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Growing up, Margot Adams’s relationship with her mother Gina Kuyers wasn’t always smooth. But as adults, they learned to work well together ― literally.

In 2019, Adams joined her mother's business, Luxeire, which creates comfortable women's clothing using ecofriendly fabric, as head of marketing and sales.

Mother and daughter's different skill sets make a perfect fit

Kuyers learned to sew at a young age, designed her own clothes in college and always had a sewing machine for quick fixes, but doesn't consider her skills professional-level. She does know how to find information, though; a 20-year career in school psychology instilled research skills that benefit her self-proclaimed clothes obsession. To launch Luxeire, she dug into the history of design, textiles, and fashion shifts through the ages.

Kuyers eventually pivoted from her career in school psychology to dedicate herself to Luxeire. “There’s no way we could accomplish what we do and have different focuses,” Kuyers says.

Adams attended Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she studied strategic design and management to earn a business degree. Along with the business savvy she brings to Luxeire, her longtime photography interest made it easy to take pictures of herself in the brand’s clothes for the website (she’s the model featured in every photo on the site, too).

That dream started to take shape as Kuyers’ hobby, but in 2019 it grew into a business that generated profits. But she needed someone with the skillsets she didn’t have before the business could take off. She didn’t need to look far to find the perfect match to complement her capabilities.

Adams learned from interning with a small shoe brand how to get the business moving at a low cost. Her knowledge coupled with her mother’s eye for fashion brought their luxury clothing business Luxeire to life.

Adams became her mother’s business partner with enough experience to manage many duties, but “A lot of it has been self-taught,” she says, including some coding in order to update Luxeire’s website. “I’m constantly learning, and I think working with my mom … being able to do something that will potentially help the family … has been very rewarding,” Adams says. “I have a lot of stake in the company because I care about its success beyond the finances involved.”

Selling classy yet cozy clothing

Luxeire sells “timeless” staple clothing items “that women want in their wardrobes everyday”— solid-colored button-ups, long sleeve shirts, tank tops and turtlenecks — made with breathable, easy-to-wash fabrics.

The idea stemmed from Kuyers’ lifelong adoration of high-end and vintage fashion and her garments collected from thrift stores and auction items over the years.

“I found that a lot of beautiful fashion, almost like pieces of artwork, are impossible to keep clean (and) they’re not that comfortable,” Kuyers says. “I wanted create something that was stylish and comfortable to wear beneath so that I could enjoy all these crazy, fun clothes I had.”

“We are all victims of having purchased something that looked great, we put it on and it’s not really that comfortable” Adams agrees.

Kuyers realized people want to look good, but also feel as comfortable as possible, something that grew even more apparent as everyone hunkered down at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Edgewater-based family’s clothing brand took off with its first and best-selling item, a white button-up shirt. It’s not just a standard collared dress, though. Luxeire’s shirts look “tailored and sophisticated,” in Kuyers’ words, but comfortable enough for everyday wear.

As the business took off, the concept evolved from innerwear to tops that look good on the outside while also feeling soft against the wearer’s skin. The scoop-neck shirts and turtlenecks are versatile, Adams notes. Friends have worn their Luxeire tops under clothing to warm up on a ski trip and again to go out on the town.

Karen Macartney, a close family friend who helped them with some accounting tasks, has not found anything quite like it anywhere else.

“I support (Luxeire) for two main reasons: the quality and design of the garments, and to support a small, American-made, woman-owned manufacturer,” Macartney says. “What really makes a difference in Luxeire pieces is the very high-quality, breathable & stretchy (but not clingy) fabric … and the design and cut of the tops and shirts. The styles enhance so many different body shapes.”

Adams and Kuyers’ clothing uses nylon and spandex blend fabrics sourced from a mill in Bergamo, Italy, and made entirely from recycled materials. That quality, along with its unique softness and ability to machine wash, sets Luxeire’s items apart from other clothes. But the material is not typically used to create a structured garment.

“It’s difficult to work with … which is why other companies aren’t doing it,” Kuyers says. “But our fabric is what makes the product, so there’s no way around that.”

Only one person in the New York studio they used for manufacturing was trained to sew it. Physically putting together Luxeire clothing is one of the few tasks the mother-daughter duo outsources. Mainly, though, they’re a “lean, mean team” of two.

