Benathan Upshaw

After graduating from Bishop Turner/Archbishop Carroll High School, he attended Canisius College as a Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholar. During his college years, his interest in real estate grew. He obtained a New York State Real Estate Salesperson’s License at the age of 19, making him one of the youngest real estate agents in the state. He went on to work for several firms that specialized in selling homes to low-income populations in East Buffalo while obtaining a bachelor’s degree in finance at Canisius College. At Canisius, he was selected as “Among Our Best,” an award bestowed on students by faculty who they believe exemplify scholarship and community service.

Mr. Upshaw is also a graduate of NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate, where he received a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Development. After graduating from NYU, he was employed by the New York City Housing Partnership as Director of Finance and then as Vice President of Real Estate Development at Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement. During these years, he was responsible for closing over $500 million of real estate projects that served low to moderate income households in New York City. This experience lead him to form his own real estate development firm, CB-Emmanuel Realty, LLC in 2005, with his business partner Richard Bramwell, Jr.

CB-Emmanuel Realty, LLC has developed 22 projects, comprising over 2,500 apartments, at a cost of nearly $472 million in low to moderate income communities across New York State, including Niagara Falls, Cheektowaga, Buffalo, Sodus, Williamson, Rochester, Bronx, Harlem, Queens, and Brooklyn.

Mr. Upshaw has served on various boards including the state Advisory Board of Enterprise Community

Partners and the Erie County Industrial Development Agency Housing Taskforce.