Ferlanda Fox Nixon, the CEO of the Newark Regional Business Partnership, loves attending the annual Newark Real Estate Summit. She understands how important all aspects of the real estate sector are to the city.
She just wants more of it.
That’s why Fox Nixon used this year’s event to announce the creation of the NRBP Real Estate Council, an initiative designed to bring together a diverse group of NRBP members to create a trusted forum for candid, in-depth dialogue around real estate development in the Greater Newark region.
Council members will play an instrumental role in shaping NRBP’s annual Real Estate Market Forum, one of the organization’s signature events, helping to ensure its relevance, impact and alignment with market realities.
But more than that, they will ensure that all aspects of real estate stay top of mind all year long.
“There’s a need to have more localized attention about what’s going on in Newark,” she told BINJE at the event. “The Newark Summit comes around once a year, it’s great, but we need something more intense, something that is talking about this, 365 days a year.”
Fox Nixon said NRBP members represent various sectors of real estate and development in Newark — developers, real estate agents, brokers and architects. Creating this council was a logical step, and follows in the footsteps of NRBP’s transportation council, which is one of the group’s most impactful.
NRBP’s Real Estate Council was initiated by NRBP members Frank Ferruggia, a partner at McCarter & English, and Carissa Borraggine, a realtor and business broker.
Any member connected to the sector was invited to join. Almost all did, Fox said. The initial list includes:
- Audible
- Carissa Borraggine
- CBRE
- CenterPoint Properties
- Clinton Hill Community Action
- Connell Foley
- CSG Law
- The Da Silva Team
- Edison Properties
- EqualSpace
- FBT Gibbons
- K&L Gates
- Makerhoods
- McCarter & English
- MIG Real Estate
- Montclair State University
- New Community Corporation
- Newark Housing Authority
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- ONYX / One Gateway Center
- OPEX CRE Management LLC
- PNC Bank
- Savills
- Turner Construction Co
- Turning Point Community Services
- University Hospital
Ferruggia said he is eager to get the council going.
“The Newark business community and the Newark Regional Business Partnership have always been committed to the growth and development of our city and the greater region,” he said. “The Real Estate Council will contribute to that mission by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas, education and advocacy for those interested in the success of real estate development in Greater Newark.”
The Real Estate Council is open to NRBP members whose work intersects with real estate, development, finance, design, construction, and related fields. Through ongoing engagement, the council will help ensure that NRBP’s real estate programming continues to reflect the priorities and perspectives of those actively shaping the region. The Real Estate Council joins NRBP’s growing slate of industry- and affinity-based councils, including transportation, Nonprofit, entrepreneur and women’s. Each are designed to deepen member engagement and foster meaningful collaboration across the Greater Newark region and beyond.
Together, these councils expand opportunities for NRBP members to build relationships with like-minded, industry-focused peers while contributing to dialogue and programming that supports the continued growth of Newark and the surrounding region, Fox Nixon said.
