Sandy Sigal

Sandy Sigal is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and has been an entrepreneur in the real estate industry for over 30 years. In 1997, Mr. Sigal founded and currently serves as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of NewMark Merrill Companies, which has grown to be one of the fastest growing privately held developers and owners of shopping centers in California, Colorado, and Illinois. He is also Chairman of BrightStreet Ventures, a company he co-founded to provide more opportunities to his tenants and other owners of centers by integrating on-line and social platforms with traditional brick and mortar businesses.

Mr. Sigal’s first career started at the age of 12 as a programmer and software developer for personal computers in their infancy, learning accounting and project management while computerizing different businesses. Mr. Sigal started his career in real estate at the age of 20 by joining West Venture Companies, a Southern California-based homebuilder, first to computerize their business processes. While there he founded West Venture Commercial, the commercial retail division, where he built or redeveloped over 25 shopping centers as well as oversaw their management. In 1993, Mr. Sigal was promoted to President and CEO of the parent company giving him responsibility for the land acquisition, development and sale of over 700 homes, and oversight of the commercial and mortgage divisions. In 1997, Mr. Sigal left West Venture and co-founded NewMark Merrill Companies at which time he purchased the West Venture retail assets, including 15 retail centers and 4 development projects.

Since NewMark Merrill’s inception in 1997, Mr. Sigal has acquired, developed and/or managed and repositioned over 100 additional retail centers. NewMark Merrill has been ranked one of Los Angeles’ Fastest Growing Private Companies by the Los Angeles Business Journal for 7 years, Top 10 Property Management Firms & Top 10 Development Firms by the Los Angeles Business Journal and currently owns and/or manages 85 shopping centers throughout California, Colorado and Illinois representing almost 11,000,000 square feet with a collective value in excess of $2 billion dollars. The Company received “The Best Retail Project of 2013” by the Los Angeles Business Journal for a project it renovated and redeveloped in Baldwin Park, California. It credits among its tenants Wal-Mart, Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Ralph’s, Albertsons, Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, Regal Theaters, 99c Only Stores, CVS, Walgreen’s and other local and national retailers. The company has offices in Thousand Oaks, Norwalk, Anaheim, Oceanside, Sacramento, Chicago and Colorado and a corporate office in Woodland Hills.

Mr. Sigal is also active in community organizations serving on the Board of the Camp Bob Waldorf Foundation, a camp for underserved children which Mr. Sigal attended when he was a child. He is currently serving as Vice Chairman of the Board and dinner chair since 2004 and was recipient of the William Shatner Humanitarian Award in 2007 for his work for the Foundation and the Camp. He serves on the Board of Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters (JBBBS) serving on their executive committee. Mr. Sigal serves as a mentor for young adults interested in real estate through the Community Leadership Institute (CLI) and mentors an Olympic Athlete on transitioning from sports to private industry. Currently Mr. Sigal is Co-Chair of the Real Estate Principals Organization (RPO), a group of senior Jewish Real Estate Principals and Owners which provides financial and logistical support to a variety of organizations needing assistance. In 2019, Mr. Sigal was the honoree at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles Real Estate and Construction Dinner, and currently serves on their Board.

Mr. Sigal is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the leading organization of CEO’s and Presidents in the World. He currently serves as Network Chair of the Real Estate Network, representing over 3,700 Real Estate CEO’s, Regional Membership and Engagement Officer for the Pacific Region, and serves on the Board of YPO Pacific Coast Gold (which he co-founded) and YPO Angeleno Gold. In 2013, Mr. Sigal’s YPO Education program for his chapter won “Best of the Best” for all YPO Chapters Worldwide. And in 2017, he again won “Best of the Best” Internationally for his Education Program, “House of Cards”, the only Learning Officer to win that distinction twice. Mr. Sigal was a finalist for the 2014 EY Entrepreneur Of The YearTM Awards Program, winning that award in 2016 in the Services Category for Greater Los Angeles.

Mr. Sigal was honored by Commercial Property Executive as Retail Property Executive of the Year Honorable Mention from CPE’s Executive of the Year Awards 2020. The San Fernando Valley Business Journal recognized NewMark Merrill as the #2 Fastest Growing Private Company in San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Conejo and Antelope Valleys in 2019. NewMark Merrill was also recognized in Inc.’s 2019 annual guide to the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Mr. Sigal focused on publicly sharing guidance during the crisis on multiple video interviews and calls outlining strategies for surviving the severe impact to small businesses, frequently appearing on CNBC, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, NBC Los Angeles, ABC Los Angeles, LA Business Journal, GlobeSt., Shopping Centers Business, Commercial Property Executive, Commercial Observer, and many others.