Gregory Schem, President and CEO of Harbor Real Estate Group
It is very rare for business professionals to be able to mix business with pleasure, even in an industry such as real estate. Gregory Schem (MBA ’80) is one of those fortunate few. Greg is the President and CEO of Harbor Real Estate Group, a company he founded in 2003 which specializes in marina and waterfront real estate investments. Harbor currently owns and operates marine-related real estate in Southern California. Prior to this, Greg was President of the Kor Group, which focused on residential and hotel property development. The Kor Group is known for its iconic hotel properties such as the Avalon in Los Angeles and the Viceroy line of resort hotels. Greg was also Acquisition Director with TCW Realty Advisors, a Los Angeles-based pension fund advisory firm.
After earning his BS in chemistry from the State University of New York (’78) and his MBA from Cornell University (’80), he established a successful career in the national real estate market as an investor, developer, and manager, including the re-development of loft residential units and hotels, marinas, office buildings, shopping centers, and industrial facilities. While the market has been extremely challenging as of late, Greg has started to see more buying opportunities, and his company has undertaken the construction of a new marina in Southern California.
Greg is both an avid yachtsman as well as an ardent sportsfisher, so the move to Harbor was in line with both his passions. Recently, Greg served on the Marina del Rey Design Guidelines Task Force, and being an active supporter of the Boy Scouts of America, oversaw the completion of the pro bono development of a new pier on Catalina Island for the Boy Scouts. The California Governor’s office also recently appointed Greg to the Blue Ribbon Task Force for the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative.