UPB Properties was founded by Mr. Saul (Ulie) Bardosh in 1999, the culmination of years of experience working in real estate and management-related fields. Born in Jerusalem, Mr. Bardosh began his career as a certified electrician and high school science teacher, ultimately participating in a professional committee of the Israeli Ministry of Education for approval of high school physics textbooks. After pursuing management studies, Mr. Bardosh put his skills to work as a fundraiser and volunteer for several nonprofit organizations and NGOs. With time, he became the director of IRAC (the Israel Religious Action Center), a preeminent civil rights NGO in Israel focusing on issues of religion and state.
In 1996 Mr. Bardosh relocated to New York, where he opened UPB, an independent firm managing a parking garage, laundry, and storage facility in New York’s East Village. In 2003 UPB purchased and gut-renovated a residential building in Brooklyn, which it continues to own and operate as a rental property. Mr. Bardosh prides himself on bringing his management experience from the nonprofit and fundraising world to bear on his real estate work; this background allows UPB to sensitively, efficiently, and successfully navigate working with contractors, employees, customers, and building boards of directors. UPB’s approach stems from a deeply rooted belief in the symbiotic relationship between landlord and tenant, manager and client—the notion that prompt, attentive, and thorough customer service benefits all parties in a business relationship. Management should not be remote; tenants and customers pay for more than just good bookkeeping. They are entitled to a conscientious and detail-oriented business tailored to their needs.
As Mr. Bardosh continues to manage his own facilities in the East Village and Brooklyn, in 2010 UPB expanded to take on management of a residential condo in Chelsea (Manhattan) and also acquired commercial space in the same building, which it plans, with time, to convert into a café and jazz club. Aside from his responsibilities at UPB, Mr. Bardosh continues to work pro bono as treasurer and office manager for Friends of Kehilat Kol Haneshama, a Reform Jewish congregation and community center in Jerusalem.