Dan Fulop, Managing Director at The Related
Companies died on September 28. He was 43.
I learned about Dan’s passing last
night via an email exchange with another industry friend who told me she had
recently joined Related. In congratulating her I asked if she had
met Dan yet. Her reply, “Unfortunately,
I haven't. I'm in the field office so I don't see many people outside my
immediate team. Also, I only recognize the name because there was a company
wide email about his recent passing. I hope I'm not the one to give you the
news. Very sad, he was too young”.
Yes, too young and so
sad.
Dan and I met via this
column about 15 years ago. He worked in Related’s HQ in Columbus Circle
in New York and I lived right around the corner. About once a year,
at around 5:30pm, we’d meet at Joe G’s Restaurant on 56th Street
for a beer and talk about things. Then he’d go back to the office
and work until about 8pm before heading home to his family in New Jersey.
Dan was one of those
guys that you couldn't help be attracted to. His energy was contagious and his
passion for his family and his career was powerfully evident. He
knew some things about me and at our first get together I learned that we had
some things in common: Livingston, NJ; Dan graduated from Rutgers
University (the same school that my sons Brian and Kevin graduated from) and
Jersey City where Dan’s brother Steven is now mayor and the band I played with,
‘Everyone’ was based.
While
the term ‘rising star’ may be over-used, after our first meeting I knew Dan was
destined to advance. Dan was a humble guy. He did not seek
out the spotlight. He just went about his business and got the job done. We
connected right away and our conversations were always open and honest.
From obituaries I
found about him: Dan had nearly 25 years of investment experience, including
long tenures with investment bank Goldman Sachs, & Co. and mutual fund
manager Franklin Templeton. He is a graduate of Rutgers University, speaks five
languages, and is proud to be a New York City-born first generation child of
parents that immigrated to the United States in 1970. Dan was one of three
brothers who learned a strong work ethic in their parents’ Newark deli and rose
individually to prominence in their respective fields.
Over the years since
he and I first met, Dan was spending more and more time in Asia. He
died while traveling in Vietnam.
I had a restless
night last night thinking about Dan. It’s another of those wake-up
calls for us: you never know.
One of the things
that I read every day is a reminder: Yesterday is gone, tomorrow
doesn’t exist, today is all we have.
Treasure
today. Appreciate all we have. Don’t forget to tell
someone you love that you love them.
My sincerest
condolences to Dan’s family and friends. He was a really good guy.
