Our People

Mr. Birnbaum is a co-founder of Meridian and an Executive Vice President. He is responsible for managing the firm’s commercial, conduit and structured finance platforms. Mr. Birnbaum also assumes a direct leadership role in managing relationships with a broad array of conduit and construction lenders, as well as multifamily and commercial property owners.

Mr. Weinstock joined Meridian in 1992, shortly after its formation, and serves as an Executive Vice President. Mr. Weinstock’s responsibilities include managing Meridian’s national team of multifamily mortgage finance advisors, loan underwriters and processors. In addition to having oversight authority of the Company’s multifamily placement operations, Mr. Weinstock is responsible for day-to-day management of the firm’s relationships with its most active lenders. Mr. Weinstock also personally manages many of the firm’s largest proprietary client relationships.

Mr. Hirsch joined Meridian in 2003 and currently serves as a Senior Managing Director. In this role he is responsible for loan underwriting, placement and transaction management for many of Meridian’s largest and most long-standing client relationships. Mr. Hirsch is a multifamily and agency lending specialist and transacts nationally having closed more than 3,000 loans totaling over $60 billion in financing since joining Meridian. He also manages a team of seven underwriting, loan processing and placement professionals in Meridian’s New York and Florida offices.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Hirsch was a CPA and held roles as the CFO of a nursing home portfolio, spent four years as a financial analyst at a hedge fund and worked as an accountant.

Mr. Hirsch holds a B.S. in Accounting from Touro College and an M.S. in Business and Finance from the Baruch College Zicklin School of Business. He is also a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Multifamily Housing Council and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Mr. Weinberg is a cofounder and Executive Vice President of the Company, specializing in the facilitation of New York multifamily lending transactions. He manages a team of skilled mortgage finance professionals, and is actively involved on behalf of Meridian in the development of many key client and lender relationships.

Mr. Heumann joined Meridian in 2006 and currently serves as Partner, Executive Vice President, and Chief Business Development and Strategy Officer. He is responsible for the negotiation and placement of financings for some of Meridian’s largest clients. In addition, Mr. Heumann manages day-to-day business activities and helps to chart the strategic direction of the firm alongside other senior leadership. Mr. Heumann also manages many of the firm’s existing lending relationships at an executive level and works to forge new relationships with lenders across the country. Prior to becoming a Partner at Meridian, Mr. Heumann served as its Chief Operating Officer from 2006 to 2017.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Heumann has personally closed in excess of $15 billion in financings spanning all asset classes, transaction types, and geographies. A nearly 20-year veteran of the commercial real estate industry, he combines an analytical approach with deep client-lender relationships and a proven track record of executing superior results. Mr. Heumann also assumes a direct leadership role in overseeing many of the firm’s daily operations.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Heumann served as the Senior Vice President, Director of Acquisitions at Kushner Companies and he began his career as an attorney with Skadden specializing in M&A. A Fulbright Scholar, he received his B.A. summa cum laude and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Binghamton University. Mr. Heumann received his J.D. from New York University Law School, where he was the Leslie Glass Scholar.

Helen Hwang is Senior Executive Managing Director at Meridian Investment Sales, LLC and is head of the Institutional Investment Sales Group. Ms. Hwang has executed over 100 institutional sales and recapitalization transactions nearly $30 billion in value. Prior to joining Meridian, in 2015, Ms. Hwang spent 16 years at Cushman & Wakefield as an Executive Vice President, as the head of NYC Investment Sales.

Ms. Hwang has worked on numerous prestigious sales assignments throughout her career, including The Denizen, 15 Park Row, 1 Union Square South, 1865 Broadway, 220 East 72nd Street, 22 River Terrace, 101 Murray Street, 400 Madison Avenue, One Court Square, 60 East 12th Street, 510 Madison Avenue, 511 Fifth Avenue, Glenn Gardens, the MetLife Building at 200 Park Avenue, 666 Fifth Avenue, the portfolio sale of Park Avenue and 850 Third Avenue, and the ground leases under 625 Madison Avenue, 2 Herald Square and 75 Rockefeller Center. For the sale of 88 Leonard Street, Ms. Hwang was honored with the Real Estate Board of New York’s highest achievement, the 2012 Most Ingenious Sales Deal of the Year (Robert T. Lawrence Memorial Award).

Ms. Hwang has marketed significant New York assets for clients such as Africa Israel Investments, Ashkenazy Acquisitions, Capmark Financial, Daishin Securities, Dermot Company, Epic UK, Extell Development, Five Mile Capital, Istithmar, J.E. Robert Companies, Macklowe Properties, Paramount Group, Park Tower Group, Rockrose Development Corp, SL Green, Spitzer Enterprises, and Vornado Realty Trust. She has been a trusted strategic advisor to numerous domestic and international family offices, institutions and not-for-profits, including American Bible Society, Archdiocese of New York, Children’s Aid Society, MTA, St. John’s University, and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, and Fortune 50 Corporations such as Bank of America and Verizon.