The Luxeire leaders anticipate more success in their business future. They’re growing fast, so they need “more hands,” Adams says. She hopes to hire an intern with expertise in areas she’s not as familiar with.

Recently, Luxeire introduced two new fabrics that feel similar to athleticwear or lingerie. Kuyers and Adams are eager to launch their first-ever seasonal collections, starting with a fresh color pallet coming in the fall. Shoppers can also expect new shirt styles coming to the online shop, and they hope to gain many more customers in the coming year.

Adams and Kuyers say they got to where they are today by navigating obstacles, both in their relationship and with the business. “Every time we hit some kind of bump in the road, that’s really the time I’ve noticed when we’ve buckle down and been like, alright, something needs to change,” Adams says. “Our business, I think, has always improved after those bumps in the road.”

NAI Mertz, a leading full-service commercial real estate firm conducting business throughout the United States, and globally, from its regional offices in New Jersey, greater Philadelphia and northeastern Pennsylvania, recently completed 157,823 SF in industrial distribution leases for Armstrong Logistics with one lease for 70,887 SF at 801 Bridgeboro Road in Edgewater, NJ and the other for 86,936 SF located at 250 Carter Drive in Edison, NJ.

Armstrong Logistics, is focused on providing premier professional services and solutions for the logistics industry whereby they support their clients’ requirements by delivering cost effective, reliable, and high-quality solutions of strategic value. After securing two new clients, Armstrong needed space very quickly in order to service the demand.

Scott Mertz, SIOR & President noted, “I was pleased to locate suitable spaces for Armstrong to support their expansion. We were fortunate to identify and lease two locations in very tight time frames.”

NAI Mertz also handled placing Armstrong in their Burlington, NJ, headquarters comprising more than 300,000 SF.

JLL Capital Markets announced today that it arranged a $49.7 million construction loan for Highgate at Livingston (“Highgate”), a 169-unit, mid-rise, Class A, luxury apartment development located in Livingston, New Jersey.

JLL worked on behalf of the borrower, Continental Properties, to secure the floating-rate construction loan with Truist Bank.

The four-story Highgate at Livingston will offer 141 luxury market-rate units featuring well-designed one-, two- and three-bedrooms luxury units. Units will feature designer kitchens with stainless steel appliances, nine- and ten-foot ceilings, oversized windows, walk-in closets, in-unit washers/dryers, upgraded fixtures and numerous smart technologies. Highgate’s interior will feature rich luxury amenities, including a hotel-style lobby with a multi-story fireplace, an upscale clubroom, private dining, a state-of-the-art fitness center with a yoga studio, a co-working lounge and more. Outdoor amenities center around a lavish “lifestyle” courtyard with a resort-style pool, fire pits, outdoor kitchen, bar, outdoor TV lounge, dog run and more.

Highgate is located on Eisenhower Parkway, providing easy access to I-280, I-287, I-78, Route 24 and commuter bus and rail service to Manhattan. Highgate is also located nearby Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, one of the Region’s largest and most respected hospitals with 597 beds and thousands of employees.

The JLL Capital Markets Debt Advisory team was led by Senior Managing Director Michael Gigliotti, Managing Director Matthew Pizzolato, Vice President Michael Lachs and Analyst Benjamin Morgenthal.

“In a challenging debt market, Truist saw the extraordinary combination of a best-in-class developer, a strong local market and the exceptional quality of the project. They delivered competitive loan terms meeting our client’s expectations,” said Gigliotti.

Pizzolato added, “Upon completion, Highgate at Livingston will be the highest quality luxury community in Livingston to date. The project will set a new bar for finishes and amenities for a discerning and underserved market. We are proud to play a role in bringing this important project to the market.”

JLL Capital Markets is a full-service global provider of capital solutions for real estate investors and occupiers. The firm’s in-depth local market and global investor knowledge delivers the best-in-class solutions for clients — whether investment and sales advisory, debt advisory, equity advisory or a recapitalization. The firm has more than 3,000 Capital Markets specialists worldwide with offices in nearly 50 countries.

For more news, videos and research resources on JLL, please visit our newsroom.

Northwell Health has opened its first facility in New Jersey — a multispecialty physician practice that represents a possible further expansion into the Garden State.

Located at 725 River Rd. in Edgewater along the Hudson River, Northwell Health Physician Partners (NHPP), offers primary care and specialty services with a focus on liver diseases.

