In order to create “place”, it needs culture, vibrance, and identity. A city is weaved together through public art, live music, green space, and small business. Gregory has been involved in all these channels for over a decade contributing to what has made Jersey City a place people want to live, work, and play in—a place people call home.

His first venture, Green Villain, was a former brick and mortar gallery turned art brokerage founded in 2010. He managed the 20,000SF property and curated graffiti exhibitions and late-night music events while renting out studio spaces to makers and artisans.

In 2013 he created Jersey City’s first mural program which currently has over 50 sites under management and has brought over 250 artists into the region. Green Villain is also behind an event partnership with Brookfield Properties that has been featured in the Wall Street Journal for the experiential graffiti exhibition which took place in 2015 in a vacant Pep Boys Auto Center—the Demolition Exhibition.

His creative mindset is a perfect fit for GRID’s entrepreneurial spirit as he is able to combine his experience in the art brokerage and digital marketing worlds into our framework of brokerage specializing in landlord representation, development advisory, and investment sales.

In 2018 he lead the repositioning of The Sterling, a 155,000SF former textile factory located in the Greenville section of the city. This small business incubator and arts complex has provided unique creative space for over 40 local businesses featuring the likes of Chilltown native and hip-hop royalty, Chi Modu, as well as shark-tank funded sneaker start-up, Muvez.

Gregory describes the real estate business as mining for diamonds. Every day one drives down the streets looking at the same potential, but how does one find the hidden value right inside the dirt and bricks? Creativity, vision, and commitment to the broader scope of placemaking are what allows him to thrive and is what he shares with his partners at GRID—the nexus of Jersey City commercial real estate.