Ms. Hwang has been presented with numerous awards over her career for both her professional achievements and charitable contributions, including the Top Broker of the Year by Real Estate Forum Magazine, a leading trade publication, CoStar’s prestigious Power Broker of the Year award, Bisnow’s New York Power Women award, Rebuilding Together NYC ‘s Patty Johnson Outstanding Leadership Award, and Friendship Circle’s Humanitarian Award. She was also named one of the 50 Outstanding Asian Americans in Business by the Asian American Business Development Center. Ms. Hwang serves as Co-Chair of the Policy Think Tank and as Vice Chair of the Urban Land Institute’s New York City Chapter and as an industry expert guest speaker for numerous conferences and some of the top REIT equity research teams in the nation, including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, ISI Group, FBR Capital Markets & Co, JMP Securities, and UBS.

Ms. Hwang received her Bachelor of Science degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration (Real Estate Finance), where she graduated “With Distinction.” She also holds a Master’s degree in real estate investment and development from New York University. Ms. Hwang is a New York State Certified Real Estate Appraiser and is a New York and New Jersey Licensed Salesperson.

Mr. Doshi joined Meridian Investment Sales as a Senior Executive Managing Director to head the mid-market multifamily investment sales sector. Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Doshi spent 30 years as a partner at a boutique investment sales firm, spearheading a tight knit team of 20 investment sales brokers. To date, Mr. Doshi has sold over 1,400 investment properties whose market value is in billions, making him one of the most prolific and consistent producers in New York City investment arena in the last three decades.

His experience consists of selling more than 55 million square feet comprising of 63,500 apartments, 2,850 retail and commercial spaces as well as several land development properties in NYC and its boroughs. Mr. Doshi has achieved an average of 40 deals per year throughout his career, including 57 deals in 2005. In 2007, he set the mark even higher, by selling a multifamily portfolio for a single family comprising of 108 buildings for a record price of $295,000,000. From multifamily properties to land assemblages, he has gained a strong foothold by mastering the vagaries associated with rent stabilization, regulatory agreements, complex leaseholds, ground leases and zoning laws. Mr. Doshi was recruited to dispose Real Estate Owned and non-performing loans during the 1990’s banking and real estate crisis for quasi government institutions such as Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) as well as many leading Commercial banks, S & L’s and private lenders.

He has been named a “Power Broker” for multiple years by CoStar Research and other industry experts, in recognition of being one of top 10 Brokers in sales transactions. Mr. Doshi received his B.S in Engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is an ardent supporter of numerous charitable causes as well as is a member of many professional organizations.

Mr. Schechtman leads the Middle Market Team of Meridian Investment Sales as a Senior Executive Managing Director, overseeing a team of originators, analysts and other professionals.

Mr. Schechtman is widely recognized as one of the industry’s most visible and well-respected investment sales professionals. Trained for years at one of the world’s largest law firms, Mr. Schechtman has personally sold more than 904 deals representing more than $9 billion in his eighteen-year career to date. Recognized as an industry “Titan,” “Power Broker”, “Jack of all Trades” and one of the “25 Most Visible New York City Real Estate Players” by the Commercial Observer, The Mann Report and The Real Deal, respectively, Mr. Schechtman is regularly engaged by private families, institutions, lenders, estate lawyers and their counsel and advisors to value, market and see through to closing the sale of multifamily properties, development sites, buildings ripe for repurposing, retail condominiums and co-ops, unsold shares, and loft office and industrial buildings throughout New York City. Mr. Schechtman has also represented more than 25 lenders in the disposition of performing and defaulted notes and assets in Chapter 11, Section 363 Sales.

Prior to joining Meridian, he held the position of Principal and Executive Managing Director at Eastern Consolidated, where he was named “Broker of the Year” on multiple occasions. Prior to Eastern, Mr. Schechtman was a practicing attorney at DLA Piper in New York, where he specialized in commercial and property-related bankruptcy and litigation.

Mr. Schechtman holds a J.D. from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and a B.A. from University of Delaware. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York and several other boards and charities. He is a frequent guest lecturer at Columbia University, the Real Estate Board of New York and law firms throughout the tri-state area on foreclosure and bankruptcy asset sales.

Podcast Episode 062: David Schechtman

James Famularo is widely regarded as one of New York City’s top retail leasing brokers. As President of Meridian’s Retail Leasing team, Famularo leads one of the city’s most active and successful leasing divisions, which has expanded to over 60 brokers since founding it in 2018.

With an impressive career spanning over 25 years, Famularo has leased over 10 million square feet of retail space and successfully negotiated over 5,000 leases–many for renowned restaurateurs and Michelin-starred chefs. His extensive industry network and deep market expertise has allowed him to swiftly identify tenants and secure high-profile deals.

