REBNY Announces Winners for 82nd Annual Commercial Sales Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Awards

Professionals from Savills, CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield take home top awards for New York City commercial real estate transactions in 2025

Please see photos from the event HERE

NEW YORK, NY – The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) brought together the industry on May 11th for the announcement of the most prestigious professional distinctions in New York City commercial real estate, REBNY’s 82nd Annual Commercial Sales Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Awards. The annual event was held at Lever House in Midtown Manhattan. Geoffrey Newman of Savills won the top award, with professionals from CBRE finishing second and Cushman & Wakefield taking third place.

“Tonight’s winners exemplify the very best of commercial brokerage—smart, complex deals executed with skill and determination,” said REBNY President James Whelan. “REBNY is proud to honor the professionals behind these transactions that drive business growth across New York City.”

Since 1944, this annual member contest recognizes commercial brokerage professionals who demonstrate exceptional resourcefulness in complex property negotiations. Co-Chairs of the Sales Broker Committee Woody Heller of Branton Realty Services and Michael Rudder of Rudder Property Group presented the following awards for calendar year 2025:

The first-place Henry Hart Rice Achievement Award to Geoffrey Newman of Savills for “The Keys to the Park: A Gramercy Gambit” at 252 Third Avenue, 254 Third Avenue, 256 Third Avenue, 258 Third Avenue, 37 Gramercy Park and 38 Gramercy Park, New York, NY. For over 13 years, Newman assembled a stretch of frontage on Gramercy Park frontage that many viewed as effectively impossible, including the acquisition of a 34-unit cooperative building at the center of the deal. The breakthrough came from recognizing that the Sliver Law limited what that cooperative could become on its own. Cantilever rights were then used to move stakeholders toward alignment, and the deal was rebuilt after a judge voided a key agreement twice. Although there were tax and Brownfield complications addressed along the way, ultimately, Newman successfully assembled of one of Gramercy Park’s last developable corners with unanimous shareholder participation, including all 32 owners of the 34-unit cooperative.

“Gramercy Park is not a neighborhood where sites come together easily. This deal required 13 years of persistence, countless individual negotiations and the ability to solve one impossible problem after another,” said Geoffrey Newman of Savills. “I’m honored by REBNY’s recognition and proud that our team turned a site many considered unreachable into one of New York’s most compelling development opportunities.”

The second-place Robert T. Lawrence Memorial Award to Scott Gottlieb, Brendan Herlihy and Michael Wellen of CBRE for “Music is Universal: New York City to Reclaim ‘Music Capital of the World’ Title” at 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY. The CBRE team guided Universal Music Group (UMG) through a 336,000-square-foot, 20-year headquarters lease at PENN 2, consolidating a fragmented Manhattan footprint into a single home beside Madison Square Garden. The approach focused on securing space that matched UMG’s creative identity while still delivering the scale and infrastructure of a major global headquarters. Beyond the office commitment, the deal enabled UMG to activate a prominent street-level presence and establish a secure, dedicated arrival experience for artists, alongside production capabilities that support how music is created and experienced today. The resulting headquarters is designed to be more than a workplace, reinforcing UMG’s brand visibility at the doorstep of one of the world’s most important live entertainment venues and strengthening New York City’s role at the center of the music industry.

The third-place Edward S. Gordon Memorial Award to Mark Weiss and Jared Thal of Cushman & Wakefield for “Way Back to the Future: Rethinking How Law Firms Operate” at 200 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. Weiss and Thal represented Goodwin in a 20-year, 300,000-square-foot lease at 200 Fifth Avenue, with additional space in the adjacent 21 West 23rd Street building, after approaching the assignment through the lens of Goodwin’s culture, engagement and long-term workplace strategy. Rather than defaulting to a conventional legal-sector solution, the Cushman & Wakefield team undertook a thorough discovery process to understand Goodwin’s history, identity and future vision, then pursued a building choice that intentionally broke with industry norms in both location and physical layout. The resulting transaction also provided adjacent amenity space designed to reinforce community and make the office a destination again for years to come.

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ABOUT THE REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK

The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) is the City’s leading real estate trade association. Founded in 1896, REBNY represents commercial, residential, and institutional property owners, builders, managers, investors, brokers, and salespeople; banks, financial service companies, utilities, attorneys, architects, and contractors; corporations, co-partnerships, and individuals professionally interested in New York City real estate. REBNY conducts research on various civic matters including tax policy, city planning and zoning, rental conditions, land use policy, building codes, and other city, state, and federal legislation. REBNY regularly publishes market data, policy reports, and broker surveys. In addition, REBNY provides for its members: informational, technical, and technological resources; networking and charitable service opportunities; qualifying and continuing education courses; professional education programs, seminars, and designations; career-changing awards; legal advice; and a wide range of additional member benefits. For more information, please visit www.rebny.com.

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