Leadership Ushers in Fourth Generation
The Garibaldi Group is excited to announce a significant change in its leadership structure. Building upon the company’s long-standing succession plan, the firm elevated Jim Garibaldi to Chairman of the Board, making Jeffrey Garibaldi CEO and his son Jeffrey Garibaldi Jr. President.
The move officially ushers in the fourth generation of leadership in this 100-year-old family-owned business, while recognizing the nearly twenty-five years of leadership served by Jim Garibaldi and Jeffrey Garibaldi Sr.
In his role as CEO, Jeffrey Garibaldi Sr. will continue as the face of the company. During his time as President, Jeffrey Sr. led the company’s corporate services division, the Bell Works leasing team, while consistently being among the highest-grossing salespersons in the firm. For Jim Garibaldi, the new role means less direct management of the firm’s day-to-day activities and more focus on strategic planning, new business development initiatives, and the purpose-driven aspects of the business.
For Jeffrey Garibaldi Jr. however, the move represents a much more significant change. The new president joined the firm in 2014, in order to help pitch The Garibaldi Group’s services to Ralph Zucker and Somerset Development as the exclusive office leasing team for Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ. That wildly successful project was the start of Jeffrey Jr.’s role spearheading company marketing initiatives and being actively involved in new business development for The Garibaldi Group. He was also instrumental in founding The Station, a Garibaldi-owned coworking space in Chatham, NJ that Jeffrey Jr. is a managing partner of. “We’ve seen for a while that the future of the office is changing,” he says. “The Station offers the suburban market a ‘grown-up’ coworking option. It provides the amenities of a large office without the hassle, and allows us to build relationships with smaller companies and advise them as they grow.”
In his new role as President, Jeffrey Jr. is focused on the people and culture of The Garibaldi Group, as well as the companies they serve. This is a role that managing broker Michael Staskiewicz feels fits perfectly with the young executive’s skill set. “As we add to our team, we’re looking for complementary personalities, skills, and styles,” Mr. Staskiewicz says. “We want to make sure everyone is playing to their strengths, and that we are positioned to best serve our clients’ needs, now and in the future. Jeffrey Jr. understands this more than anyone, and more importantly, he has an innate ability to relate and connect with people. His ability to see and accentuate each person’s talents organically will serve us immeasurably well as we build for the future.”
The Pandemic focused our priorities
When talking with Jeffrey Sr., he points to the beginning of the pandemic as a pivotal moment in the shift in leadership.
“Before New Jersey went into lockdown and companies scrambled to make sense of the situation,” Jeffrey Garibaldi, Sr. recalls, “the young leaders at our firm rose to the occasion without ever being asked. They immediately took it upon themselves to close the office, walk our people through the necessary procedures, make sure everyone was comfortable, and ensure our firm was fully functional.”
To hear the new CEO tell it, “we didn’t miss a beat.”
For Jeffrey Jr., the COVID-19 pandemic represented another in a long string of opportunities for the firm to show its strengths, as it has throughout its history. This time, though, it would be one that his father and uncle would not go at alone. “When I joined the firm in 2014, an influential factor for me coming on board was having watched from afar how hard Jim and Jeffrey Sr. fought to keep this company intact through the 2008 recession,” he recalls. “It was one of several economic downturns I watched them navigate and I knew that if the company was going to have a future, the next generation of leadership would have to be in place to weather the next big challenge and I wanted to be a part of that team. We have very big shoes to fill.”
When discussing the future for the corporate real estate industry, Jeffrey Jr. sees a landscape of opportunity. “I love a wide-open canvas, where everything is on the table,” Jeffrey Jr. says. “The corporate real estate market has been ripe for disruption for a long time – COVID-19 has accelerated that, which makes this an exciting time for the industry as a whole.”
Jeffrey Jr. sees the future of the industry as more than just securing locations. It’s a partnership based on long-term relationships and shared goals. “That is where The Garibaldi Group has always separated itself from its competition,” he says. “Our long-term relationships are what we have built our business on for 100 years and we have earned those relationships by proving our dedication time and time again to what we preach as a firm; unparalleled service. So, yes, I think we’re primed for this moment.”
By delving into what drives each company they work with, The Garibaldi Group can find the perfect location, optimizing space usage. “At our best, we are advisors, not just brokers. If our team can find a smaller property that perfectly fits a customer’s needs and build a long-term relationship, rather than closing a one-time deal on a larger space, that’s a great day. It’s the relationships that matter long term in a business like ours.”
