Key Management
James R. Wacht
President
A life-long resident of Manhattan, Jim brings three generations of knowledge of the New York real estate business to his role as President of Sierra Realty Corp. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, he earned his Juris Doctorate degree at Boston University School of Law. He then worked for the New York law firm of Bachner, Tally, Polevoy & Misher, as a real estate attorney specializing in commercial leasing, property financing and acquisitions. In 1989, he joined Sierra Realty Corp. as a Vice President and assumed his current position as President in 2000.
Jim is an active member of the Real Estate Board of New York, the National Realty Conference, the New York State Bar Association, past First Vice Chairman of Community Board No. 8 in Manhattan, and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Community Housing Improvement Program, a landlord advocacy organization. In addition to contributing articles to The New York Law Journal and Commercial Lease Law Insider on a variety of real estate issues, Jim has lectured at The Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute of Baruch College. Jim has also moderated panel discussions at the National Realty Conference on "Deferring Payment of Real Estate Taxes on the Sale or Other Disposition of Real Estate" and "Techniques for Reducing Gift and Estate Taxes on Real Estate." Jim's charitable endeavors include serving on the New York Advisory Council of the Appleseed Foundation, a non-profit network of 16 public interest justice centers in the U.S. and Mexico, and the board of directors of the Afro–Latin Jazz Orchestra. Jim is currently spearheading Appleseed's effort to address the issue of affordable housing for public school teachers in New York.
Tel: (212) 490–1002 ext. 213
jwacht@srcny.com
Peter L. Braus
Executive Vice President, Sierra Realty Corp.
Peter Braus has been involved in the ownership and brokerage of real estate for over a decade. He joined Sierra Realty in 2001, and was made a partner in 2004. Prior to Sierra, he worked for New Spectrum Realty Services and Newmark & Co. Real Estate. Peter currently represents M&T Bank (Manhattan retail locations), Reprise Media, Union Square Hospitality Group and The Suarez Restaurant Group, among others. He has also represented such landlords as the Battery Park City Authority, Gotham, Goldman, Sachs & Company, C&K Properties and the ownership of Brown Harris Stevens. Notable transactions in the last several years include several branches for M&T, including a new Manhattan flagship at 11 West 42nd Street, a new sales office for Milliken Textiles at 875 Avenue of the Americas, more than a dozen lease transactions in the Nolita neighborhood of Downtown Manhattan, as well as several major restaurant transactions and representation of JP Morgan Chase's Trusts & Estates Department in the leasing of space in its portfolio. In over 12 years in the real estate business, he has completed in excess of 500 commercial leasing transactions with an aggregate value of well over $250 million. Peter is also a principal of Prime Office Centers, which operates executive office suite centers in three locations.
Peter received his MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Columbia University Business School and his BBA from Emory University. Peter serves on the following organizations: REBNY Retail Committee (Membership Chair); Board Member, Alliance for Downtown New York; Member, Community Board 1 (Tribeca & WTC Redevelopment Committees); International Council of Shopping Centers; and The National Realty Club. He lives in Downtown Manhattan.
Tel: (212) 490–1002 ext. 234
pbraus@srcny.com
Barry Sanet
Senior Managing Director
Prior to joining Sierra Realty, Barry held the position of Senior Vice President for over 10 years at Collins Tuttle & Company and the same position at M.J. Raynes & Company where he was responsible for the firm's portfolio of over 200 stores.
Barry has closed over 1,400 retail transactions during his 35-year career with an aggregate rental value in excess of $1 billion. He has represented chains including Nine West Shoes, the Oreck Corporation, The Yankee & Mets Clubhouse Stores, M & T Bank, Jennifer House Convertibles, and fashion tenants including Laura Biagiotti, J. Lindeberg, Ilias LaLaounis, Arche and Benetton's Sisley Division. He has done consulting work for Schwartz and Benjamin, Glickenhaus & Co. and Citicorp, and has served as leasing agent for numerous landlords including Bernard Spitzer, The Winter Organization, Ulm Realty, LaSeven Inc., and Brause Realty. He recently consummated deals for Le Pain Quotidien, M & T Bank, The Ultimate Triathlon, Fig & Olive and Salon de Quartier among others.
He holds an MBA from Long Island University and a Bachelor of Art in Business Administration from Franklin & Marshall College.
Tel: (212) 490–1002 ext. 223
bsanet@srcny.com
Perry D. Parker
Senior Vice President - Commercial Property Management
Perry
comes to Sierra Realty after having spent over 17 years as a commercial
property manager with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union
(ILGWU), where he managed a nationwide portfolio containing approximately
1,000,000 square feet of space. Perry's most recent accomplishments
include successfully negotiating with a building union for one–third reduction in the
workforce, overseeing a $1 million–plus
full elevator modernization program and supervising the remediation
of a significant environmental contamination caused by a leaking, underground
oil storage tank. Perry is also an attorney, having obtained his Juris
Doctorate degree from New York Law School in 1985.
Tel: (212) 490–1002 ext. 217
pparker@srcny.com
Marc J. Lazar CPM®
Senior Vice President – Residential Property Management
Marc joins Sierra as a veteran manager with almost 18
years of real estate experience. Marc was recently the Vice President
of one of the largest management companies in the city and was a past
Managing Director for the Insignia Residential Group. As a Senior Vice
President, Marc supervises the activities of Sierra's management
portfolio. Marc's professional credentials include extensive expertise
in operations and management, structural renovation, restoration, contract
negotiation, staff supervision & labor disputes and landlord/tenant
issues. Marc has a background in Construction Management & Development
receiving a Certificate of Construction Management from New York University.
Marc is a graduate of Yeshiva University where he received his B.S.
degree in accounting and has earned a Certified Property Manager designation
from the Institute of Real Estate Management.
Tel: (212) 490–1002 ext. 211
mlazar@srcny.com