A key player emerges in Westchester/Fairfied.

Nearly four years ago, few in the industry gave Newmark & Company's new Connecticut/Westchester office much of a chance to succeed. Skeptics argued that the commercial office brokerage market was already too cluttered with local and national companies, and that both markets were still mired in a very destructive downturn.

However, Newmark's Connecticut/Westchester office's performance has proven the critics wrong. In fact, 1996 has been Newmark's best year to date in terms of securing lease transactions and negotiating sales of properties, according to the office's Executive Managing Director, John D. Goodkind.

"The significant increase in lease and other commercial transactions by our office is a clear indication that Newmark's office has established itself as a major player in the northern suburban market, and that the Connecticut/Westchester office markets are showing clear signs of strength that will carry forward into 1997," Goodkind said.

In fact, Newmark's Connecticut/Westchester office has successfully completed leasing campaigns at eight prestigious commercial properties in Westchester County and Connecticut, where it has been assigned exclusive leasing agent, that have brought the buildings to 100 percent occupancy. according to Newmark's Senior Managing Director Stephen M. Banker. In Connecticut, Newmark has raised the occupancy levels at the following properties to 100 percent leased: Westport Corporate Office Park, Westport - 55 and 57 Greens Farms Road; 777 West Putnam Avenue in Greenwich; 200 Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich.

In Westchester the firm has secured significant lease deals at the following properties that have raised occupancy levels close to 100 percent: 303 South Broadway in Tarrytown; 120 White Plains Road, Tarrytown; 399 Knollwood Road, White Plains; 1 and 4 West Red Oak Lane, Harrison/White Plains; 550 and 600 Mamaroneck Avenue, Saxon Woods Corporate Park, Harrison.

Recently, Newmark announced that it will be instituting several new leasing programs for large blocks of space at properties it represents on an exclusive basis.

Newmark is marketing 320,000 square feet of available space at 1311 Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains, a building owned by The Jack Parker Corporation. The space, which was formerly occupied by a division of IBM, is available beginning November 1 and will be marketed to medium and large tenants. It is a Class A property that is conveniently located nearby major highways and the White Plains and Mamaroneck Metro North railroad stations. The three-story building contains three modules that consist of approximately 106,000 square feet of space.

In addition, Newmark has begun marketing 120,000 square feet of available space at 145 Huguenot Street in New Rochelle, which is a 300,000 square-foot building in the downtown district that is owned by the Galesi Group. Goodkind said the marketing campaign will center on prospective tenants in the 75,000 square feet and up category.

When asked why Newmark has prevailed, in spite of stiff market competition in the northern suburbs of New York City, Goodkind said, "The key to the success of Newmark's Connecticut/Westchester office has been our ability to attract the top real estate professionals in the area, as well as cultivate and establish relationships with major financial institutions that own real estate in Connecticut and Westchester County."

Among the major property owners and financial institutions that Newmark has secured large transactions for in 1996 include: J.E. Roberts, J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Jack Parker Corp., Dime Savings Bank, Chemical Bank, Newfield Publishing, Japan Leasing, Mendik Corp., Goldman Sachs, East River Savings Bank, Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Co., Chase Manhattan Mortgage, Amtrust Realty, Lehman Brothers, Aetna and a host of others.

"The niche that we have made in this market is owner representation," Goodkind stressed. "In 1996 we have surpassed our own goals in terms of performance as owner leasing representatives and we are now attempting to capitalize on our accomplishments to expand our operations this year and in 1997."

Looking back on nearly four years of operations, Goodkind said the decision to launch a New York/Connecticut suburban office was "due to the foresight of James Kuhn," the president of Newmark & Company Real Estate, Inc. Kuhn believed back in 1993 that "institutions that either had taken back property or were going to take back property were going to need the experience and depth of a major real estate firm to handle their assets," Goodkind recalled "His foresight was right on."

Goodkind and Banker agreed that part of the suburban office's success is due to the strength of Newmark's New York and New Jersey brokerage operations, which gives the office key contacts with major institutions and up-to-date research on the entire New York Metropolitan Area markets.

In these times when many New York-based companies are finding it difficult to find spaces in the tight Manhattan market, building owners require their leasing representatives to have the latest information on what companies might be looking to relocate to this area, Goodkind stressed. "This office has the expertise, knowledge and contacts in the real estate and financial communities that is required in today's competitive real estate climate," he said.