Olympic and World Champion athlete Evan Lysacek has joined the Charter Realty & Development Team. Lysacek captured the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. In achieving this, he became only the 13th American to win Olympic Gold in figure skating. Together with his Olympic victory, Lysacek has won 11 major titles including a World championship, two U.S. championships, and two Four Continents Championships, making him the most decorated U.S. male skater of the past two decades. Lysacek’s activities away from the ice are equally noteworthy. In April 2012, Lysacek was appointed a sports envoy by the U.S. Department of State, a position under Sports and International Diplomacy in which he engages overseas in positive dialogue on the importance of education, positive health practices and respect for diversity. In 2010, Lysacek was runner-up on the 10th season of “Dancing with the Stars,” he was named USOC Sportsman of the Year, he was a Thurman Munson Award recipient, and he was the winner of the AAU Sullivan Award, recognizing the Nation’s Best Amateur Athlete. He has also worked closely with longtime and running sponsors Ralph Lauren, The Coca-Cola Company, P&G, Crest, Citi, Smuckers, and Deloitte on several successful Olympic campaigns. In 2012, Lysacek announced his return to competitive figure skating. He made a serious run at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, but a series of injuries and subsequent surgeries cut his third Olympic journey (Lysacek also competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics finishing 4th) short.
Charter Realty & Development Corp. is a real estate investment, development, and leasing company specializing in retail properties. The Company was founded in 1993 by Dan Zelson and Paul Brandes. Since its founding, Charter has acquired and developed more than 60 shopping centers and freestanding net leased properties comprising nearly 10 million square feet with a total acquisition and development cost in excess of $1 billion. To accomplish this, the principals of the Company have used their strong investor base and lender relationships to raise the necessary debt and equity to finance and fund these acquisitions. Charter has developed a niche as one of the most prominent value-added retail development companies in the northeastern United States. Charter has also grown to become one of the largest third party leasing agents in the northeastern United States. It currently owns or leases more than 14 million square feet of property within 65 shopping centers in 13 states.
Lysacek has always had a passion for architecture, real estate, and development. He joined the Charter team in September of this year, and says about his experience thus far, “I have enjoyed everyday of this new chapter. I’m so appreciative to Mr. Zelson for giving me the opportunity to learn this diverse and exciting industry.” Lysacek and Zelson became close friends through work with the U.S. Olympic Committee. Mr. Zelson and his wife Lisa are trustees of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation. Zelson says about Lysacek joining the Charter Realty Team, “We’re excited to have someone with Evan’s level of dedication joining the team.” Lysacek will be working under Zelson, whose role focuses on; developing and implementing new shopping center marketing strategies; negotiating and structuring of shopping center acquisitions; securing third party shopping center exclusives and tenant representation assignments for a growing team of professionals; implementing growth strategies for major retailers poised for expansion; building the company’s new real estate initiatives including a downtown/urban retail business, and a hospitality division.
