Thomas Alperin (left) and Gregory Bialecki
Tributes are pouring in following the deaths of two prominent real estate executives who shaped Greater Boston development in recent decades.
National Development co-founder Thomas Alperin died Thursday at age 65, two years after stepping down from a leadership role at the firm that has completed over 100 projects including Ink Block in South End.
Gregory Bialecki, a former secretary of housing under former Gov. Deval Patrick and principal at development firm Redgate, died unexpectedly Thursday at age 64. Bialecki was an advocate for transit-oriented development and housing production in both the public and private phases of his career.
Alperin co-founded National Development in 1985 and promptly disregarded the conventional wisdom for success in commercial real estate, said Ted Tye, the firm’s managing director and co-founder.
“Early on in the business, Tom and I were advised to, ‘Think of the one thing you do well,’ and we chose to do exactly the opposite,” Tye said. “Real estate is all fundamentals, and if you can use your expertise in different sectors, that will serve you well as the market changes over time.”
The opportunistic strategy enabled National Development to pursue a wide range of projects. The firm initially specialized in suburban industrial projects, including a redevelopment of a former Wang Laboratories campus in Franklin.
In later years, National Development built major mixed-use projects including Station Landing in Medford and Ink Block at the former Boston Herald property in South End, before moving onto a series of acquisitions on South Boston’s transforming Dorchester Avenue.
Both Alperin and Bialecki were active in NAIOP Massachusetts, the commercial developers’ group, where Alperin was a past president and Bialecki was a participant and moderator in industry forums.
“Tom and Greg were both visionary leaders. Through their civic engagement, mentorship, and charitable endeavors, their impacts were felt well beyond the commercial real estate industry and their legacies will not be forgotten,” NAIOP CEO Tamara Small wrote in an announcement to members.
Bialecki Was Former Housing Secretary
Bialecki led a dozen housing and economic development agencies as a cabinet member in the Patrick administration from 2009 to 2015. After joining Boston-based Redgate, Bialecki remained active in public policy advocacy, supporting Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposals designed to generate more housing production in Massachusetts.
Throughout his career, Bialecki advocated for expanding transit-oriented development to boost Greater Boston’s economic competitiveness.
“If this can be a city and a region that you can really get around without owning a car, like New York, it would make this place even more attractive to talent and I think our prospects would be very bright,” Bialecki told Banker & Tradesman in an interview after joining Redgate.
At Redgate, Bialecki got an opportunity to focus on housing production in Gateway Cities with development projects in Quincy, Revere and Chelsea, Redgate Founding Principal Kyle Warwick noted.
“Greg loved the underdog. He liked that we were punching above our weight,” he said.
Bialecki was instrumental in putting together Redgate’s plans to redevelop the former Boston Edison power plant property in South Boston and partner with Hilco Redevelopment Partners on the 1.7 million-square-foot mixed-use project.
“His approach was never self-serving. Instead he focused on the well-being and success of others, always striving to make a positive impact. We have lost a rare human being,” Warwick said.
Bialecki supported innovative strategies to prevent displacement, joining the Boston Neighborhood Community Land Trust in 2015 as its treasurer. The organization has acquired seven properties to preserve affordability and give tenants control over their buildings’ management. He also was active in nonprofits One Mission and Tech Foundry.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Bialecki specialized in real estate and urban development for a pair of law firms, Hill & Barlow and DLA Piper.
Alperin was active in philanthropic and civic organizations, chairing the real estate committee at Tufts University and serving as a board member and trustee at groups including Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp., Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston Medical Center and Newton Wellesley Hospital.
“He always had one more idea, and many of them ended up being great projects for us,” said Tye, a friend of Alperin’s since the two were Tufts classmates. “Our first holiday party fit around one table in a restaurant downtown, and over time we brought it to over 250 people.”
Remembrances for Alperin may be made to the Boston Foundation Food, Fuel, and Shelter Fund, NAIOP said, while memorial services for Bialecki will be announced in the coming days.
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