Sanford “Sandy” Sigal

Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, NewMark Merrill Companies

NewMark Merrill has had to pivot as retail has undergone a sea change in recent years.

The firm has repurposed its shopping centers, turning them into community centers with charter schools and medical offices, LA Business Journal reported. About a year after the onset of Covid, NewMark Merrill centers reported having 40 percent true retail and 60 percent service and medical uses.

Sigal established the Calabasas-based company in 1997, and it owns and/or manages over 90 properties totaling nearly 11 million square feet, with a total value exceeding $2 billion. 

NewMark Merrill’s real estate includes all kinds of shopping centers across California, Colorado and Illinois. Its tenants include Vons, Target, Ross Dress for Less, Kohl’s, Ralph’s, Lowe’s and Denny’s.

Sigal started working at age 12 as a programmer and software developer for personal computers in their infancy, learning accounting and project management while computerizing different businesses. 

He got his start in real estate at age 20 working at West Venture Companies, a Van Nuys-based homebuilder, initially to computerize their business processes. There, he founded the commercial retail division, building or redeveloping over 25 shopping centers. He built his first shopping center at 22, which he described to the San Fernando Valley Business Journal as “like, the most awesome thing ever.” 

In 1993, Sigal became CEO of the parent company, overseeing land acquisition, development and the sale of over 700 homes. 

In 2024 NewMark Merrill Companies announced a new venture to focus on overlooked retail centers in Los Angeles.