Sophie Sonnenfeld photo
Mendy Paris with 10-year-old son Beno.
Local realtor and landlord Mendy Paris launched a new real estate investment firm, HAVN Ventures, with a promise to focus not just on profit but on benefiting the community.
Paris held a launch party this past Thursday night for HAVN Ventures at a proposed redevelopment site on 50 Fitch Street he owns.
The “HAVN” launch party.
The room was packed with employees of both HAVN and his real estate group Paris Realty, investors, and friends. Attendees chowed down on sushi, bustled around a booming DJ, and checked out pictures of HAVN properties tacked up on the walls.
“A lot of firms don’t care about neighborhoods or gentrification because their number one goal is profit, profit, profit. Obviously, we’re about profit also, but for us it’s more than that,” Paris explained when asked about his aims for HAVN. “We’re going to do it a little differently. We’re going to do it very driven on community impact projects.”
Paris highlighted properties he owns in Southington, downtown Bridgeport, and the Quinnipiac Marina in Fair Haven at the launch party. He said they also are developing project plans for properties in Westerly, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Miami.
For some of these sites, Paris said they had “much more profitable options” that they chose not to pursue so as not to upset local communities. “We are not going to do any projects that alienate the community.”
He said they are looking for organizations or businesses with more community impact than those “much more profitable options” such as corporate headquarter offices. Through developing the properties and abandoned buildings, Paris said he’s hoping to mostly boost housing and job opportunity.
Paris (left) points to pictures of his properties.
Paris pointed to the New Haven Adult & Continuing Education Center and Workforce Alliance in his commercial-office buildings at 540, 560, and 580 Ella T. Grasso Blvd. as the type of community-engaged tenants he is interested in.
“When I see programs that are helping communities, I’d love for them to be my tenants. At every single one of my projects we always choose the route that is going to have a better impact on people. And a lot of times that’s not always more profitable, but that’s who I am.”
HAVN office at 50 Fitch.
Even though Paris’s plans for HAVN extend beyond New Haven, he said he wanted the name HAVN as a tribute to his roots. Plus, he said, “a haven is a safe place for a community.”
Paris added that he is working to create free seminars on entrepreneurship in his buildings. “We want to create leaders, and we want to invest in communities.”
To maintain their commitment to community-oriented projects, Paris said, they will and have already picked some investors “wisely.”
“We’re not just taking any money. We’re taking people who have the same vision as us because if you have the wrong investor, you have the wrong project. The investor drives the project, the money drives the project.”
Paris with friends Elliot Kagen (left) and Eli Eichenblatt from Miami.
HAVN just finished up its office space at 50 Fitch and has 12 employees working for them.
HAVN office at 50 Fitch.
Jonathan Perlich: “We’re trying to keep it with that local vibe.”
Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Perlich said most of the employees at HAVN are local with some hired from New York. “We’re trying to keep it with that local vibe.”
Jessica Kennedy, Perlich’s girlfriend, said she is most excited about HAVN’s plans for the Quinnipiac Marina property.
As Perlich and Paris showed off their new office space and photos of properties, Paris described their ideas for the marina. The marina plans include potentially placing floating houses and tiny houses.
Jessica Kennedy (left) with Melinda Agron.
Newman Architects Principal Architect Melinda Agron said she is looking forward to the development of the Fitch Street property: “I’m excited to have a young group of investors in development who are looking to take advantage of all New Haven has to offer and are making some transformations and changes that hopefully will be really meaningful to the city.”
Hartford-based architects Laura Crosskey and Mike Weisbrod, who specialize in historical preservation, said they’ve met with Paris about project plans.
Laura Crosskey and Mike Weisbrod.
Mona Mehrabi and Yaroslav Prokopets: “we have to make sure there’s a business part of it which is profit and there’s also a community part of it.”
“The transformation of buildings can help support the social fabric for communities,” Weisbrod said.
“It’s just started but it’s on the right track, and I know it’s going in the right direction,” said Mona Mehrabi, who works for Paris Realty.
HAVN Analyst Yaroslav Prokopets agreed saying, “This is where our roots are coming from and we have to make sure there’s a business part of it which is profit, and there’s also a community part of it. You can’t just come in with only business and not care about the people living in the area.”