‍Raised by immigrant parents from Israel and South Africa in an orthodox Jewish home, Josh Berger felt compelled to challenge expectations set for him during the early years of his education. His traditional upbringing served as the impetus to pursue a non-traditional path, both personally and professionally, to engage with and learn from people of diverse backgrounds—cultivating new and meaningful relationships that lead to opportunities.

Josh spent a year in Israel studying at a religious seminary to discover his raison d'etre, and thereafter, attended and graduated from Yeshiva University with a degree in marketing and business administration.

Following college graduation, Josh decided to forgo the traditional full-time marketing job route, embracing his entrepreneurial spirit even at the beginning of his career. With an open mind, he initially decided to pursue a career in real estate after being introduced to his mentor and current partner, Norman Bobrow of Norman Bobrow & Co, by a friend’s brother. Though apprehensive at first, he was told that if willing to risk working his first full year without any income while learning best practices for success, his future earning potential would be unlimited—he took the commission-only job and never looked back.

Josh considers his first momentous professional achievement as winning “Broker of The Year” in 2010 for most deals completed within his office after concluding his first year in the real estate profession without securing any business. Following his achievement in 2010, Josh has been awarded “Broker of The Year” in 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022.

In 2022, Josh was named Vice President of Norman Bobrow & Co., tasked with running the Broker Development and Internship programs, and increasing revenue in Manhattan and the outer boroughs.

As an entrepreneur from a young age, Josh’s parents always suspected he had a mind for business—shoveling driveways when it snowed, mowing lawns in the summer, and asking his parents for shoe polish while at Jewish summer camp to polish Rabbis’ shoes before Sabbath to earn money for canteen. Motivated by what his father once told him: that when one makes their own money, one can make their own decisions, Josh has since been determined to control his destiny to live life the way he wanted.

Fortunately, Josh was blessed with parents who supported his decision to move back into their home to accommodate the low initial earnings in his chosen field and worked his way to success by grinding and failing daily for an entire year before finally closing on his first deal.

During the COVID-19 shutdowns, Josh spoke with a close friend who had consistently given him good advice, and he recommended that Josh “step outside of [his] real estate sphere” to see where other opportunities might lie. Josh’s mentor, Norman, was very supportive of Josh’s ventures outside of real estate. After a few initial entrepreneurship failures, Josh co-founded Venuewerks with a friend whom he met through his affiliation with a charitable organization, Freemasonry. Together they formed a company that leverages high-traffic real estate for projection advertising and experiential activations. Leveraging his partner’s deep relationships in advertising and Josh’s acumen/connections in the real estate world enables deals to come together very quickly. With advertisers constantly looking for new ways to reach their audiences, this “guerilla-style” promotional vehicle addresses that need. He secured deals with Bumble, Canada Goose, and New Balance, among other brands, within the first three months of its launch.

While married very young, influenced by the traditions of his religious community, it was quickly evident that the relationship was not meant to be. Amidst the soul-searching of Josh’s divorce, he decided to prioritize other personal and professional goals, painting a whiteboard wall in his apartment, and listing all the things he wanted to experience to discover new passions. He eventually settled on a repertoire of healthy ways to reduce stress and release his emotions, including meditation and boxing.

In his creative endeavors, Josh experiences the value of collaboration—concluding that when you surround yourself with people you respect and remove your ego, the possibilities are endless. Learning how to fail differently and productively, and intentionally recreating beautiful mistakes. Today, Josh finds himself continuing to paint, compose music, meditate, and box in his spare time.

Josh met an artist at an underground graffiti show who was planning to exhibit original pieces to showcase his transition from street art to fine art and needed to find an appropriate location to host the event. Josh helped identify and secure a retail space on Canal Street and developed a close relationship along the way with a friend who supported his ongoing, personal artistic growth. During a search for new studio space, Josh was contacted by his friend to help locate real estate. When his friend decided to share the studio with another friend, Josh had the opportunity to both support a friend while forming a new, close relationship with a person who became a trusted collaborator and friend. Later, he helped his new friend’s girlfriend find office space for a company she was running, and thereafter, to secure the real estate for another company she started down the road.

Through a close relationship established within a networking group based on the mutual recognition of giving, Josh facilitated the opportunity for his friend to discover an interest in art and painting, thereby developing a more personal connection. Months later, they traveled together to Charlotte, where his friend grew up, where Josh was introduced to a friend’s friend who is also interested in painting and music composition. Being immersed in a creative environment with such fervor, Josh was stimulated to explore music-making further. Eventually, when his friend moved back to New York after achieving significant success within the NFT world, Josh joined him to learn about ways to create wealth in this new sphere—working alongside the artist community to facilitate new opportunities for their future success.

Charity is at the core of Josh’s identity, fulfilling him to do what he feels is “right.” Deep gratitude for having had so many mentors that taught him “to fish,” Josh is committed to passing along the wisdom he was given through running both the Internship and Broker Development Programs at Norman Bobrow & Co., Inc. He takes pride in seeing many brokers and interns benefit from his guidance to grow in their careers and in their lives.

In the early 2000s, Josh began volunteering with Lighthouse Guild, reading to the blind, which continues to humble him every week, witnessing such an optimistic perspective from people who cannot see. Josh has developed a deeper appreciation for his vision, as well as a close connection with the man he reads to. He also mentors the man’s nephew, who is interested in real estate, through the summer internship program. Thereafter, Josh connected the man’s nephew with some contacts in his network to help advance his real estate career. Josh was recently invited to become a founding member of the Visionary Board, created for emerging young leaders at Lighthouse Guild.

When hosting an art show in 2018, Josh sold over 50 of his own works and donated all the profits to the Lower East Side Girls Club to champion his efforts to support less fortunate children. He invited many clients to attend his show, most of whom bought pieces, resulting in more donations to the organization.