Knakal named NYC investment sales chair at Cushman

Massey Knakal co-founder takes position a month after C&W purchased his firm

From left: Bob Knakal and Edward Forst
From left: Bob Knakal and Edward Forst

Bob Knakal, co-founder and chairman of Massey Knakal Realty Services, will now serve as chairman of New York City investment sales at Cushman & Wakefield following the brokerage’s acquisition of his firm.

Knakal updated his Linkedin profile today to reflect his new position. Paul Massey, whose Linkedin page has not yet been changed, will oversee the New York City sales brokerage operations for Cushman, as previously reported.

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Cushman closed on the $100 million acquisition of Massey Knakal last month.

“Most observers of this process are likely to conclude that the money was what made our decision for us,” Knakal wrote in a column for the New York Observer. “It was certainly part of the calculus but, more importantly, C&W was the best fit for us and we chose them for that reason. Commercial real estate is a people business and the chemistry was perfect.”

In another personnel changes, Cushman announced that John Santora would replace James Underhill as chief executive of the company’s North American operations, as previously reported. — Mark Maurer