Commercial real estate influencers are turning social media visibility into high-value deal flow. At a recent black-tie event atop Hudson Yards, CRE leaders including Bob Knakal and Don Tepman demonstrated how online engagement is reshaping real-world networking—and driving over $100 million in new assignments.
From Tweets to the Tower: A Gala for CRE Influencers
Social media used to be a way for people to connect online without ever meeting in person. That dynamic is changing fast, especially in commercial real estate.
Recently in New York City, commercial real estate influencers from around the world met face-to-face at the third annual Real Estate Gala, held on the 101st floor of Hudson Yards. Demand for a ‘golden ticket’ to the black-tie event rivaled that of a Super Bowl seat, only 300 were available out of more than 6,000 requests.
Meet the Strip Mall Guy and Bob Knakal
The event’s creator, Don Tepman, is a commercial real estate investor and social media influencer known online as “Strip Mall Guy.” He came up with the idea for the Gala after observing the depth of conversations and connections taking place on platforms like Twitter (now X), LinkedIn, and Instagram. He believed that bringing those online interactions into the real world could build even deeper relationships, and he was right.
His co-host for the past two years has been Bob Knakal, Chairman & CEO of BKREA, a leading commercial real estate brokerage based in New York City. Knakal, long considered one of the top brokers in the industry, has recently become a major social media force in the CRE world.
From Broker to Influencer: Knakal’s Online Surge
Bob Knakal’s track record speaks for itself: 2,351 building sales totaling over $22 billion. That’s more than one building sold every week over the course of his 41-year career, a staggering, Gretzky-level pace.
Over the past few years, Knakal’s influence has expanded well beyond New York, thanks to a fast-growing social media presence. His reach has surged not only nationally but globally, earning him the top spot on CREI’s list of commercial real estate influencers two years in a row. The rankings are based on measurable engagement, including over 10 million impressions on LinkedIn and more than 23 million impressions across all platforms in the past year alone.
Knakal Knetworking: From NYC to Las Vegas
Knakal is taking the momentum on the road through his “Knakal Knetworking” events, designed to bring digital connections into the real world. These events have already landed in Long Island, Boston, Detroit, and Las Vegas.
Relationships That Drive Real Results
“Real estate is not the real estate business,” said Knakal in a recent conversation with US Commercial Lending. “It’s the information and relationship business. Getting together with people you’ve met online helps cement those relationships.”
And the results aren’t just digital. In the last six weeks alone, Bob Knakal secured three exclusive listings—totaling over $105 million—from people who discovered him through social media. “Sometimes it’s hard to connect the dots on where deals come from,” he said. “But in this case, it’s clear. Social media is changing the game.”