Clayton Orrigo and James Cox are the latest big names to depart brokerage Town Residential, following a public spat between the firm’s owners Joseph Sitt and Andrew Heiberger.
Orrigo has moved to Douglas Elliman, joining the company’s number one-ranked Elkund Gomes team. Meanwhile, Cox has moved to Stribling & Associates, where he will work from the company’s Tribeca office.
Joining Cox at Stribling are team members Lucas Nathan, Frank Giordano and Eric Alvarez, all of whom have moved over from Town.
The moves come more than a week after Town’s owners settled their legal dispute, which began in January when Sitt issued a termination letter to Heiberger, Town’s former CEO. The pair has since buried the hatchet, they said.
Orrigo, whose listings include a $27.9 million townhouse in Greenwich Village, started his brokerage career at Town two years ago. He was previously a vice president of development at Identified, a successful Silicon Valley venture-backed startup that was acquired earlier this month by software company Workday.
Orrigo has quickly become a recognizable name in the brokerage industry.
“Clayton’s fast track to success speaks to his great talent and ability to negotiate and connect buyers and sellers in a tight market,” said Elliman Chairman Howard Lorber. “He has accomplished so much in a relatively short period of time and I look forward to having the Douglas Elliman teamwork with him as his business continues to grow.”
Orrigo said he harbored no hard feelings towards Town but said he viewed the opportunity to work with the Eklund Gomes team as a way into the profitable new development arena.
“I’ve had great success at Town, and although it has been an incredible platform where I have made many friends, it’s time to take my business in another direction,” he said. “Joining the number one team at New York’s number one brokerage to help them build up their new development business is a tremendous opportunity and the next logical step for me.”
In a statement, Heiberger told TRD: “Clayton is a bright, young talent who is sure to have tremendous success in the industry and we wish him the very best. [His departure] was expected because Clayton was working with Robert Dvorin on a number of listings.”
Dvorin, another top producer at Town, moved to Elliman last week, The Real Deal previously reported.
Cox, a frontrunner at Town, and his team bring a listing for an $18 million condominium at Tribeca’s One York Street to Stribling, as well as an exclusive contract to sell Hudson Woods, a project featuring 26 custom residences in the heart of the Hudson River Valley’s Catskills region. Sales at Hudson Woods launched last month.
Before joining Town, Cox owned his own boutique residential firm, Earth316.
“James Cox did a fine job here at Town and I am sure he will be a tremendous asset to Stribling, especially with his international business and focus,” said Jeff Appel, Town’s president, in a statement. “He is always welcome back”