathieson also works as hard as he expects everyone else to. He works after hours and on holidays, on the weekends and this year even on Christmas Day.

"I am persistent, I am tenacious, I work harder than everyone else," he offers. "You have to be more than other people because they are already established and there are so many brokers in this City, so much competition."

Not that he minds it very much. For Mathieson, who talks at the speed of ninety miles per minute and can hardly sit still, the world of residential real estate is a perfect fit.

"What I love about it is that it's so social, I get to meet people all the time," he says. "Once you've been in the business for while, you get to know all the brokers and sometimes work is like calling your friend and asking 'Can I see your new apartment?' Plus, in selling or buying a property, you make a big difference in someone's life."

So what's next?

JC DeNiro definitely has plans to expand, but Mathieson doesn't know by how much.

He is currently interviewing people and looking for a new office.

But he's ambivalent about becoming a brokerage powerhouse like The Corcoran Group or Douglas Elliman.

"I'd like to have an office everywhere," he jokes. "I am just loving what I do and I intend to continue doing it. But if we became really huge, it would change our business. I'd like us to stay a boutique."