Following a strong year of leasing activity in 2023, The Durst Organization announced the company has expanded its commercial leasing team with Sayo Kamara joining as an Associate Director this week. Kamara brings new capacity to Durst as the firm prepares for continued momentum in 2024, including the ongoing major lease-up at the newly renovated 825 Third Avenue.
“Sayo is bringing not only his extensive relationships from across the industry, but his own dynamic perspective as someone who has quickly become one of the most notable rising leasing professionals in New York. We know he will be a great partner and contribute to the commercial leasing team’s success,” said Tom Bow, Executive Vice President of Commercial Leasing at The Durst Organization.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sayo to Durst,” said David Neil, Principal at The Durst Organization. “The Durst Organization has a lower commercial vacancy rate today compared to 2019, and several properties are also achieving higher net effective rents. By continuously investing in our assets and in our team, we are able to outperform the market.”
Prior to joining The Durst Organization, Kamara served as a Senior Associate at Cushman and Wakefield’s Midtown Manhattan office, and before that, as an Associate Director at Colliers International.
“I have gotten to know the Durst team over the years and have been consistently impressed with the platform they have built, along with the organization’s longstanding, stellar reputation and the high-quality assets they have developed over the company’s 100-year history. I look forward to working in a collaborative leasing team environment and introducing tenants to properties that have been impeccably maintained, strategically invested in, and thrived throughout market cycles,” said Sayo Kamara.
Since joining the real estate industry, Kamara has established himself as a skilled negotiator and trusted advisor for owners and tenants. Working for brokerage firms, his clientele spanned sectors, including financial services, media, creative tenants, nonprofits, and corporate institutions. He has played a pivotal role in directing and implementing leasing strategies for some of New York City’s most prominent landlords.
An active member in industry associations and nonprofit causes, Kamara is passionate about giving back to the community and creating opportunities for underrepresented youth. Kamara was the first African American to join the board of the Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association in its 75-year history, where he most recently served as Vice Chairman of the board and implemented a successful partnership with the Real Estate Pathways, a partnership in conjunction with the Real Estate Board of New York and the Trust for Governors Island. In addition, Kamara most recently served as the Co-President of the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club’s Junior Board.
Kamara studied Finance at the University of North Texas and is a graduate of Project REAP, an initiative fostering the advancement of historically underrepresented professionals in the commercial real estate industry.
His notable recognitions include being named a Crain’s New York Business Notable Leader in Real Estate and Business Insider’s Rising Star in Real Estate, both in 2022. Kamara has also been recognized as a Top Influencer in Social Media in Commercial Real Estate by CREi in 2022 and was listed in Commercial Observer’s 30 Under 30 as a Top Leasing and Sales Professional in 2019.
The Durst commercial leasing team is led by Executive Vice President Tom Bow with Senior Vice Presidents Eric Engelhardt and Rocco Romeo, Senior Managing Director Ashlea Aaron, Managing Directors Lauren Ferrentino and Karen Rose, Senior Associate Bailey Caliban, and Associate Nora Caliban. In 2023, the team successfully leased more than one million square feet throughout Durst’s 13 million-square-foot portfolio.
About the Durst Organization
The Durst Organization, founded in 1915 by Joseph and Rose Durst, is the owner, manager, and builder of 13 million square feet of premier Manhattan office towers and over three million square feet of residential rental properties, with 3,400 rental apartments built and several thousand units in the pipeline. The Durst Organization is recognized as a world leader in the development of high-performance and environmentally advanced commercial and residential buildings where people live, work, and thrive. www.durst.org.