Included are hepatology and liver transplant specialists brought from the Northwell Transplant Institute in Manhasset. The goal of the expansion, the health system said, is to enhance access for a growing number of Northwell’s patients from New Jersey, particularly those seeking pre- and post-transplant services.

NHPP operates nearly 800 locations in Long Island, New York City and Westchester. Northwell, based in New Hyde Park, is New York State’s largest health system.

“Many New Jersey residents who commute into New York City already get some form of care from Northwell Health clinicians,” said Dr. Mark Talamini, senior vice president and executive director of NHPP. “We believe that care begins close to home and we see northern New Jersey as a natural extension of the coordination of care we already offer throughout the New York metro market.”

Kevin Beiner, senior vice president and executive director of Northwell’s Western Region, said the New Jersey location is a stand-alone option for health care, but added it “also serves as a gateway to some of the most complex medical experts in the world.”

Asked about plans for further Northwell facilities in New Jersey, Beiner said that is a possibility.

“We’re looking into a variety of options but there are “no immediate plans” on the horizon, he said.

North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset recently completed its 150th liver transplant since the program’s inception in 2019.

About 5% of all patients at North Shore travel more than 100 miles to seek care from the hospital, which U.S. News & World Report recently named to its 2023 Honor Roll of top 22 nationally.. Chronic liver disease is the ninth leading cause of death, claiming the lives of more than 56,000 adults in 2021 alone, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We’re excited to bring transplant services to northern New Jersey,” said Dr. Nabil Dagher, vice president and director of the Northwell Transplant Institute. “Northwell is filling an urgent need for more transplant services in the region, and the pandemic has only exacerbated the demand for expert liver disease care.”

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NAI James E. Hanson, the largest New Jersey-based full-service independent commercial real estate firm, announces it has negotiated a lease for 5,000 square feet of medical office space at 935 River Road in Edgewater, N.J. NAI James E. Hanson’s Team Lizzack-Horning comprised of Darren Lizzack, MRSE, and Randy Horning, MSRE, represented the tenant, OneMD, LLC, in the transaction with landlord, MMGK, LLC.

Situated between the Lincoln Tunnel and George Washington Bridge in the heart of Edgewater, 935 River Road is a three-story, 31,956-square-foot office building. The modern property is built to suit the needs of today’s medical office tenants and is home to several complimentary healthcare tenants.

With offices across Bergen and Hudson Counties, OneMD is a growing primary care practice that was hoping to expand its care network into Edgewater. Its leadership recognized Team Lizzack-Horning’s deep experience in working with similar practices across the area and tapped the team to help secure a new location. After considering options presented by the brokerage team, the tenant ultimately chose 935 River Road due to its ideal visibility along the highly trafficked River Road and available turnkey space that would ensure a quick transition into its new space.

“In today’s healthcare real estate market, tenants are looking for space where they can treat their patients in a welcoming and efficient manner,” said Lizzack. “Each healthcare provider has a different set unique size and location requirements, so we were happy to use our knowledge of the area to provide practical options and ultimately help our client secure a space that fit their needs.”

Founded in 2014, Team Lizzack-Horning is an expert brokerage team that specializes in healthcare, office, and investment property transactions. Leveraging a holistic and analytical approach to working with clients, Team Lizzack-Horning’s expertise and experience are augmented by a trusted network of real estate service providers that help clients of any size navigate an increasingly complex healthcare real estate transaction process. Together, the team has successfully closed more than 80 deals over the past 24 months totaling more than $100 million.

To stay connected with NAI James E. Hanson and for updates on the latest transactions and news, please follow NAI Hanson on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Forman Capital, a creative and entrepreneurial direct lender based in South Florida owned by veteran real estate financing professionals Brett Forman and Ben Jacobson, has acquired a $24.1 million fully performing loan secured by a 7.3-acre development site at 2301 NW 33rd Ave. in Miami, Florida.

The transaction closed on April 25 and Forman is actively pursuing similar opportunities to purchase and finance existing notes – in addition to providing short and medium-term construction financing – and has a robust pipeline of pending deals.

