Karl Smolarz | Managing Director – Operations & Development
Mr. Smolarz’s career in real estate began 20 years ago. After a brief stint at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division, Mr. Smolarz joined Hines, a Houston-based real estate developer, as Property Manager for several major commercial high-rise buildings in midtown Manhattan. In 2002, Mr. Smolarz moved to Sterling Equities, a New York-based real estate investment company and principal owner of the New York Mets. As Vice President of Facilities/Operations, Mr. Smolarz directly oversaw operations at all Sterling facilities, including office and baseball facilities in five states and four countries. He was also involved in, or spearheaded, real estate development projects including Citi Field, baseball training complexes in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, and pre-war condo conversions in Manhattan. After the completion of Citi Field, Mr. Smolarz was integral to the launch of a new business unit called Sterling Project Development, which provides clients with critical development and project management expertise. Prior to beginning his career in real estate, Mr. Smolarz was an Engineer Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, attaining the rank of Captain. He obtained his B.A. in 1992 from the State University of New York at Albany.