Owner-operator, Investor, and Developer
Focusing on multifamily and mixed-use properties since 2005 Our StrategyContact UsWe Are…
A New York-based, fully integrated real estate company with competencies in finance, marketing, construction, operations, property management and asset management. EcoRise is actively growing its portfolio through the acquisition of additional multifamily and mixed-use properties as well as through select development opportunities.
Our Strategy
Real-Estate
EcoRise was founded in 2005 with the objective of acquiring undervalued real estate, repositioning/developing the asset and creating accretive returns for its investors. The company firmly believes real estate is a local business, spending the time to fully understand the market, its neighborhoods and the local dynamics. The ability to act quickly and decisively allows EcoRise to capitalize on opportunistic buys in cities across the Northeast. Development and building expertise provide a competitive advantage in the due diligence and execution of each acquisition’s tailored business plan.
Acquisitions range from $5M – $50M, which generally fall below the typical institutional threshold and offer superior risk-adjusted returns. EcoRise targets transitioning neighborhoods with improving demographics and a robust development pipeline. The company provides disciplined underwriting and due diligence, comprehensive hands-on management and institutional quality reporting and transparency.
Meet the Leadership Team
Cynthia Schlegel - Principal and Founder
In 2005, Cynthia founded EcoRise Investments, a New York-based real estate investment and development firm focusing on multifamily properties.
Cynthia began her career at Chemical Bank in the Commercial Real Estate Division before attending business school. Roles in brand management at Pepsi and American Home Products served as a foundation for her marketing career. Later, Cynthia spent almost twenty years as a Principal of Ziment, her family business that specialized in marketing and research on behalf of pharmaceutical companies. During her tenure, Cynthia was the strategic architect as well as the top rainmaker; she positioned Ziment appropriately in the pharmaceutical market in the late 1980’s, which fueled the company’s phenomenal growth in the 1990’s. In 2001, Ziment was acquired by WPP on behalf of WPP’s Information and Consultancy group, Kantar, to form the base of their global healthcare practice by combining Ziment’s healthcare market knowledge with Kantar’s global research infrastructure. At the time of acquisition, Ziment employed 350 full and part time staff in its five operating units across 12 offices.
Cynthia has an MBA with a marketing concentration from the Harvard Business School and a BS in Economics with a finance major from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Michael Schlegel - Principal and Founder
In 2005, Michael founded EcoRise Investments, a New York-based real estate investment and development firm focusing on multifamily properties.
Michael spent the first fifteen years of his career at Manufacturers Hanover Trust where he held various rolls across the Commercial Bank, Investment Bank, and International Banking Division. In his time as a banker, Michael completed five private placements of securitized ESOP Notes including $250 million for Phillips Petroleum, the largest at the time. Upon leaving the Bank, Michael began the entrepreneurial stage of his career where he founded Trading Alliance Corporation (TAC) as a subsidiary of a public freight forwarder (LEP Plc) and established it to be the leader in specialized transactional trade finance. He sold TAC to Crown Corp in 1992 and to MTB Bank in 1993. After, he joined Cynthia at Ziment to expand and diversify it for sale. Michael engineered Ziment’s sale a few years later to the world’s second largest advertising conglomerate, WPP Group Ltd, for 12.5x OPAT, the highest multiple in the industry as well as the longest earn-out.
Michael has an MBA with honors in finance from Baruch College and a BA in economics from Middlebury College.
Ben Schlegel - Director of of Acquisitions and Capital Markets
Ben is the Director of Acquisitions and Capital Markets at EcoRise Investments, a New York-based real estate investment and development firm focusing on multifamily properties.
Ben spent the first two years of his career at Israel Discount Bank (IDB) in the Commercial Real Estate Group where he assisted in all aspects of the loan origination process and assisted in the asset management of the bank’s loan portfolio. He focused on take-out, acquisition/bridge and construction loan facilities for office, retail, and multifamily assets in the Tristate Area. Ben then spent the next several years serving on the acquisition’s teams at PAG Investments and JEM Holdings. Most recently, he served as an Associate at Trevian Capital where he focused on sourcing, underwriting, and due diligence of commercial and multifamily bridge loan opportunities as well as assisting in the management of closed deals. In 2020, Ben joined the family business to help expand the family businesses footprint outside of New York City.
Ben has an MS in Real Estate Finance and Investment from New York University and a BA in economics from Union College.
Drew Schlegel - Chief Operating Officer
Drew is the Chief Operating Officer at EcoRise Development, a New York City-based real estate investment and development firm focusing on the development and management of multifamily properties. Founded in 2005, EcoRise functions as the Schlegel Family Office.
Prior to joining EcoRise, Drew ran US Unsecured Lending at Citi for 3 years. He was responsible for scaling an emerging installment lending portfolio by developing and executing on product strategy, delivering on financial targets, and achieving product goals including broadening distribution, digital enhancements, risk and pricing strategy, and optimizing customer experience. Before Citi, Drew spent the first 12 years of his career at American Express driving growth and transformation across the consumer and commercial payments landscape. He worked in numerous functional areas including pricing, risk management, finance, marketing, and strategic analytics. In his most recent role, he led pricing for the US Consumer Credit Card Portfolio.
Drew is responsible for asset management of EcoRise’s portfolio, oversight of the property management teams, investor relations, and financial activities.
Drew has a BA in Economics from Middlebury College.