Our History
Leaving Israel | 1967
Raphy Benaim proudly served five years in the Israeli military as a commando paratrooper. After 289 jumps he was ready to leave that life behind to pursue his dreams, beginning with the purchase of a tractor to take on construction jobs. But he had bigger goals: America beckoned. His father, Solomon, a simple man who always knew his son was destined for great success, told him, “when you go to America, always take care of your workers and buy big buildings.”
Arriving into America | 1967
He sold his tractor and off he went. He arrived in New York in October 1967 eager to begin his new life. First stop: Syracuse, where he rented a room and found employment as busboy, despite not speaking English. He would then move to the Bronx, working as a mechanic at a Queens gas station — and never looked back. When the owner retired, Raphy saw an opportunity to take over, at a $600 rent. Very proud of his business, he quickly expanded. He purchased the property (and still owns it today), with rapid growth following, as he acquired 27 repair shops and gas stations. And so it went: He kept adding to his portfolio — a car wash (the Bronx), junk yards and a car dealership (Queens). Now an entrepreneur, he added a catering hall (Queens) a diamond business (Manhattan’s Diamond District), and finally residential properties.
A Family Legacy is Born | 1976
In 1976 Raphy met Tovit. They would marry a year later; the following year first-born son Eric arrived. Over the next 12 years, Raphy and Tovit welcomed three more children, raising them in Jamaica Estates, Queens.
As his family grew, so did his empire. Raphy opened more businesses, continued buying properties, started a fast-food chain and made investments in Israel. He also devoted himself to philanthropy, all the while teaching his kids the value of a dollar.
The Next Generation | 1978
Raphy would bring Eric to work with him. Eric, from age 12, spent summers and weekends at his father’s gas stations and repair shops, fully involved in every aspect of the business — pumping gas, doing oil changes, cleanings, etc.
Raphy always made sure Eric was around when he was negotiating with a client, service provider, property owner or collecting rent from a tenant. He taught Eric the value of client-centered relationships, instructing young Eric to always treat people with respect; “treat the super the same way you would treat the owner of the building,” he counseled. Like his father, Eric had the entrepreneurial bug: He started his first venture, Comics N Such, at 12, selling comics and trading cards at shows across the city, followed by a flea market business at 13. Also, for special occasions, such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, Eric would have a flower stand at Raphy’s station. Always a high achiever, Eric eagerly expanded his business knowledge, and at age 17, opened Zero Tolerance Productions, an electronic music production/marketing company. For five years Eric produced major music events, ranging from 500 to 11,000 people in attendance, flying in DJs and acts from all over the world — including Russia, France, Ireland, Germany — and across the U.S. Besides generating income from ticket sales, Eric controlled the F&B operations as well as merchandising, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales a year. Then came real estate. With Raphy’s encouragement, of course, Eric obtained his real estate license, shortly after Sept. 11, 2001.
Modern Spaces | 2008
Eric began his real estate career as an agent in the Financial District, with the goal of bringing people back downtown after 9/11. He slowly worked his way uptown, focusing on the Upper West Side, selling New Development condos. After visiting Long Island City in 2005 and observing a sign for a new condo project, he quickly picked up on the potential there and made it his focus. The project, Arris Lofts, opened in April 2006; Eric sold 18 units in its first weekend. He ultimately sold 44 units there, also 14 units at another project nearby. After becoming aware of LIC’s potential and untapped market — realizing he was the only broker focusing on this opportunity — Eric went on to launch Modern Spaces in 2008, a real estate brokerage focusing on the emerging LIC market. The financial crash two months later became another opportunity; within a year Modern Spaces, with just five people, would take over sales and marketing for nearly every New Development project in Long Island City.
The company rapidly grew, eventually capturing a 70% market share in Long Island City — which was named the fastest-growing neighborhood in the U.S. in 2018 — and expanded throughout Queens, Manhattan, Jersey City, and Long Island. Eric sold a minority interest in Modern Spaces in 2015 to Jon Kushner and KRE Group, as well as Ironstate Development. Since 2017 Modern Spaces has been named one of the the Top 10 New Development Marketing Firms in all of New York City, and one of the Top 2 Real Estate Brokerage firms by closed transactions in all of Queens.
To date Eric has been responsible for overseeing over $7 Billion in transactions and overseeing $2B in real estate at any given time, with a pipeline of development that exceeds 6,000 units. Modern Spaces works in tandem with developers, consulting with them on every aspect of a project, from site acquisition/planning, assembling the development team, financing, interior design, branding/marketing, and finally staffing, sales and leasing. Always forward thinking, during the Covid pandemic in 2020, Eric acquired a property management firm in Jersey City. He rebranded it as Managing Spaces and currently manages a portfolio of over 400 units.
An industry leader, Eric has been recognized as “single handedly putting Long Island City on the map” (former NYC Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer). He is consistently featured in media outlets and publications such as FOX Business, CNBC, CNN, BBC, NY1, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Crain’s New York Business, Bloomberg, and The Real Deal.
Benaim x Partners | 2022
The family legacy secure, in 2022 Raphy decided it was time to hand off his business to his children, with Eric at the helm, overseeing the assets. Eric, ever the entrepreneur, will continue to redefine his father’s dream through Benaim x Partners. A vertically integrated real estate company, it will leverage existing assets and relationships to identify new opportunities, whether acquiring existing value-added assets, long term leaseholds, development opportunities and or partner as GP or LP.
In addition, Benaim x Partners is also seeking business opportunities in various industries, from start-ups to existing companies.