Professional Profile: Howard Katz - 1982

Name: Howard Katz - 1982

Title: Owner

Company: Howard Katz Real Estate Association

Location: Worcester, MA

Birthplace: Worcester, MA

Howard Katz, owner of Howard Katz Real Estate Association in Worcester, Mass. was born in that city in 1947. After preparing at Worcester Academy he graduated from Clack University in 1969 with a degree in sociology. He then entered the family business and was involved with real estate management until 1974. That year Howard organized his own firm and “today, we are the largest all commercial and industrial real estate office in the metropolitan Worcester area. ” he says. The company used color video cassettes and computers to present its properties and for information retrieval, mainly for the benefit of its out of state customers. “I find that color video cassettes are helpful; they give the customer the opportunity to view the land without having to travel the distance,” says Howard. Companies from the midwest or the south are often looking to open a warehouse, distribution facility or manufacturing plant in Massachusetts and Katz Assoc. provides them with the information and visual aids needed to make the sale. “Our goals is to give customers professional and high level quality of service, and to do the best job we can every day,” he says. Howard’s family has been active in the Worcester real estate industry since 1915. Inspired by the family, he moved into commercial and industrial real estate because he felt there was a market to be served in central Mass. “The Worcester area was about to enjoy a real renaissance.” he says, and the company plans to expands eastward toward the Route I-495, Westborough and Marlborough areas. As a co-broker, Howard is currently working on developing and marketing Executive Plaza, an ultra modern high rise office condominium in the in the heart of Worcester’s downtown business district. The 35 year old entrepreneur is listed in the 1982 Outstanding Young Men of America directory of the Jaycees. He is the chairman of the Worcester Group, a professional organization of business representatives who meet to discuss the general business market and management. Out of real estate, Howard is a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Film Institute, Mystic Seaport, the Worcester Heritage Preservation Society and Temple Emanuel in Worcester. With the temple he is a trustee and a member of its long range planning and property committees. He is also an officer in the local Masonic Lodge. In his free time, Howard enjoys a game of squash, studying the movies and photography as well as trying to learn to speak French. He would like to master four or five foreign languages, including Russian and German. Right now Howard is enjoying the restoration of a 1950 Morgan and hopes to put it on the road on a few years. In the summer, he just likes to sit by the ocean with his favorite friend. But he most like to cobroker real estate deals with other subscribers of the Journal.