Episode 029: James Famularo

Introduction:


Today’s guest is the New York City retail king of food and
beverage, the President of Meridian Retail Leasing, and the man
who reminds me in a positive way of both the NYC subway system
and James Brown – given that he seemingly is open for business
24/7/365, and is arguably the hardest working man in retail –
yes, it’s none other than James Famularo. James, who not only
lives and breathes NYC, is happily married to his wife May and is
the extremely proud father of two boys often seen on Instagram
playing hoops on playgrounds throughout the city. Although he
really didn’t have that much say in the matter, Brooklyn born and
raised, James made like LeBron and took his talents to Manhattan
as a young man. In addition to his wife and boys, James’s other
passions include that of basketball, running and attending
self-help seminars (such as those of Tony Robbins).



Episode Notes:


At 2:38, James Famularo discusses Eastern Consolidated closing,
“speed meeting” in search of the right fit, and ultimately, his
move to Meridian. At 5:07, James notes the synergies that exist
between Meridian’s investment sales and retail leasing divisions.
At 6:02, Famularo touches upon his team providing value in that
of responsiveness, flexibility, and their social media presence.
At 7:18, James discusses how he continues to master his craft on
a daily basis. At 8:01, Famularo brings us back to his days
working in electrical construction, and thereafter his career
change to real estate. At 12:10, he believes that hard work is
the foundation, and there is no replacement for it. At 13:44,
James talks about the biggest risk he has ever taken, leaving his
salaried job to work on a commission basis. At 15:53, Famularo
speaks about failure and how he handles it. At 17:17, he advises
to take everything with a grain of salt while continuously moving
forward. At 18:47, James dives into how he finds the balance
between life and work. At 19:56, Famularo notes the changes from
when he first started in the industry compared to present day. At
21:27, he talks about the current retail landscape. At 23:32,
James provides his thoughts on Amazon backing out of their
planned move to Long Island City. At 25:17, Famularo touches upon
closing deals and pushing forward. At 27:05, he gives his
thoughts on a vacancy tax potentially being charged to landlords.
At 28:14, James shares how technology impacts his business. At
29:48, James Famularo closes out the podcast with a message on
waking up every day with the same enjoyment for work as he had
the day before.