Long-time Eastern Consolidated brokers Eric Anton and Ronald Solarz left the investment sales firm this week to take jobs at Brookfield Financial, several sources said.
Brookfield Financial is a division of the Toronto Based office and residential giant, Brookfield Asset Management, which owns 50 percent of Brookfield Office Properties. Brookfield Office owns the World Financial Center in Lower Manhattan.
The two, both executive managing directors, were some of the most productive at the firm, insiders said. It was not clear what their new titles or responsibilities would be.
The move is another example of the active shifting of real estate professionals as the economy remains uncertain. In June, Brookfield Office hired Mitchell Rudin, former CEO of the New York office of CB Richard Ellis, to be its president and CEO of U.S. commercial operations. And earlier this month,Joseph Swingle, former executive managing director at Grubb & Ellis, moved to Cassidy Turley as managing principal.
Eastern Consolidated informed employees yesterday that Anton and Solarz, who have worked as a team for years, were leaving.
Daun Paris, company president, said in an email to The Real Deal, “Ron and Eric are excellent brokers and good friends and we wish them well.”
“They are very good, diligent real estate brokers,” Alan Miller, a senior director at Eastern Consolidated, said, adding that Anton specialized in institutional owners while Solarz was more “nuts and bolts.”
Anton and Solarz declined to comment.
Anton has been with the company since 1998 and Solarz with the firm since 1994.
In July, the pair were part of a team that sold the $18.5 million 39-41 West 23rd Street, CoStar shows. In December, Anton was a broker for Vornado Realty Trust selling 211-219 Columbus Avenue for $30 million.
Brookfield Financial provides a wide range of real estate services in the U.S. and Canada such as investment banking, investment brokerage and capital markets services, according to the company’s website.
Brookfield did not immediately respond to a request for comment.