James’s exceptional track record has earned him repeated recognition, including Costar’s Top Retail Leasing Broker award for the past decade, along with his retail team being named a Top Retail Leasing Division in New York City from 2021 to 2024.

Among his most notable transactions, Famularo brokered the lease of a 20,000-square-foot restaurant space at 311 West 43rd Street in Times Square for the acclaimed “Fushimi Group”. He also secured a 14,500-square-foot lease for “Urban Pathways”, a government-funded homeless shelter in Hell’s Kitchen at 771 Ninth Avenue. His roster of notable deals includes placements for “Brooklyn Chop House”, “Hunt & Fish Club Steakhouse”, “1Oak”, and “Goldbar”.

Beyond transactions, James plays a key leadership role in the industry. He is a board member of REBNY’s Retail Committee and an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), continuously shaping the future of retail leasing in New York City.

Mr. Gervis joined Meridian Capital Group in 2003 and currently serves as a Senior Managing Director, overseeing a staff of originators and underwriters in the negotiation and placement of financing for office, hotels, construction, repositioning and transitional asset transactions. Mr. Gervis has contributed to the financial accomplishments of the company and has personally negotiated more than $25 billion in financing over the course of his career. He has significant experience working with borrowers and lenders structuring deals throughout the capital stack and is well-versed in all of the major property types.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Gervis worked for a retail-focused real estate investment trust that primarily targeted value-oriented community and power centers, grocery anchored neighborhood centers and freestanding retail properties

Mr. Gervis holds an M.S. in Real Estate Finance from New York University and a B.A. in Economics from Yeshiva University.

Mr. Karpel serves as Meridian’s the Chief Underwriting Officer, operating out of the company’s New York City headquarters. In this role, he oversees the development and implementation of companywide underwriting policies and procedures across all product lines, ensuring that Meridian’s underwriting tools, standards, and practices remain at the forefront of the industry. Under his leadership, a highly skilled team is responsible for the comprehensive review and approval of all loans originated by Meridian, maintaining the firm’s reputation for excellence in the commercial real estate finance market.

Before assuming his current position, Mr. Karpel served as a Managing Director, where he specialized in multifamily and agency lending, having played an instrumental role in loan placement and transaction management for many of Meridian’s largest and most valued clients.

Mr. Karpel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Yeshiva University.   He is an active member of the Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC)

Mr. Mandel joined Meridian in 2021 and currently serves as Meridian’s General Counsel in the company’s downtown New York office. He is Meridian’s lead in-house counsel and oversees all of Meridian’s legal and compliance matters and functions.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Mandel was a Counsel at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he served as a commercial litigator for almost 10 years. Over the course of his career, Mr. Mandel has represented a variety of clients in federal and state court proceedings, arbitrations, and regulatory and internal investigations, and advised clients in disputes ranging from complex commercial litigation to mortgage servicing, bankruptcy, and labor matters.

Mr. Mandel holds a B.A. in Economics from Queens College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a member of the New York State Bar.

Brian Flax currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Sales at Meridian Capital Group, where his main focus is overseeing broker performance and driving sales growth. His day-to-day responsibilities include managing the current mortgage brokers in Meridian’s New York office, as well as recruiting, onboarding, training, and managing new brokers within the firm. Brian created and continues to supervise the Meridian University sales training program, which has been highlighted by Bisnow and The Commercial Observer.

On a daily basis, Brian works closely with the Meridian research and marketing departments to organize, oversee, and constantly improve a proactive approach to servicing existing clients and acquiring new clients. Additionally, he focuses on fostering cohesiveness among Meridian’s three divisions—debt capital markets, investment sales, and retail leasing—to improve client service and drive new business. In addition to his role as a sales manager, Brian helps develop and manage many of the firm’s lender relationships.

Prior to joining Meridian in 2012, he spent nine years at Newtek Business Services Inc., a publicly traded consulting firm, where he held titles including Head of Sales, Chief Marketing Officer, and Senior Vice President of Operations.

Melissa joined Meridian in 2024 and currently serves as a Chief Risk Officer for the company. In this role, she is responsible for Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance (ERM), which oversees the company’s risk framework across its business units, including commercial real estate finance, investment sales and retail leasing. ERM provides for the independent identification, measurement, monitoring and control across the spectrum of the company’s risk. ERM will Meridian’s efforts to build and sustain a strong risk culture in which all employees act on their individual responsibility to manage risk.

Ms. Martinez is a member of the Meridian’s Executive Committee and reports to the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman.

Melissa has more than 20 of years’ experience in enterprise and compliance risk management at the intersection of finance and real estate, both domestically and internationally. Prior to joining Meridian, she previously served as Chief Risk Officer for multiple financial institutions, including CoreLogic and OneWest Bank where she was responsible for the refinement and development of the company’s enterprise risk management framework and functions. Melissa is a recognized and proven leader in building out risk management capabilities that support the proactive risk management which enables continued growth and value creation.