ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY

Now a member of the Queens Botanical Garden’s Board of Trustees, Mack Tham hopes to bring more resources to a place he calls ‘a great amenity’ in the community of Flushing.
Born in Singapore, Tham first began coming to the United States in the 1990s while working in the real estate department of a shipping company. He would go to properties around the world after construction had been completed to assist with setting things up.
In 1999, Tham returned to the United States to get his second master’s degree from Columbia University. He now works as the Director of Sales for Massey Knakal in Queens, specifically covering the Flushing area. He has been with them for about a year and a half.
Tham, whose family also works in real estate, said that Flushing has unique demographics and is a very strong market. He also said that the area has been a great fit for him.
“In terms of community involvement, it is nice to see people giving back one way or another,” said Tham, who previously worked with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “I was always involved when I was in school and for me it’s always a good thing to be involved.”
This is the first year that Tham has been working with the Queens Botanical Garden. Tham said that he hopes to bring more resources, particularly unique ones, to it through the contacts that he has. He also said that he wants to bring in other people who will also give back to it.
“The Queens Botanical Garden is a very good fit,” said Tham, who has worked in the real estate industry for about 20 years. “Queens Botanical Garden I think is one of the greatest amenities in Flushing.”
For the last four years, Tham has been a member of the Chinese-American Real Estate Association (CAREA). However, this is the first year that he is serving as a member of its Board of Directors.
Tham said that CAREA serves all five boroughs and has about 350 members. It provides educational opportunities and networking. Tham said that the most rewarding part of his work with CAREA is being able to help a unique group of people and having an organization where they can bring people together and “raise the level of professionalism.”
Tham also works in Brooklyn with the Urban Land Institute’s UrbanPlan II program. He explained that it sends various professionals to schools to work with the students and teach them about areas related to urban development. He hopes to be able to bring the same program to Queens one day.
Other organizations that Tham is involved with include the Real Estate Board of New York, Young Real Estate Professionals of New York, Green Drinks, Zoning for Jobs, and the International Council of Shopping Centers New York City Alliance Program, of which he is a founding committee member.