Episode 029: James Famularo

Introduction: Today's guest is the New York City retail king of food and beverage, the President of Meridian Retail Leasing, and the man who reminds me in a positive way of both the NYC subway system and James Brown – given that he seemingly is open for business 24/7/365, and is arguably the hardest working man in retail – yes, it's none other than James Famularo. James, who not only lives and breathes NYC, is happily married to his wife May and is the extremely proud father of two boys often seen on Instagram playing hoops on playgrounds throughout the city. Although he really didn't have that much say in the matter, Brooklyn born and raised, James made like LeBron and took his talents to Manhattan as a young man. In addition to his wife and boys, James's other passions include that of basketball, running and attending self-help seminars (such as those of Tony Robbins). Episode Notes: At 2:38, James Famularo discusses Eastern Consolidated closing, "speed meeting" in search of the right fit, and ultimately, his move to Meridian. At 5:07, James notes the synergies that exist between Meridian's investment sales and retail leasing divisions. At 6:02, Famularo touches upon his team providing value in that of responsiveness, flexibility, and their social media presence. At 7:18, James discusses how he continues to master his craft on a daily basis. At 8:01, Famularo brings us back to his days working in electrical construction, and thereafter his career change to real estate. At 12:10, he believes that hard work is the foundation, and there is no replacement for it. At 13:44, James talks about the biggest risk he has ever taken, leaving his salaried job to work on a commission basis. At 15:53, Famularo speaks about failure and how he handles it. At 17:17, he advises to take everything with a grain of salt while continuously moving forward. At 18:47, James dives into how he finds the balance between life and work. At 19:56, Famularo notes the changes from when he first started in the industry compared to present day. At 21:27, he talks about the current retail landscape. At 23:32, James provides his thoughts on Amazon backing out of their planned move to Long Island City. At 25:17, Famularo touches upon closing deals and pushing forward. At 27:05, he gives his thoughts on a vacancy tax potentially being charged to landlords. At 28:14, James shares how technology impacts his business. At 29:48, James Famularo closes out the podcast with a message on waking up every day with the same enjoyment for work as he had the day before.