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Real Estate REality Check | Real Estate & Business Career Success Education and Training


Sep 28, 2018

Introduction:

Today we are lucky enough to have with us none other than Michael Santora, a man who in every sense of the word is truly on a mission to make a difference for his clients, the skylines and infrastructures of cities globally, and for those not as fortunate. In my professional dealings with Michael, I have found him to be the Winston Wolf of architecture, design, due diligence, code consulting and expediting resolution. Yes, like the character portrayed by Harvey Keitel in the classic film Pulp Fiction, Michael solves problems! Given that the historical tradition of a crown, among other things, embodies that of knowledge, power, triumph, honor and wealth, the mantra of the firm he co-founded, namely Crown Architecture and Consulting, is that of ensuring that their designs and efforts will simultaneously maximize the potential of their client’s property and budget, while also making a difference for the private and public sectors.  

 

Episode Notes:

At 3:16, Michael Santora stresses the importance of reading comprehension in his business. At 4:28, he discusses taking pride in your work and having a full understanding of your final product, because at the end of the day your name is attached. At 5:05, Michael talks about work ethic. At 5:57, he touches upon setting goals and to some, money being freedom as well as a measure of success. At 7:27, Michael notes that good service comes with upfront reality - being blunt and not creating a sense of false hope, while simultaneously being optimistic. At 9:05, he points out that Crown Architecture and Consulting likes to be different with the subtle things, and that Crown is always evolving based on the feedback it receives. Michael describes how he and Crown are different, given that they, like others, swim in the same direction as everyone else, but often zig-zag quite a bit up stream. At 10:18, Michael shares that “It’s hard to argue with logic and reason.” At 11:53, he advises, “I want to profitable off of the intelligent decisions I make and the value I create.” At 12:55, Michael discusses change in the real estate industry, more specifically retail and last mile industrial. At 13:51, he talks about building with flexibility in design, so buildings can evolve with changing times. At 14:11, Michael informs us of Crown’s partnership with Scott Brownrigg out of London, and Smart Shed, a new type of distribution center concept. At 16:06, he shares winning the World Architecture Foundation award for his firm’s concept of redesigning the Park Avenue medians. At 18:27, Michael explains his love for the challenge of making something profitable, and growing a “business.” At 21:16, he discusses having integrity in design and construction. Building bigger, better and more efficient! At 23:53, Michael shares his involvement in the ACE program, mentoring, and sitting on the board at Wentworth Institute of Technology. At 26:01, he takes us back to his first job in real estate, working as a project manager for a design-build firm. At 30:05, he talks about the topic of failure and his failure to successfully pitch Platform Media to MTA at 22 years old. At 33:09, Michael dives into his passion for large scale infrastructure projects. At 38:10, Michael Santora closes it out with the message of pursuing your dreams.