We recently connected with Leah Balkany and have shared our conversation below.
Leah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
The end goal is to spread goodness & kindness wherever you are.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Leah Balkany. I am a Real Estate Developer & licensed GC with the DOB in NYC.
www.citibuildersny.com. With consistent, tenacious effort I was able to become the sponsor & GC of my current project at 450 Grand Avenue in Brooklyn. It is being marketed & sold by Douglas Elliman, the brokerage I began as a real estate salesperson myself in 2015. www.fourfiftygrand.com.
I believe in a win-win business model & attribute my success in creating a spectacular team, empowering each leader to execute with success.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I was a senior project manager at 300 West 122nd Street, Manhattan. It was in the height of Covid & there was a serious issue concerning our multi-million-dollar contract for our custom windows being manufactured in Italy. The trade blamed the delay on Covid. I was solo on a flight the next day, explaining my situation to Immigration in Amsterdam & being allowed access to Rome. I drove through the night alone to Calabria, Italy. It took me three weeks with attorneys, translators & many zoom calls to straighten up an unfortunate co-mingling of funds issue. Our project was completed and is beautiful today.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
As a woman in construction (MWBE application in process) working on site and with the DOB is rare in the industry dominated by men. My integrity, experience and work ethic are respected.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.citibuildersny.com & www.Fourfiftygrand.com