In this episode of Developing Now, we sit down with John Fiorito, an Army veteran turned real estate developer and owner’s representative.

John shares his journey from military service to managing complex development projects, and how he got his start doing small multifamily condo conversions in Hoboken and Jersey City. Along the way, he talks about learning construction the hard way — even self-performing work when banks wouldn’t fund a general contractor — and the lessons that shaped how he approaches development today.

We also dive into stories from the early days of Jersey City development, including buying buildings from old-school landlords, renovating 1880s housing stock, and navigating projects during the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. John also explains why making investors money first is the key to building long-t ...