Town’s Van Damm lands at Naftali Group

Matt Van Damm and Miki Naftali
Matt Van Damm and Miki Naftali

Town Residential executive Matthew Van Damm has scored a job with developer the Naftali Group, roughly a week after confirming he would take an “indefinite leave” from the residential brokerage.

Van Damm joined Miki Naftali’s firm as an executive vice president, the company told The Real Deal exclusively. In the new role, he’ll help the Naftali Group expand and diversify its real estate portfolio, which has grown in recent months to include properties in Chelsea, Gramercy and the Upper West Side.

“My move to development is a natural progression for me,” said Van Damm, who had previously focused on brokerage, in a statement. “It builds upon the highly specialized experience I have garnered over the past decade. I admire the business that Miki and the Naftali team have built in a very short amount of time and respect their approach to development.”

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Neither party would elaborate on his new responsibilities. Town CEO Andrew Heiberger declined to comment.

Van Damm’s jump comes after he said in late September that he would take a leave of absence from Town, where he served as the brokerage’s director of operations, citing personal problems. At Town, he helped spearhead leasing at CIM Group’s 15 William Street and sales at Extell Development’s the Aldyn. He had been one of the firm’s first recruits when it launched almost three years ago.

Among Naftali’s upcoming projects are new luxury condominiums at 206-210 West 77th Street on the Upper West Side, 245-267 West 25th Street in Chelsea, and at 234-238 East 23rd Street in Gramercy. The firm is also set to launch rentals at the Landmark Park Slope, a rental building at 267 Sixth Street in Brooklyn.