Compare that to the NFL, if Massey Knakal was a head coach, it would have a coaching tree that would rival Bill Belichick or Bill Walsh.
In fact, the former construction sales firm was acquired by Cushman & Wakefield in 2015, with no fewer than a dozen spin-off companies or investment sales/departments run by 18 MK alumni.
In addition to eponymous firm Paul Massey (founding partner and CEO of B6) and Bob Knakal (senior managing director of JLL), former MKers Robert Shapiro (executive managing director of Cushman & Wakefield), Craig Waggner ( Managing Director), James Nelson (Principal, Head of Tri-State Investment Sales at Avison Young), Ofer Cohen (Founder and President, Terra CRG), Josh Lipton (Founder, Invictus Property Advisors) and others are leading their own company or department.
But Knakal, who started MK with Massey in 1988, says there is nothing or any recipe that has led to so many success stories from mid-sized businesses.
“Investment sales are not a very complicated business,” Knakal said. “It’s a lot of blocking and settling and doing the basic things. And having the discipline to do those things day in and day out, week in and week out, month out in month out. I think discipline is something that we instill in people and I think you can take that from You see that in the performance of these guys.”
Knakal attributes much of his success to having a plan in place first in the hiring process: Priority is given to someone who has been an athlete, military, or has demonstrated some sort of excellence (i.e., the editor of a college newspaper or the captain of a debate team) possibly in a competitive environment. Standing out, but also within a team framework.
“The bottom line is, we say to our HR people, after you interview someone, no matter how many boxes they ticked in terms of aptitude and academic record, if you don’t want to go out to lunch with them or go and Have a drink, they’re probably not the ones you want to offer a job to,” Knakal said.
Once hired, MK agents undergo training that can take up to six months. Knakal said the training consisted of three main components: knowledge of the market; understanding how to source and pitch business; and executing the business.
Knakal and Paul Massey say the territory system prevents employees from cannibalizing each other and fosters a team culture in the company.
“Some competitors, your biggest competitors may be in your company, and the Territory System eliminates internal competition,” said Macy, founding partner and CEO of B6. “So if you’re at summer picnics together and you’re not competing or negotiating with each other, everyone enjoys being around each other. They’re at each other’s weddings, they’re godparents to each other’s kids.”
Others who work at the company agree.
“[Some prospective employees] “I don’t want to be restricted, I want to do everything,” said Tim King, who worked at MK for six years and is now managing partner of SVN CPEX Real Estate. “I gave the example of taking off my glasses. “See the sun shining on the table? What happens if I focus light through glasses? I can set fire to the table. That’s the point. Not everyone is buying it. “
David Simone, who worked at MK for 10 years and now owns Concourse Realty in the South Bronx, said the approach creates a family-like atmosphere where employees play softball, rent vacation homes and party together.
“They’re great agents and really great people,” Simone said.
For Kim’s part, he says every day at MK is a “golden era” for the company.
For a company started in the late 80s with just three employees (Knakal, Massey and a secretary), the business has grown to 250 people in three sublet offices of 800 sq ft spanning 100,000 sq ft Space for four offices at the pinnacle.
“It was a good run,” Knakal said.
