Month to Remember: National TV to Leadership Atlanta
An Atlanta area real estate partner Ted Schwartz certainly made an impression when he appeared on "Live with Kelly and Ryan."
After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.
Ever turn on national TV and see your back-door Sandy Springs neighbor rocking out under studio lights? Local commercial real estate partner Ted Schwartz was “a star,” although briefly. More importantly, he was just selected to the prestigious 2020 Leadership Atlanta class. Read on to soak up some of Schwartz’s passion and commitment to Atlanta and how he landed on “Live with Kelly and Ryan.”
Jaffe: So there you were in NYC …
Schwartz: Participated in the annual Davis Academy golf tournament. We support the school (my daughter is a former student there). At their silent auction, I won four VIP tickets to the “Live” show with Kelly and Ryan and planned our summer vacation accordingly.
Jaffe: Were you nervous? You chatted with Ryan about being from Sandy Springs, where his parents live?
Schwartz: I had “nervous energy.” However, since they filmed two shows that morning, it was over two hours in the studio before I got to show “my moves.” Honestly, after he asked me where I lived, I couldn’t decipher what he was talking about from the other side of the set, so I just pretended to be agreeable! Off-camera we did talk to Ryan about my son running at Dunwoody High in preparation for the recent Atlanta Maccabi Games.
Jaffe: What were the circumstances under which you learned the lively dance?
Schwartz: Other than cotillion lessons for my bar mitzvah, I haven’t had any formal dance training. I like to say I “move to the beat.” I am an 80s guy and a big Michael Jackson fan. However, when things slow down in life, I want to learn a variety of dances like the tango, Viennese waltz and Paso Doble!
Jaffe: You posted the dancing video on Facebook, did you get a lot of feedback?
Schwartz: It was my most commented and liked post of the year. Heard from folks all over the country, including a guy in Jacksonville who saw the show live and said to his wife “That looks like Ted Schwartz, a guy I used to network with!”
Jaffe: Your “day job” is commercial real estate specializing in …
Schwartz: I am a partner at Joel & Granot Commercial Real Estate. My team includes Renée Rosenheck and we assist office users with their commercial real estate requirements, from leasing to buying an office building and sales of buildings or subleasing their office space. We specialize in the GA 400 office submarket from Buckhead to Alpharetta. Interestingly, I represented the Atlanta Jewish Times when they last relocated their office in Sandy Springs.
Jaffe: You’re a foodie?
Schwartz: I do Facebook posts, “Ted’s Table,” where I express opinions on the great places to eat locally and in my travels. I am more of a city guy than a country guy. I crave adventures to unknown places, like my upcoming Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) 100-mile bike ride in October in Death Valley, Calif. As a family, we hope to raise over $10,000 for JDRF this year.
Jaffe: For 2020 you were chosen for the prestigious Leadership Atlanta class based on “creativity, influence and engagement.” How do you fit into that?
Schwartz: I have a passion to make a difference for those around me. My goals are to provide for my family and leave the world a better place than I found it. Last weekend I attended the opening retreat of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2020. I found 81 like-minded individuals engaging in thought-provoking conversations about the issues that affect ourselves and Atlanta, a city we all love. The message for our year is “A vision of leadership. A vision of love.”
This is an intense eight-month program. We have a community project group and a study group. Our mission is to listen, learn and grow as individuals and as a group because our society depends on it.
Jaffe: Are you involved in the Jewish community?
Schwartz: Yes! Over the past twenty years. In 2003, I spearheaded the site selection and capital campaign for Congregation Dor Tamid in Johns Creek. Since 2010, I have been involved with Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta in a variety of capacities and am currently a member of Temple Sinai.
Shake it, Ted. Maybe next, “Dancing with the Stars” for you?
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