Jay Kolmar, senior counsel with Fentin Goldman Turk & Davidoff LLP in White Plains, New York, brings decades of experience to the commercial real estate sector. A resident of Riverside, Connecticut, Jay Kolmar has built a career focused on guiding clients through complex transactions in traditional real estate markets, including office spaces, retail properties, and industrial and warehouse properties.
With a track record of negotiating, documenting, and closing deals worth billions over the course of his career, Mr. Kolmar has offered constructive and tailored advice to help clients achieve their business objectives. His experience spans over 30 years, during which he has represented a range of individuals and firms, including financial institutions such as banks and life insurance companies. He facilitated various financing transactions for these clients, primarily relating to different loan structures and ground lease financing. Additionally, Mr. Kolmar has guided investors in providing equity capital to real estate developers and owners and helped the latter group acquire and dispose of their real estate assets.
Beyond these areas, his expertise extends to representing landlords and tenants in lease negotiations, including space and ground leases. He has experience handling transactions involving 1031 exchanges, partnerships, LLCs, and environmental issues. Jay Kolmar holds a JD from Cornell University Law School in Ithaca, New York.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My “motto” by which I live my life is to: stay strong and fit, stay positive, be grateful, follow your heart – with honesty, integrity, empathy, and compassion, and to make each day a great day. So, I start each day with a meditative breathing session, followed by an early morning daily exercise routine, setting my tone for positivity each day. Throughout the day, I maintain a structured schedule, prioritizing my tasks based on their importance and urgency, always striving to provide my clients with the outstanding legal counselling and to mentor my associates and paralegals so they are able to provide superior service at every level.
How do you bring ideas to life?
It’s extremely fulfilling to find creative compromises and other solutions to the many challenges involved in structuring sophisticated commercial real estate projects, which I do so by taking advantage of my years of experience grappling with a wide variety of issues and challenges that routinely arise and also by soliciting the thoughts and ideas of my law partners and staff in our practice group.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m very pleased to see more and more female leaders in the legal industry, who bring their special experiences, insights, and talents to bear to the practice of law.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I place great emphasis on always seeking to improve my personal, professional, family, and spiritual life and do so by setting concrete goals in writing and regularly monitoring and evaluating the progress I make in fulfilling those goals.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would advise my younger self to always strive to improve myself in all facets of my life – to always be mindful of learning new and important lessons each and every day, no matter how big or small. And to always strive to live life according to the Golden Rule.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I believe too many people place too much emphasis on achieving material wealth. I prefer to emphasize the wonderful accomplishments we can all achieve by being kind, considerate, and generous not only with our families and friends but also with all people with whom we come into contact each day. In my view, simply making someone smile can be an amazing experience.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I can’t emphasize enough the benefits of contemplative thinking, meditative breathing, and physical fitness – in order to stay strong and healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
To maintain a positive outlook and avoid feeling overwhelmed, I practice gratitude and positive thinking daily. By focusing on what I’m grateful for and acknowledging even the small successes, I keep a positive mindset. Additionally, I make it a point to surround myself with positive influences, whether it’s people, books, or activities. These practices help me stay resilient and focused, even in challenging times.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
I learned early on in my career the value of networking (exemplified by the book Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi) and also the importance of a perseverance and a commitment to a strong work ethic. I also ascribe to the teachings of James Clear in his book Atomic Habits.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I would simply say that we are all human, and we therefore all experience shortcomings and failures in life – whether in our personal or professional lives. But the answer is to always acknowledge and take responsibility of our failures and to learn from them so as to always improve ourselves.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Taken from the teachings of James Clear in his book Atomic Habits, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of always seeking to improve your business acumen and skills in small, quantifiable steps. Only by making a practice of regularly performing and achieving small tasks can you become proficient in performing and achieving large tasks.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie is a book that has had a significant impact on me. It offers timeless advice on building relationships, effective communication, and leadership. The principles outlined in the book have helped me enhance my interpersonal skills, build stronger connections, and become a more empathetic and influential leader. The practical insights and real-life examples make it a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their personal and professional interactions.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I recently enjoyed the series Outlander. It elevates the art of storytelling to an amazing level. The show seamlessly blends history, romance, and adventure, making it a most spellbinding series.
Key learnings
- Establishing a productive daily routine, including meditation and exercise, is essential for maintaining focus and energy.
- Striving to perform and achieve small tasks each day is imperative to performing and achieving large tasks.
- Building strong relationships and networking are crucial for career and business growth.
- Taking responsibility for our shortcomings and failures and learning from them in order to continually improve ourselves is essential to a good and productive life.