Eugene Remm (left)
Eugene Remm and his partners always planned to inch their way to the top of the hospitality scene not only in Manhattan but also across the entire country, and the past couple of years have seen EMM projects pop up in South Beach and the Hamptons. “We are constantly pushing and growing the business,” Remm says. To these guys, building such an impressive enterprise isn’t just about industry know-how but also practical experience. “We are out six nights a week making sure guests are enjoying themselves,” Remm explains. But, he adds, even nightlife impresarios need a break. “Sunday is for family and football.”
Mark Birnbaum (center)
As part of EMM Group, Mark Birnbaum has been instrumental in defining the thumping entertainment landscape of the Meatpacking District with glitzy all-purpose destinations—those dinner-to-dancing properties EMM popularized with the unveiling of Tenjune six years ago. “One of the reasons we are successful is that we haven’t lost sight of the EMM Group that started back in 2006,” he says. At 20,000 square feet, 199 Bowery is the group’s largest project to date. No surprise that it follows the winning one-stop-shop formula, with a Hung Huynh-helmed modern Asian eatery, the General, and a nightclub, Finale.
Michael Hirtenstein (right)
With a background in finance and real estate, Michael Hirtenstein knows an unbeatable deal when he sees one. So when he was invited to join EMM Group, it was a no-brainer. “I came to know Mark and Eugene as they were first making names for themselves in hospitality,” he recalls. “I knew they were on their way to building an empire.” Though nightlife and hospitality ventures may not immediately telegraph visions of the New York Stock Exchange, Hirstenstein is very much in the thick of things. “We share the responsibility of overseeing every aspect, from operations to finances to the conceptualiza- tion of new properties,” he says.
Photo: Elizabeth Lippman
