His father, William, was born in Bessarabia. During his career, Mr. Kaufman was best known for his leasing acumen, overseeing the leasing of the entire William Kaufman Organization's portfolio from the development of 711 Third Avenue in the early 1950s through the 2.5 million square feet repositioning of the majority of the portfolio over the past five years. He was responsible for overseeing the acquisition and development of every asset ni the William Kaufman Organization's portfolio over the past 65 years. Under the direction of the family's second generation - Robert and Melvyn - the company emerged as aninnovative force among commercial office tower developers. The William Kaufman Organization became synonymous with innovation and creativity, most evident in its lobbies and public plazas. Before World War II, the William Kaufman Organization was primarily engaged in the building of homes, apartment houses, industrial complexes and shops. After the war, when Robert and Melvyn Kaufman returned from the service and joined the or- ganization, the Kaufman's directed their energies largely to building and remodeling office buildings. Mr. Kaufman served as Executive Vice President of Sage until March 2010, leading the leasing and tenant negotiations for the company along with the -tf nancing, development, and acquisition for the William Kaufman Organization port- folio. In March 2010, Mr. Kaufman became President of Sage Realty,