Gregg Singer represents the fourth generation of a real estate family whose entrepreneurial spirit dates back to the late 19th century. His great-grandfather, Louis Singer, immigrated to the United States from Russia as a young boy in the 1890s, settling in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Through hard work and determination, Louis built a successful career in the produce business before transitioning into real estate.
In 1914, Louis acquired Mount Carmel Cemetery in Queens, New York, marking the beginning of a lasting impact on the metropolitan area’s real estate and cemetery landscape. Over the following years, he founded several other cemeteries, including Mount Lebanon, Mount Hebron, Cedar Grove, Beth El, and Cedar Park, all of which remain integral to the region today.
Beyond his real estate ventures, Louis was deeply committed to philanthropy. In 1922, he established the Home of Old Israel, a pioneering non-profit organization in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Its mission was to provide housing, social, recreational, health, cultural, and educational programs for seniors of all backgrounds, ensuring they had opportunities for a better quality of life.
The family’s tradition of real estate development and social impact continued with Jack Singer, Louis’s son. By 1966, Jack had become President of the Home of Old Israel and led the development of Seagirt Village, the largest low-income senior housing complex in the country at the time. Located in Far Rockaway, Queens, Seagirt Village comprised four 17-story buildings with 1,024 apartments spanning 6.5 acres. In the 1970s, Jack facilitated the merger of the Home of Old Israel with JASA (Jewish Association for Services for the Aged), further expanding services for seniors.
Jack also owned apartment buildings in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and developed research and development facilities for major corporations such as 3M and DuPont in the southeastern United States. He served as President of Mount Lebanon Cemetery and held executive roles in several other cemeteries founded by his father.
The family’s business acumen extended to the next generation with Mike Singer, Jack’s son and Gregg’s father. Mike moved to Miami in 1951 to attend the University of Miami, where he completed both his undergraduate and law degrees. Although he never practiced law, he built a successful career in real estate, developing shopping centers and apartment buildings throughout Miami.
Gregg’s mother, Elly Singer, also embodied the family’s entrepreneurial drive. A New York native, she attended the University of Miami and married Mike in 1955. For 50 years, Elly was one of South Florida’s most successful interior designers, leading Elly Singer Designs, Inc. until her retirement in 2016. In addition to her professional achievements, she co-founded Concept House, Inc. in 1970, Florida’s first comprehensive drug treatment program. As of 2020, Concept House had provided treatment for over 75,000 individuals, and in 2021, it merged with Banyan Health Systems to expand behavioral health services in Miami-Dade County.
Carrying forward this legacy of real estate expertise, Gregg Singer was born in Miami and lived in Miami Beach until moving to New York in 1975. A graduate of the University of Maryland (Class of 1984), he has built a career rooted in the same entrepreneurial and investment principles that have defined his family for over a century. Today, Gregg divides his time between Miami and New York, continuing the Singer family tradition of real estate development and investment. His son, Alec Singer, now represents the fifth generation of the family’s financial legacy, working in commercial lending at a bank in New York City.
