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Your typical 24-year-old’s business card probably doesn’t feature the title “partner” at a commercial real estate firm — but Tony Mangione’s does.
Mangione, however, doesn’t seem too surprised at his early career success. “To be honest, yes,” he replies when asked if he thought he’d be in this position at such a young age. “I sacrificed fun as a 17-, 18-, 19-year-old. I was working 50-60 hours a week trying to build a solid foundation [for my career]. I was eating and drinking commercial real estate.”
Dan O’Berski, who founded Trinity Commercial Group in 2011, took Mangione under his wing as a 17-year-old. “I’m doing my best to be a clone of Dan O’Berski,” says Mangione. “His mentorship and leadership, from the beginning until now, have been priceless. As far as my business career is concerned, I owe everything to him.”
O’Berski, says Mangione, laid out a three-year plan for his protégé. As Mangione, a self-described “goofball,” deadpans, the plan went like this: “Year one, you’ll make nothing; year two, you’ll make about half of nothing; year three, you’ll maybe survive; but year four, you’ll make a hundred grand.”
The plan worked. Mangione has closed more than 40 bank branch sales with Trinity and helped facilitate Lake Michigan Credit Union’s acquisition of nine Fifth Third Bank locations in Florida.
“Everything that I’m accomplishing today is because of my team — my partner Tim Schneider and [sales/leasing associate] Sean Smith,” he says. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish half of what I’ve done. Tim and I are equal partners, and we tell ourselves all the time that ‘one plus one needs to equal three.’ If one plus one equals two, then there’s no point in being partners.”
— Brian Hartz
Name: Tony Mangione
Age: 24
City of residence: Naples
Employer: Trinity Commercial Group
Title: Principal
Birthplace: Conroe, Texas (raised in Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Years on the Gulf Coast: 6.5
Marital status/children: Married (Marissa) with two kids (Reyna, 2 and Louie, 1)
Alma mater/degree: N/A
Best place to network: ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers), Florida, South Florida, West Florida and Las Vegas Conferences
Messy desk or clean workspace: Mostly clean
Eat lunch out or at your desk: Out
Best business lesson ever learned: Serving clients needs above your own interests
A website that makes your job easier: CoStar/LoopNet
App you use the most: Audible
One thing you do everyday: Review sales/lease reports
Community group you’re most involved with: Florida Baptist Children’s Home, which licensed my wife and I to foster children. Our oldest was initially a foster child at two days old and by the grace of God her adoption was finalized in January.
Favorite off-hours activity: Spending time with family at beach/pool and playing basketball
Two people, dead or alive, you’d like to have dinner with: Jesus and Francis Chan
What you would be doing if you could pick another career: Play in the NBA….but I’m at least a foot too short…honestly, I love this business and would like to always have a career related to real estate.
Top item on your bucket list: Traveling the world
Your happy place is: At the movie house (theater)
Your biggest fear: Snakes
Skill you’d like to learn: To do a backflip
Who would play you in a movie about your life: Adam Sandler
Describe yourself in three words: Driven, loyal and goofball
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