The Eidi Properties group has a new headquarters in the St. James Plaza, 6725 W. Central Ave. “We had outgrown our other space just down the hall, which was about one-third of the size of this new space,” noted Ramy Eidi, president and CEO. “We were busting out of that office. When we had to add two desks for new people in the reception area, I knew it was time for us to relocate.”
Pictured: The Eidi Properties team L-R: Sarah Christ, receptionist; Eric Warden, maintenance supervisor; Mike Cartell, director of marketing; Doug Flick, director of real estate; Carol Peatee, controller; Ramy Eidi, CEO/owner; Robert Ruiz, vice president; Robert Sauer, CPA; Sarah Pierce, portfolio manager; Nicoline Hart, office manager; and Tyler Chamberlin, CPA, enjoy the new office space.
The Eidi team moved into their 4,200 square-foot office suite the end of October following construction.
“I adopted this design from a real estate investor’s office in California that I had visited,” he said.
The space, designed by Timothy O’Brien of Benchmark, has an open feel for multiple work stations ringed by offices with full windows facing the workspace to allow for total transparency according to Eidi. “Everybody knows what everyone is doing and we all stay on the same page,” he stated. “We also have the room we need. Many times, we will have several different meetings going on at the same time, which would have been impossible in our old space.”
Eidi, a Northview graduate, said he learned about business by working with his father, Danny, a true entrepreneur who owned several establishments including Braurer’s Delicatessen and the Beverly Hills Cafe. “I learned how to make and manage money and a lot about business from him,” Eidi recalled. “While I was in school though, he really wanted me to be a doctor, but when he realized how much I enjoyed real estate, he encouraged me to stay on this route.”
While attending The University of Toledo, Eidi began operating a small tavern on Airport Highway, which he sold and parlayed into his first shopping center. “Over the years, we have bought and sold over 50 shopping centers,” Eidi reported. “Right now, we have 28 centers with 450 national, regional and local commercial tenants.”
He continued, “We have a great team and we have a good understanding of this business. We have a well experienced and great staff to support our real estate holdings. This allows us to make business decisions in a timely manner. And, we have a good relationship with all of our tenants from the nationally based to the ‘ma and pa’ business owners.”
Eidi also stated, “We invest in our tenants and do everything we can to make our tenants successful. If they do well and are successful, we are successful.”
According to Eidi, his company works with several third party contractors. “We outsource property maintenance, landscaping and snow removal. However, we maintain our own construction department and do all tenant buildouts,” he said. “We have done over $2 million in buildouts just this year.”
Eidi added, “My father was right when he said real estate investing was a good route to take. It allows me the freedom to control my own destiny. And, it is fun and I love what I do.”
