The Agency + rennie Launches in NYC with Visionary Panel

Lucía Torres · 2026-05-21

The Agency and rennie just made their big East Coast debut in New York City, and honestly, it was a night to remember. Fresh off an intimate kick-off at The Agency’s Beverly Hills office, the team took over the 63rd floor of Hudson Yards for a panel discussion that felt more like a masterclass in the future of real estate. Founder and CEO Mauricio Umansky, rennie President Greg Zayadi, rennie Founder Bob Rennie, and The Agency’s President Rainy Hake Austin were all there, setting the stage for something new. The whole idea? Merging decades of market intelligence, award-winning marketing, and sales execution into one seamless platform for developers. ### Why Now? “With all of the consolidation going on in the industry, we really believe that now is the time for innovation in the new development space,” said Mauricio Umansky. “There is an opportunity to change and collaborate—to reach loftier goals and usher in better resources for this sector of our industry.” That kind of thinking is what drove the event. The panel, moderated by Lucy Blatter from Dow Jones, brought together three heavy hitters: Bob Rennie, who’s spent 50 years redefining real estate through data and risk management; Jaime Fasja, who’s reshaping luxury living in places like Riviera Nayarit and Belize; and Young Woo, a pioneer in urban innovation with projects across New York and beyond. ### What They Talked About The conversation was anything but boring. They dove into some of the biggest questions facing developers today: - How to rethink risk and use real-time market intelligence - How luxury is changing for the next generation of ultra-high-net-worth buyers - What signals point to the next wave of urban transformation “What we have found is that, amidst turmoil, there is opportunity,” said Bob Rennie. “If we are going to stay in business, we have to find these alliances. Now is not the time to retreat—it’s the time to reset.” They also touched on membership-based residential models and the art of placemaking in cities like New York. It was a candid, timely look at where new development is headed—and what developers need to do differently to keep up. ### A Night to Remember After the panel, sponsored by Wells Fargo, guests enjoyed light hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. The energy was high as speakers, guests, and press mingled, talking about the future of this landmark partnership. Also in the room were Tony Chen and Rick Stack, developers behind one of the first projects for The Agency x rennie: Kaliʻu Ala Moana in Honolulu. That’s a 285-residence boutique condominium designed by Olson Kundig, complete with a health club and commercial space. Later, everyone headed to Zou Zou’s inside Hudson Yards to toast the launch. The Agency + rennie partnership is built for the ambitious. And if that night was any sign, the best is definitely still ahead. To learn more about The Agency + rennie, you can visit their website.