NewMark Merrill Companies Hires New Controller, Steve Kundar

Woodland Hills, CA (September 7th, 2021) – Newmark Merrill Companies, Inc., a Woodland Hills, California-based retail shopping center owner, announced today the hiring of Steve Kundar to the position of Controller. Mr. Kundar will fill the position held by longtime veteran Jessica Ramirez who was promoted to the newly created position of Director of Finance. Working out of the company’s corporate headquarters in Woodland Hills, Mr. Kundar will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day accounting operations for the entire NewMark Merrill Companies portfolio across California, Colorado, and Illinois, including managing the financial records for over 85 properties focusing on budgeting, reporting, accounts payable and receivable, construction and development accounting and forecasting, risk management, and investor relations.

Mr. Kundar has worked in commercial real estate for over 30 years with expertise in finance and accounting along with portfolio, asset, and property management experience. Early in his career, he worked for several property management and development companies, including Casden Properties, the Janss Companies, and Cushman and Wakefield working on commercial office, residential, and mixed-use assets. He acquired his Real Property Administrator (RPA) credentials in the mid-90s and worked with Lowe Enterprises as Vice President, Portfolio/Finance Manager, focusing primarily on hospitality and office where he helped raise a hospitality REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) and assisted in the acquisition, repositioning, and management of a dozen hotels. Mr. Kundar served as the Senior Vice President, Controller for The CIM Group overseeing the properties’ financial reporting, construction/development accounting as well as all financial services. While at CIM, Mr. Kundar helped grow the company from $7B in AUM to over $30B. Over the course of his career, Steve has worked closely with several iconic assets including the Hotel del Coronado, the Driskill Hotel, Hollywood & Highland, and the Dolby Theater, as well as large residential towers including 432 Park in New York City and The Independent in Austin, Texas.

“We are very happy to have Steve join the NewMark Merrill family and bring his many years of experience and industry expertise,” commented Sandy Sigal, President and Chief Executive Officer of NewMark Merrill Companies. “Steve comes to us with a wealth of knowledge across so many different asset types and experience working with some big-time companies in our industry which will only help to grow our capabilities and efficiencies at NewMark Merrill.”

NewMark Merrill Companies continues to hire for multiple positions currently open across the portfolio. If you are interested in learning more about joining our team, please visit NewMarkMerrill.com/careers.

About NewMark Merrill Companies

NewMark Merrill Companies, Inc. owns or manages a portfolio of over 85 shopping centers valued at more than $2 billion. Since 1987, President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy Sigal has led the company of shopping centers representing over 1,800 tenants and 10 million square feet in California, Colorado, and Illinois. The company has founded and invested heavily in BrightStreet Ventures, its technology company, which is working on leading edge solutions for property owners and merchants to succeed in today’s retail environment. For more information, please visit NewMarkMerrill.com.