How did you end up in the property business?

I studied hotel administration at Cornell University, where I majored in hotel management and finance. For the first 15 years of my career I worked in Anderson Consulting’s hotel  group and then at Marriott Hotels. When I was transferred to Warsaw in 1992 to manage the Marriott, I was sort of thrown into the property business by default, since I managed not only the Marriott Hotel but also the office part of the same building, the 20 storeys of office space in the LIM Center.

You’re an American with Polish roots. Did that play any role in your decision to come to Warsaw?

In a sense, yes. Before Warsaw, I was working for Marriott Hotels’ construction accounting branch. I was based in Washington DC and had supervised construction of Marriott hotels across the country. I had never worked in an actual hotel but it was an element of corporate culture to let senior mangers earn their stripes in hotel management. I was asked where I’d like to go and they expected me to choose places like Hawaii or Miami. I have Polish blood, however, and was looking for a challenge and adventure. I thought, I’ve never been to Warsaw, so why not try it? Someone told me later I was the first person who ever volunteered to go there.

Did you ever have second thoughts? Or consider a different city?

There was an opportunity to go to Vienna. But I chose Warsaw, in part because of the big fish in a small pond factor. I never looked back.

What were your first impressions of Warsaw?

I arrived in the fall, so there was very little sunshine, something that took time getting used to. Before I rented my first apartment, I lived in the Marriott so I was forced to eat in the restaurant, and I had this bizarre feeling of being the only person eating out, as Warsaw was quite different in the early 1990s. I kept wondering where all the other people were, but of course, back then eating out regularly was a luxury. Working for Marriott at that time also meant I was in the center of the universe for Warsaw. It was a hub for everything business-related and it was where I met many of my current friends and business partners.

I suppose there were other career stops along the way between Marriott and Stewart?

After five years in Warsaw, I was transferred to Frankfurt, but I wasn’t happy there and neither was my wife – we were recently married then and looking to start a family. She moved back to Warsaw and after some time in a commuting relationship, I moved back too. We built our first house in Konstancin. [AIG MD] Brian Patterson and I were friends and golf buddies. When he visited us and saw the house, he was impressed and suggested I should think of working for AIG/Lincoln’s residential business. So I became a partner at AIG/Lincoln during its early start-up stages. My first project was Osiedle Kampinos, near Warsaw. I must say that Brian was a great mentor in the property business. He’s a terrifc businessman and a great educator.

Why did you leave AIG/Lincoln?

I’ve always been interested in interior design and architecture. My wife decided to get involved in the interior design business, so I left AIG/Lincoln to help her get an interior design studio up and running. We were partners in running a new Warsaw franchise of the Italian furniture and kitchen furniture importer Estima. My current job at Stewart came through that studio, because I fitted out their Warsaw office. At the time, the company was looking for someone to run its Warsaw office, as it couldn’t find anyone in the US to move to Poland. I had leads to lawyers, bankers, dealmakers, I spoke Polish, I lived here, so I said I could have a go at it, and got the job. Stewart was a pioneer of the title insurance market in Poland and the product has taken off.

That doesn’t make it much easier these days, though, does it?

Well, there’s indeed less business during the crisis, but things have picked up since Expo Real. If you add the economic conditions to the newcomers on the market, it’s simple mathematics that business levels from a few years back have fallen off. We have a small office, with the same team since opening. We manage our overheads so we’re not as exposed to the downturn, and we don’t expect to be closing our offices. 

How has Warsaw changed since the early 1990s?

The early days in Warsaw were quite difficult in terms of basics. It was difficult to buy vegetables in the winter, a proper suit or a pair of shoes. Of course, it’s been getting easier ever since. I like this city. I like  the vibe and the energy, and how people are so family-oriented here. In fact, my wife’s family is quite big so I tend to have many family commitments. It’s a bonus to my life here, though frankly there are times when I look forward to a weekend without them!

What part of Warsaw do you live in?

We have a house in the Pod Skocznią area of Mokotów. We built a hip modernist villa in the early 2000s for ourselves. It was new for Warsaw and we had constant offers to sell it. We decided to buy some more land in the area and this year we’ve finished our fourth house on the street. It’s been a lot of fun. Our houses have been featured in interior design and architecture magazines. It’s good to have a hobby outside of what you do for a living. It’s also good because clients don’t always want to talk just about title insurance, so it helps my business when people find out I’m into architecture and interior design. It has a broader appeal.

Are you still playing golf with Brian Patterson?

We’ve split our last two head-to-head meetings, but as a family man with three young children, golf is off the calendar these days. I’m a keen cyclist, but motorists here often don’t understand the concept of respecting cyclists so I’ve taken to indoor spinning classes. I also like to cook. I was actually raised in a restaurant that my grandparents used to run.

So what are you favorite Warsaw restaurants?

I’ve had my share of Polish food so I’m into Asian cuisine now. I like the Sunanta Thai restaurant on Krucza Street, it’s my current favorite. I’d like to become a better Thai cook myself. At restaurants I sometimes go to the kitchen to ask chefs for tips or share techniques.

You’re also an art lover.

Yes, I’m a collector of Polish contemporary art, let’s say, works created after 1990. I buy art at galleries, or at auctions, or commission it myself. My current favorites are Anna Podlewska, Tomas Mayer and Sabina Twardowska.

What are you currently reading?

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.