Ian Black is the founder of Ian Black Real Estate. He has worked in commercial real estate, in Sarasota-Manatee since the 1980s but prior to that, he lived in his homeland of Northern Ireland, which he fled shortly after his real estate office in Belfast was destroyed in a bombing during The Troubles.
He opened Ian Black Real Estate, one of the area’s largest, locally owned commercial real estate and property management firms, in Sarasota, with a partner in 2003 (they currently have 23 employees).
1. College alma mater? I didn’t go to college.
2. Last show you binge-watched? White Lotus.
3. Favorite place for a business meeting? Waterworks SRQ.
4. iPhone or Android? iPhone.
5. What time do you wake up on workdays? 6.30 a.m.
6. What part of your morning routine can you not miss? A workout.
7. What movie terrified you as a child? Too long ago to remember.
9. Proudest moments? Seeing my team at Ian Black Real Estate work effectively to keep us as one of the leading commercial real estate brokers on the West Coast of Florida.
10. Dream dinner companion? Rory McIlroy (a professional golfer).
10. Biggest business failure? Getting involved in businesses I don’t understand.
11. Best concert you’ve ever seen, live? Neil Diamond.
12. What is your cellphone wallpaper image? My grandson Austin, Buddy (my trainer’s dog) and me.
13. Most famous person you’ve ever met? Shimon Peres (Former Prime Minister of Israel).
14. What is your go-to drink order? Irish Whiskey.
15. How do you manage the volume of emails you receive? Delete, delete, delete.
16. Last thing you ordered from Amazon? Slippers.
17. Emojis in the workplace, yay or nay? Yay.
18. Charity you support? Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.
19. Favorite childhood memory? Spending summers at our seaside home in Bangor, Northern Ireland.
20. Best advice ever received? Always tell the truth because you don’t have to remember what you said!