Jerry Weinstein, President of Manhattan Apartments, Inc. is the visionary and the driving force behind the company. While others say, "It's not personal, it's just business," Jerry says, "Our business, is personal." From the managers who have been with the company for over 15 years to the apartment hunter who visits the office for an hour, Jerry extends each the personal consideration that he believes every person deserves. This has set the tone for MAI that distinguishes it from average real estate companies.
A true entrepreneur in nature, when Jerry was first introduced to real estate, he immediately saw it as a venue for all the elements of his interests. He is a native New Yorker, who has always had a deep appreciation for its history, culture, architecture, and people. He holds a Master's degree in philosophy and a bachelor's in education. As a young agent, already sensitive to the difficulty of finding a place to live in Manhattan, Jerry took great pleasure in helping others find a home, and this translated into making him a top earner in his first few months in the business. At that time, most r.e. companies dealt exclusively with certain landlords. As a businessman, he saw the need for a company that would offer everything available, a central marketplace for people to find what they were looking for. As a previous union leader, he was also aware of the difficulties of being an employee and wanted to create an environment that made people enjoy coming to work. From a creative eye for design and a love of beauty and perseverance, Jerry's vision came together in Manhattan Apartments, Inc.
Recognizing the honesty and commitment to integrity as well as the keen business sense with which Jerry conducted business, landlords felt a personal sense of trust for the rental applications he presented to them. Jerry closed all the deals for the first few years while the developing managers sat at his side learning from him how business was to be conducted. Only when he believed that they understood his ideals and every aspect of the industry did he give up the chair to develop other areas of the company.
Today, MAI is a sprawling, 11.000 square foot loft in the heart of the city, just north of Times Square. Music is always playing and people are not confined to cubicles. Mirroring the vitality of the "stock exchange", 150 agents and staff members interact continuously, throughout the day. They share information with an urgency that delivers results for the 2000, apartment hunters who visit each month. It is impressive to see the buzz of activity, accented by TV monitors and moving message signs that display the hottest apartment deals to hit the market each day.
