Sydne Garchik is the founder and president of MRK Partners, a firm that has developed or preserved approximately 4,000 affordable housing units in 21 properties in California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, and Virginia, with about another 700 units in the pipeline.
“We believe in a well-rounded program,” she says. “That’s housing, plus a service platform, plus equity building.”Those components come to life in different ways. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Garchik and her team organized a fund to purchase and deliver $60,000 worth of face masks, groceries, and other essentials for their 11,000 residents.
The philanthropic work continues with The Bloom Scholarship, a newly established program that will award $50,000 in annual scholarships to MRK residents enrolled in accredited post-secondary institutions.
“I believe that everyone deserves a home, a place of refuge where they feel safe, supported, and a sense of stability. Where they can love and learn and grow,” she says. “I believe that a service component as well as education and a path for growth are important. … What gets me out of the bed in the morning is working for our residents and hoping that one day they are going to be able to move out of our communities and advance toward home ownership if that is what they want to do. I’d like for this to be a steppingstone for them to thrive and reach their highest potential.”
Garchik, 38, formed MRK Partners in 2015 after gaining her start in the business at Standard Property Co., where she worked her way up to director of operations over the course of five years at the full-service multifamily real estate firm.
She serves on the University of Miami Master of Real Estate Development + Urbanism board and has been active with the Women in Construction organization.
Garchik lives in Florida with her husband and three young daughters.
