Taking a creative but analytic approach to NY market.

Joshua N. Kuriloff, a senior director at Cushman & Wakefield of New York Inc., has known since early childhood that he wanted to become involved in real estate. As a youth, he scoped out potential investment properties in the Hamptons with his father and mother, learning about such matters as curb appeal and strategically located property.

This early taste of the industry, coupled with his insatiable drive for success, have fueled Kuriloff's career, in which he consistently has been named among the best of the best.

Having joined Cushman & Wakefield in 1986, he has been among the top 100 producing brokers nationally for the past eight years and finished within the top 10 nationally in 1996 and 1997. Kuriloff was named Broker of the Year in 1994 and 1996, and in 1997 he received the service Excellence Achievement Award in recognition of consistently exceeding his clients' needs. As of October 1998, he is the second leading producer for Cushman & Wakefield nationwide for the year-to-date.

Kuriloff credits his success, at least in part, to two seemingly incongruous character traits he says he inherited from his parents. "My father is an artist and my mother, a psychologist. As a result of their influence, I have strong analytical skills, but take a creative approach to solving problems," he explained. "My parents taught me that success is all about creating a dream and pouring yourself into pursuing it."

Those attributes, recognized by many New York City industry leaders, have indeed contributed to Kuriloff's achievements. For example, in representing the prestigious Crown Building located at 730 Fifth Avenue at the intersection of 57th Street, he received credit for increasing occupancy from 26 to 100 percent in the last several years. Bernard Spitzer, a principle of the Crown Building, noted "Josh's unique combination of talents has enabled us to better appreciate the pros and cons of tenant proposals at The Crown Building. Specifically, he has helped outline the impact of tenant improvements and the corresponding rental rates, as well as the quality of prospective tenants to create a mix that will continue to have long-term value."

Leveraging All Resources

Adept in utilizing Cushman & Wakefield's extensive resources to address tenants' needs, Kuriloff has capitalized on situations in which few other brokers would have ventured. For example, he utilizes the firm's Research Services to answer questions not only about current lease terms and market conditions, but also to project employment growth, future market conditions and trends 12 to 24 months down the road; Asset Services to examine a property from a mechanical, technological and environmental standpoint; and Financial Services to assess the best financial structure of the potential transaction based both on cashflow and a financial reporting perspective.

This approach has played an important role in many of the region's most noteworthy transactions. For example, Kuriloff and his partner, Charles R. Borrok, vice chairman, represented Pfizer Inc. in its 15-year lease at the Doral Arrowwood Conference Center in Rye Brook, NY, where the company will develop a worldwide training center. As part of this transaction, they worked closely with the Empire State Development Corp. to assemble an $18 million incentive package which attracted Pfizer to Westchester County. The transaction has been widely touted as the largest conference center transaction in New York State.

According to Art Silverman, director of corporate services at Pfizer, "Josh is a tenacious negotiator. He doesn't approach the transaction by the book - he is very creative and dedicated to getting the job done."

"I'm very proud to have Josh as my friend and partner. He is insightful, diligent and respected among clients and associates," Borrok said.

Randy Frey, assistant vice president and manager of the office leasing department at Chubb & Son, concurs. "Chubb has really come to value his extraordinary attention to detail and his ability to maximize Cushman & Wakefield's resources in New York and around the country. As a result, Josh has often become the point person for Chubb transactions outside the New York area which other Cushman & Wakefield offices are handling to ensure that they are uniformly handled in the appropriate manner."

His other professional accomplishments include representation of CBS/Westinghouse in leasing and disposition assignments totaling 750,000 square feet of space throughout the northeast, and representation of Chubb Insurance in its lease of more than 500,000 square feet of space in New York and nationally. He also represented Chemical Bank in its sale of 4 Columbus Circle, a premier 150,000 square-foot space located at the crossroads of New York City. Kuriloff is currently representing Harvard Business School Publishing in its 100,000 square-foot headquarters lease expansion in Watertown, Massachusetts.

His client roster continues to read like a who's who in business, including such companies as Philip Morris, CNA Insurance, the Greater New York Hospital Association, Benetton-USA, Harvard Business School Publishing and the United Way of New York City. In 1997 alone, he was involved in three million square feet of sales and leasing transactions.

Beyond Business

A resident of Sand's Point in Port Washington, NY, Kuriloff is married and the father of two children. However, he also finds time for a variety of personal and philanthropic endeavors outside the office. As an active member in the United Way, the United Jewish Federation and the Margaret Basnet Parenting Center on Long Island, he also chairs the United Hospital Fund's New Leadership Group.

"The Group works to involve a new generation of volunteer leaders in health care and is dedicated to the notion that every person and company that calls New York City home must help ensure accessible and affordable health care," he explained. Kuriloff recently presented actor Tony Randall with the group's inaugural humanitarian award, and has led a fund-raising effort which raised more than $100,000 in 1997 alone.

Competitive and driven to excellence out of the office as well, Kuriloff is an avid basketball and tennis player, and even finds time to better his knowledge of building and property issues while attending New York University continuing ed classes in architecture and engineering. He received his bachelor's degree in marketing and finance from George Washington University.

"Josh is one of the brightest, hardest-working professionals at our firm, who is just beginning to achieve his potential," noted Arthur J. Mirante II, president and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield. "I am very proud to have him as a part of the firm."