Kaufman Org’s Jeff Rosenblatt joins office listings startup SquareFoot

A veteran commercial broker says he’s joining “the 21st Century.”

Jeff Rosenblatt, most recently at the Kaufman Organization, is joining office brokerage startup SquareFoot to help expand its traditional leasing business, Crain’s reported.

The proptech firm aims to make office leasing more transparent by combining traditional brokerage work with an online platform. Rosenblatt joined the Kaufman Organization last fall amid a leadership shakeup at the former Coldwell Banker Commercial Advisors. Before that, he was at Newmark Knight Frank and Cushman & Wakefield.

“Jeff has closed on more than 1,000 transactions in his career,” SquareFoot co-founder and CEO Jonathan Wasserstrum told Crain’s. “He’s the first broker we have hired who will bring a substantial amount of business in with him.”

SquareFoot was founded by JLL veteran Wasserstrum, Aron Susman and Justin Lee in 2012, and currently has about two dozen brokers on staff.

“A lot of tenants and landlords are using this platform, and it will serve as place to connect with them,” Rosenblatt said. “The brokerage business is antiquated. I’ve decided to join the 21st century.”

In February, SquareFoot acquired commercial subletting platform PivotDesk from flexible-office space firm Industrious for an undisclosed sum. The company has raised $13.4 million since its launch. [Crain’s] – Kevin Sun