Running marathons and real estate: Property Management accountant finds success
Accountant Ira Gardner achieves his ambitions at JLL and around the world
Ira Gardner is many things: native New Yorker, property accountant, world traveler, math enthusiast, avid hiker, and accomplished marathon runner.
Growing up on Long Island, Ira didn’t spend a lot of time in nature, so it wasn’t until his 30s that he went on his first hike. His love for the activity blossomed into a full-blown hobby. Throughout the 1990s, his weekends were spent hiking all over New York, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Europe. He averaged 12 miles per hike every weekend and 75 to 80 hikes every year. Most recently, Ira traveled to Israel and Paris. His sights are set on Patagonia one day.
Unlike math and hiking, Ira discovered his love for running later in life. In the year 2000, he ran in his first marathon in Dublin, Ireland to help raise money for the Leukemia Society. Over the last 20+ years, Ira finished 208 half marathons and 77 full marathons. These events happened in every state in the U.S., and his reach for running spanned 13 countries in total. “Everyone thinks I’m trying to set a world record, but I just want to see how many I can do,” he said.
When Ira isn’t running marathons, his favorite pastime is watching sports with his friends – baseball, football, basketball, tennis – you name it. His favorite sport, unsurprisingly, is baseball. “Baseball has more statistics than any sport out there,” he explained. “I’ve always liked dealing with numbers and enjoyed games that involved statistics.”
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Ira attended the University at Buffalo and received a Bachelor’s degree in Finance Management, then went on to receive a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Rhode Island. Today, he is a trained CPA with 31+ years of experience and expertise in commercial real estate.
“Ira has supported several onsite teams with reporting at every level – analyzing, calculating, compiling, adjusting, and reviewing. He is a real gem and secret weapon for us. We are lucky to know and work with him,” says Ira’s manager, Julie Arce.
Ira is based at 685 Third Avenue, and supports accounting for five additional buildings. His managers, Ira shared, have always been supportive in helping Ira achieve his ambitions, remaining flexible and accommodating for his personal passions to travel, hike and run marathons.