Englewood Cliffs, NJ, October 29, 2025 – CEO Brian Katz is celebrating 25 in ’25 with a milestone anniversary at Katz & Associates. Over the past 25 years, Brian has built an industry-leading boutique retail real estate brokerage and advisory firm that represents more than 250 tenants and 140 landlords, with 230+ exclusive listings totaling over 22 million square feet across the Eastern United States and the Midwest. And the momentum keeps growing … in just the past few weeks, Katz has announced the opening of new offices in Jacksonville, FL, and Atlanta, GA, along with the strategic hire of a Senior Vice President to expand our national Investment Sales business.
With a profile in Crain’s New York, a REBNY Most Ingenious Deal of the Year award, multiple Top NYC Deal honors from The Real Deal, and more CoStar Power Broker wins than he can count (think: athlete/entertainer levels of hardware), Brian Katz has firmly established himself as a force in retail real estate. He successfully represents national tenants in their expansion strategies, helps landlords reposition and develop prime assets, and invests in the next generation of talent through mentorship and collaboration.
Brian has completed deals in NY, NJ, CT, PA, DE, MD, VA, DC and FL valued at over $5 billion. His transaction history includes numerous suburban and downtown lease and sale deals for several National chains, including Floor & Decor, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta Beauty, Hobby Lobby, DSW Shoes, Saks OFF 5TH and Trader Joe’s. Prior to joining Katz in 2000, Brian held the position of Project Manager at Forest City Ratner where he participated in the development of 2.1 million square feet of retail space throughout New York City, as well as in the management of 1 million square feet of operating properties.
Brian isn’t just shaping deals, he’s shaping the future of retail real estate. Read more in this Q&A with Brian Katz:
Q. Beyond the obvious (you’re older), how do you think you’ve changed from 25 years ago? How have you remained consistent?
A. While I am certainly older and have more experience to pull from, my approach to work has remained pretty steady.
Q. How do you think CRE has changed over the past 25 years?
A. Obvious answer … technology. I had a beeper at my first real estate job, and cell phones were just being introduced.
Q. What do you find most challenging about CRE?
A. Getting started and building relationships takes time, and you need to be committed to the initial struggle.
Q. Why do clients choose you?
A. There are a handful of firms that do this really well. I think it starts with a good reputation. Then, it comes down to the preparation that goes into any given presentation and the potential client feeling like there is a good personality fit.
Q. Big box is your “sweet spot” – how/why?
A. I’ve been involved in transactions and growth programs with tenants of all sizes. I think big box gets the majority of the attention, given some of the names and the numbers of transactions we’ve completed. Having all the history in every trade area and touching so many of the box spaces over the years gives us a level of expertise that enables us to execute at a high level.
Q. Share a lesson you learned in business.
A. Try to treat everyone fairly and with respect. You never know when paths will cross again.
Q. What’s the best advice you received (possibly early on)?
A. Be 10 minutes early to every meeting and appointment. I still live by that rule today.
Q. Can you share a tip to help newer brokers?
A. Show up.
Q. What’s your biggest goal?
A. At this point, it is to see the young people around me succeed.
Q. What’s been the biggest project of your career?
A. I don’t know about the biggest project, but the most impactful on me personally was the Eastern Mountain Sports buyout and relocation in Soho.
Q. What was a big “win” for you or an achievement you’re proud of?
A. Our team. We’ve worked really hard over the past few years to put together a tremendous group of people, both administrative and brokerage. It’s the best we’ve been in 25 years. Special shout-out to our Executive Team: Dan Katz, Lisa Fitzmaurice, Marty Hennessy, David Emihovich, and Julie Gardner.
Q. How do you know if a broker will be a good fit for Katz?
A. At this point, I think I have a pretty good sense after a few meetings about cultural fit. Having made plenty of mistakes, it is one of the most important things to me today.
Q. What are some “fun at Katz” moments/memories?
A. I don’t love buzz words like “culture,” however, we have so many opportunities to have fun as a collective group that really makes working with this group fun. Between the Katz broker summits, ICSC cocktail parties, and the highly competitive Fantasy Football, there isn’t one particular event that sticks out. And, it is nice having a DJ in the group—there have definitely been some memorable bus transfers between events.
Q. How do you switch off after a busy week?
A. One Macallan 12
Brian Katz spends most of his time between Katz’s headquarters in Englewood, NJ, and the firm’s New York City office – in the city where he lives with his wife and daughters – and where he’s been known to run a New York City Marathon or two. He regularly connects with the Katz team and clients across the firm’s offices and at major industry events, including ICSC Las Vegas, New York, and Orlando.
Katz & Associates began operations in January of 1996. The company currently maintains offices in New York City, North Carolina, Boca Raton, Nashville, New Jersey, Chicago, Jacksonville, and Atlanta. Katz & Associates’ primary focus is assisting retailers, restaurants and landlords in all capacities including strategic planning, market analysis, lease and sale negotiations and dispositions. Our team of seasoned veterans has decades of experience and invaluable market knowledge.