Not that unique?

Is it possible that because you are receiving a Central and Eastern European Lifetime Achievement Award that you are thinking about retiring? To be honest, I don't think so.

- Theoretically I have been retired for years. Retirement is only a state of mind. When you are retired you do what you enjoy doing and certainly I enjoy business and I am fortunate to be able to do it at my own pace.

Which achievement are you especially proud of?

- As far as Europe is concerned, probably my proudest achievement is the unique renovation and preservation of the historical building originally built in 1720 that we did in St. Petersburg, Russia. We converted it into an office and retail product. The reason why I am so proud of it is because I still can not understand how I got it done

Was it so difficult?

- Yes. We had Russian, Turkish and Scandinavian contractors and the cultural committees in the city were very difficult to deal with, but were quite right in making sure that we approach this property in the proper historical way. It was a very intense project. Even though we have built very large, modern, beautiful and contemporary buildings, this historical renovation was unique.

It seems you like challenges.

- Life is a challenge...and it's all about how you approach it.

And challenges make life more exciting, right?

- Oh yes! Coming to Central and Eastern Europe really renewed my interest in business because it was a great opportunity to be able to add value to this region.

Do you remember how you happened to land in Warsaw?

- By accident! We were thinking about developing in Europe in the late 80's and our friend and partner at Epstein International suggested that we come to Poland. I then met Mac Raczkiewicz, who now is the Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland. He also urged us to come view the market and develop a property here. Mac was very influential in getting us to Poland and once we were there, we were then able to expand our business.

At the time you were leasing your first project, Warsaw Corporate Center, in the 90's tenants were queuing to move into the building. Today's reality is quite different...

- At that time rents were very high, but it was predictable they would come down. Also at that time there was not a capital exit strategy as there is now.

...and now you often have to invest to have tenants in the building. Basically, how often you have to buy-out the lease.

- That's just market conditions. The market goes up and down and real estate is generally very cyclical. So the fact that rents have come down is really an indication that the capital and development market has matured.

Which country in Central and Eastern Europe is your main focus at the moment?

- Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary.

Not Russia?

- Not as much. We are just thinking about it now. We have a Russian company and probably we will be doing things there in the very near future, but most of our activity is still in Warsaw and Prague.

So what's your next plan for Poland?

- To continue doing what we are doing. We are looking forward to getting involved in residential and retail projects and duplicating the same business that we have in the States, which is office, residential, retail and of course leasing and management.

While preparing for this interview I typed your name into the internet search machine and the most web sites I found were not connected with the business, but with books...Golub and Company appeared as 15th on the list!

- Oh!

And I was quite surprised to find out the book you wrote was not a successful businessman's memories.

- I wrote a novel. The main theme is Central Europe, Russia and the Vatican. But it's a novel, a story.

You have to admit it's not so common for business people to write a novel, so how did the idea come up?

- I used tell my friends the story for a number of years. I had the story in mind since the early 80's. I would always say I was going to write a book and my friends started asking me when I would do it. It got to the point I was so embarrassed that I finally did it. Writing a book is not easy, it is very intense and a significant effort. I am happy that now it's finished and published and I don't have to find any more excuses.

Look at Hillary Clinton. Her book was about herself. What about you?

- I am not interested in writing my own biography. I am not that unique. I am just another person who is fortunate to be in a business that I really love and care about.

Basically it doesn't mean that you are going to switch from real estate business to literature.

- You will never see another book out by me. It was just a one-off venture.

How many copies have you sold?

- 5,000 - 6,000 copies, which is probably average for most novels. To me it is not a matter of selling books, but of writing one.