Photograph by Audrey Gatewood
Brandon Chasen started his real estate career by opening CrossFit gyms and flipping houses. On a mission to revitalize neighborhoods in Baltimore, the Chasen Companies builds out amenities-rich designer apartments, some with co-working properties, while maintaining a historic vibe. After booking $13 million in 2019 revenue, the pandemic has had an amplifying effect on his small organization, which now operates 32 buildings with more than 300 units all with just 14 core employees. As told to Christine Lagorio-Chafkin
Our business definitely thrived. It s strange to talk about in that sense. We were buying buildings and vacant lots at lower basis prices than we ve seen in the past 10 years. What 2020 showed us is that the size of our projects and our buildings really benefited us during the pandemic. With our boutique luxury model, we really fit into this standard of health, safety, and security. We are either building or have under contract 18 proj