: f o s
k
Kids’art
D
e
Barrocas’ two daughters, Cayden and
e
Ella, are 5 and 2, respectively. He said
t
h
they don’t believe it when he promises
A
t
to put their artwork up on his wall, so he texts photos of his desk to his wife, Rachel, to prove it to them.
Andrew Ba r r o c a s
A
ndrew Barrocas, 35, grew up expecting to go into his father’s business, manufacturing menu covers and accessories for women’s clothing. But Joel Barrocas wanted his son to experience another line of work first, so Barrocas headed to Citi Habitats in 2001, after graduating from Arizona State University. There, he discovered a niche, marketing new developments Downtown in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Just four years later, he founded his own company, the Real Estate Group of New York, which merged with Brooklyn-based marketers the Developers Group in 2009. In 2011, the company settled on the less-generic name MNS. Today, MNS has more than 80 agents across four offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn and Barrocas, as CEO, oversees a small residential empire. The firm currently represents 40 projects — about 3,500 units planned or under construction. Last month, TRD checked out Barrocas’ Flatiron District digs. B y G uelda V oien
Sculptures These ceramic sculptures are modeled after the iconic photograph
Skiing
“Lunch Atop a Skyscraper,” which was taken during the
Barrocas is an avid skier, preferring
construction of Rockefeller Center in 1932. The figures have fallen
to ski out west in Utah. When he
off their ledge a few times since Barrocas bought them in Soho about 10 years ago. He even shipped them to a ceramics specialist to have them repaired once. “They’ve taken quite a beating.”
skies on the East Coast, where he
One Way Sign
often takes his daughters for a day
Barrocas’ father found this sign near his Bronx factory shortly after his
on the slopes, he goes to Thunder
son launched his firm in 2005. He framed it as a gift to “indicate there
Ridge, in Westchester County, or
is only one way, which is up,” Barrocas said. When Barrocas opted not
Windham, in the Catskills.
to work for his father, it was only because after one year in real estate, he was making six times the starting salary his father offered him, he said.
“Big Moose” jerky One of Barrocas’ biggest clients, Douglaston Development scion Ben Levine, is a fan of this beef jerky called Big Moose Road Kill. During a trip with
Shofar
Levine to Vermont, the pair discovered
This traditional Jewish shofar was presented to Barrocas when he
the snack being sold by a roadside meat
won the Young Jewish Professionals’ “Real Estate Entrepreneur
purveyor. Now, Barrocas orders the jerky
Award,” in 2011. Barrocas, a YJP member, pointed out that the
several times a year so that he’s stocked up
group honors many non-Jewish achievers in business as well. “Joe
for meetings with Levine.
Basketball trophy This trophy, for winning the 2012 Hooperstown Basketball Championship, was costly – and not emotionally or physically. Barrocas and some friends joined a basketball league that year, but realized they were outclassed after losing their first game by almost 60 points. So they hired several highly skilled players, including a couple of former Harlem Globetrotters. Barrocas won’t say how much they paid the ringers, but his team won the 10-game series.
McMillan of [DDG Partners] got one once,” he said.
Liquor This booze collection helps MNS brokers relax after a taxing day. But it’s hard to keep it in stock, because Barrocas lets anyone on staff come in and have a drink whenever they want. “The nicer the bottle, the quicker it goes missing,” he said.
Run DMC
Nets Barrocas is a season ticket holder for both the
Barrocas is a big fan of the
Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks. He
pioneering hip-hop group
grew up an ardent fan of the latter, so becoming
Run DMC. One of his agents
a Nets fan was “a little controversial
bought him this figurine of
for me. A lot of my friends give me
the group, which he keeps on
crap about [it],” he said.
his desk.
28 March 2014 www.TheRealDeal.com
PHOTOGRAPH OF ANDREW BARROCAS FOR THE REAL DEAL BY CHRISTIAN FERNANDEZ