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“We stay on the cutting edge, but we never lose sight of who our work impacts. Our team’s passion and commitment to our relationships with tenants, brokers, communities, municipalities, vendors and bankers and employees, have created an atmosphere of trust, respect and loyalty. Everyone thrives.”

Sam began work at The Surnow Company as a janitor at age 12. His father, the company founder, Jeffrey Surnow, had made it clear no preferential treatment would be extended to him as he wanted his children to experience the satisfaction of earning their own success. Sam reveled in the challenge and as a teenage earned the right through his accomplishments to manage properties.

Sam went away to study accounting and finance at the University of Colorado, graduating with a Master’s Degree from the University’s Leeds School of Business. After graduation, he held the position of senior associate in the Alternative Investments Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers at its New York headquarters for four years. Despite his early promotion and the promise of a successful career on Wall Street, Sam felt the entrepreneurial pull back to Michigan when his brother, Max, started a business.

He returned to Michigan to help with the startup business and simultaneously started working in the accounting department of The Surnow Company. Soon after the employees voted him assistant controller. Sam succeeded his father as president of The Surnow Company in 2015.

Sam is also a managing member of Cooper Street Cookies, LLC, and is a member of the Birmingham Board of Directors and Business Development Committee. Sam is a C.P.A.

Max has been working with The Surnow Company for 17 years and counting. He started working when he was just 9 years old with his older brother/mentor, Sam Surnow, during summer breaks from school. The founder of the company (Max’s late father) Jeffrey, put Max to work to tackle a variety of jobs at the local shopping centers and office buildings the company manages. The jobs included picking up garbage in the parking lots, pulling weeds from the landscaping and cleaning the bathrooms. Today, at 27 years old, Max handles bigger projects such as tenant build outs, lease review/negotiation, construction supervision, accounts payable/receivable, hiring of new employees, marketing and office operations.

Max attended Michigan State University where he earned a bachelors degree in Finance with a specialization in Real Estate. Max is also the founder and acting president of Cooper Street Cookies.

“My management philosophy is succinct: saving money is making money.”

Michael co-founded The Surnow Company in 1986 with his late brother, Jeffrey. Michael handles various legal aspects related to the company’s properties and projects. He also manages roughly 500,000 square-feet of retail space.

After graduating from the University of Detroit School of Law, Michael practiced law as a federal and state of Michigan criminal litigator for 12 years. Michael is also a member of the State Bar of Colorado and audits classes at the University of Michigan School of Medicine.

“We simply care more. Our team works tirelessly to ensure our tenants and clients are completely satisfied. We have the benefit of drawing from decades of experience, while pushing the boundaries of what’s new in terms of concepts and industry technology.”

Rob joined The Surnow Company in 2008. He oversees property management, asset management and leasing. Rob also assists with development, acquisitions, dispositions and construction coordination.

Before joining The Surnow Company, Rob was an associate at a Michigan-based commercial real estate brokerage firm that focused on national and prominent regional retail and restaurant clients. He also represented landlords to pre-lease their ground-up developments and lease available shopping spaces, statewide

“Our attitude is ‘whatever it takes’ and ‘what are you waiting for?’ Our high standards, attention to detail, cutting edge design and technology combined with a group consensus in a family-like work atmosphere, sets The Surnow Company apart.”

Gregg joined The Surnow Company three years ago as a property manager. Besides his day-to-day duties of managing service vendors and tenant relations; Gregg initiates and completes operational and capital improvements; researches, analyzes and implements budgets; streamlines procedures to increase staff productivity and monitors budget performance.

Before joining The Surnow Company, Gregg was a property manager with Tishman Speyer in New York City; and later for a 2,200,000 square-foot mixed use office complex in metro Detroit. Gregg also held the position of corporate facilities manager with Citizens Bank.

“It is an honor to join the talented professionals at The Surnow Company”
Steve is an accomplished executive with 25 years of experience in retail, consulting, and commercial real estate. He has held numerous operational roles with national retailers. Starting on the sales floor, he advanced to market research, finance, and strategy. Later as a consultant, he implemented project management and accounting systems for small and medium-sized architecture and engineering firms.
In 2005, Steve joined The Taubman Company. Hired into a group applying best practices to development, leasing, and operations, his accomplishments included streamlining processes and implementing revenue growth tools. After modernizing tools for the leasing agents, Steve joined sales, rising to the top quartile of the team, where he was given responsibility for the training of all new agents.
After nearly a decade in sales, Steve returned to management, in charge of all leasing tools, processes, and support personnel. Recognizing the increasing role of technology for both landlord and tenant, Steve led numerous tech-driven upgrades. His responsibilities included strategies and tactics to identify and attract emerging brands.
Steve has held several Executive Board positions in the community. He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA in strategy and marketing from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

“We are driven to succeed and strive to be fair and fulfill our commitments.”

Sam has worked with three generations of the Surnow family real estate companies over the past 40 years.

Sam oversees the accounting, insurance, income tax and related aspects of the business. He brings an in depth knowledge of the real estate industry and varied experience as a CPA for local and international public accounting firms.

“We’re structured yet entrepreneurial. We’re courageous, passionate and accomplished but honor integrity every step of the way.”

Lada joined The Surnow Company in 2006. She oversees the company’s financial reporting including daily accounting activities; performing monthly controls to ensure lease information is consistent in both the accounting and lease departments; and year-end operating costs analysis and recoveries. Lada handles all tenant relations in terms of rent and billing, and acts as company treasurer.

“Attention to detail, quality and dedication is what distinguishes us from our peers.”

Andriy joined The Surnow Company in 2014. A highly skilled tradesman, Andriy coordinates and performs maintenance work to building exteriors, common areas and tenant suites