Pulse BEAT
NAMASTE, EVERYDAY Real estate exec Mark McCloskey goes with the flow
BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ / PHOTO BY MARK MORGAN
By his mid-30s, then-uber competitive real estate professional Mark McCloskey had already conquered several goals in business, including sales and development for both Third Avenue Lofts in Scottsdale and Centerpoint Condominiums in Tempe. A similarly hyper-driven athlete, he’d also conquered most of the Valley’s trails on his mountain bike, when he wasn’t playing basketball, golfing or hitting the gym. “But, just as we began to feel the financial pain of the real estate market downturn around 2009, I began to feel the physical pain of sciatica radiating down every nerve in my lower back on a near-daily basis,” says McCloskey, who joined The Village in 2010, seeking an alternative means of exercise. On a whim, he signed up for yoga, determined to Downward Dog his way to the head of the class, and fast. “But here is the thing – in yoga, practice doesn’t make perfect. It isn’t about being the best, or besting those around you at all, in fact,” McCloskey explains. “True yogis learn to check their egos at the door, and eventually learn to check them altogether.” Once he did, he was surprised to find new opportunities coming to him both personally and professionally. His biggest opportunity to date: CONTOUR on Campbell. In 2017, McCloskey was named sales manager for the 111-home luxury condo project, which is just two blocks from 24th Street and Camelback Road and walking distance to all of the Biltmore area’s restaurants, shopping and other lifestyle-focused amenities. The condos, which McCloskey spent the past year helping to design, develop and sell, start in the high $200,000s, with residents moving in next month. “The developer, LivUrbn, and our team spent a lot of time digging deep into the character and heritage of the area to understand its history, pulse and presence so this community would immediately embed into the local fabric,” says McCloskey, who’s especially proud of their use of post-tension concrete to ensure optimal energy efficiency as well as the rooftop terrace and lounge, resort-style pool, and the two-story fitness studio. And, within said studio … space for yoga instruction, of course.
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Uptown February '18