In September 2022, TCG PL33 LLC, an affiliate of Miami-based Neology Life Development Group, led by Lissette Calderon, acquired the property for $32.1 million with the loan supplied by Hermitage Palmer Land LLC. Neology plans a significant mixed-use development with much-needed attainable housing and commercial space over three phases. The site is zoned for up to 1,800 residential units.

“This was a great opportunity to acquire a fully performing loan with a high-quality relationship borrower,” said Jacobson. “It also puts us in the best possible position to hopefully finance the project’s future construction. We are thrilled to expand our long-term relationship with a best-in-class developer, Lissette Calderon, and support another one of her world-class projects in an emerging area of Miami.”

Charles Foschini, a senior managing director at Berkadia arranged the transaction. Forman Capital financed the loan with all equity and closed in just 30 days.

Forman Capital provides short and medium-term construction financing, mezzanine debt, preferred equity, and joint venture equity across a variety of real estate asset classes and geographies. From 2016 to the end of 2022, Forman was a 50/50 partner in a joint venture with a Canadian asset manager where his team originated and managed $2.2 billion in commercial real estate transactions. The company currently has $75 million in pending deals set to close over the next 60 days.

“While short-term construction financing has been our primary focus over the past several years, we also see an opportunity to beef up our balance sheet by buying existing loans,” said Forman. “We are well funded and have the ability to be flexible and close quickly.”

In 2021, Jacobson and Forman originated a $78.2 million construction loan for Neology to finance construction of a 14-story rental tower in the Miami neighborhood of Allapattah.

“We appreciate our continued partnership with Ben, Brett and the Forman Capital team,” Calderon said. “We have a shared passion for enhancing once-overlooked areas of Miami-Dade County through thoughtful and impactful developments.”

Gold bullion, exotic cards, weapons, a $2 million robbery: these aren’t plot points for a forthcoming James Bond movie, but events and allegations around New Jersey developer Fred Daibes.

Daibes, a successful builder known for luxury residential real estate, is a key figure in the bribery charges facing New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez. The developer — one of five facing federal charges in the case — has pleaded not guilty.

A federal indictment in 2018 accused Daibes of scheming to defraud a bank that he had founded. Prosecutors accused Daibes of giving Menendez and his wife bribes for help in the fraud case by installing a lax U.S. attorney.

Those bribes include cash-stuffed envelopes with Daibes’ fingerprints and nine bars of gold bullion tracked to Daibes which were seized during a search of Menendez’s home, prosecutors said.

As Menendez’s case faces trial, the developer credited as the “chief architect of Edgewater’s rebirth” has been pulled into the spotlight, adding to a turbulent track record dotted with controversy and detailed in a profile by the New York Times.

Daibes lived in a Palestinian refugee camp for the first 10 years of his life before relocating to New Jersey. After dropping out of college to support his younger siblings in the wake of his father’s death, he built his career as a luxury developer and a reputation as a local fixture: a 2018 spread in a local magazine featured his exotic car collection, including a red 1957 Jaguar XK140 and a silver 2005 Bentley Continental GT with a turbocharged W-12 engine.

The wealth that brought regional fame also brought bad actors. In 2013, four people broke into his penthouse, tied a bag over his head and beat him, breaking his ribs and dislocating his shoulder before making off with $2 million in cash, gold and jewelry. The group was eventually arrested and sentenced to serve 12 to 18 years in prison; one proved to be a confidant and neighbor of Daibes.

Menendez didn’t successfully intervene in Daibes’ 2018 case, according to prosecutors. Daibes ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of making false entries in connection with a $1.8 million loan and wasn’t set to face prison time. Last week, a judge tossed Daibes’ plea agreement in that case.

As for the latest indictment, Daibes is accused of providing financial backing to an Egyptian-American businessman who later won a lucrative contract for the sole rights to certify products imported to Egypt complied with Islamic law; the business operates out of a building in Edgewater owned by Daibes.

Menendez proceeded to use his role in the Senate to direct aid and weapons to Egypt, according to prosecutors.

Daibes Enterprises rose to prominence in Edgewater after building thousands of housing units, office spaces and retail complexes. That activity hasn’t been without its share of controversy, such as when Daibes was accused alongside officials of trying to block a development at 615 River Road on the Gold Coast.

State investigators also found Daibes provided free or discounted rent to local officials and awarded a contract to a councilperson’s company in exchange for favorable treatment in business dealings.

— Holden Walter-Warner