David Drake’s Outstretched Arms By Jesse Herwtiz

The office of Drake Life’s New York branch is located on the seventh floor of 85 Fifth Avenue just a few blocks away from the markets of Union Square. Walking past from the elevator to his office, one can notice that the atmosphere is comfortable and productive. Inside a host of professionals tap away at there computers and relay business to one another. There are no cubicles in his office. Computers, yes, but separations, no. It is an environment where people work in the open and communicate with one another. This includes the CEO of the company, David Drake. At 5’?” he stands focused, Napoleon-like with his long arms outstretched and encircling his vast empire of Entertainment, Real Estate, and Life Style Services. His is a mobile empire that is managed well. With the support of a professional staff and functioning Blackberry, DrakeLife, the company that he founded, is a success in every measure of the word.

There are no late starts, only new adventures.

His is a story that does not seem unimaginable for us. David’s adventure began in Vasteras, Sweden the city where he was born. Early signs of ambition led him to participate in an exchange program located in the United States. He continued his education, after receiving Summa Cum Laude, and in Washington, DC and earned his undergraduate degree at American University. He received the Wallenberg Scholarship, an award given annually by the Bernard L. Maas, celebrating the humanitarian efforts of Raoul Wallenberg, a man credited with saving 100,000 Jews from Nazi persecution. Completing his MBA in Finance and MA in International Law and Economics from George Washington University David went on to work on Wall Street and later for DL Knight Realty before creating Drake Life in 2000.

He was thirty years old. The company that he began has spread from luxury real estate rentals to a multi-faceted Drake Life, Drake Capital, Drake Life Consultancy, Drake Communications, and so on. In addition to his offices in New York, Miami, and others throughout the world, there is the world of David’s SoHo Loft, his posh residence located in one of Manhattan’s trendiest areas. From the Loft, there is an endless list of events, promotions, and parties supported. It is in his Loft where one can get a better view of who David is and where the line between business and pleasure is non-existent.

We are not a real estate agency, we are a lifestyle agency.

This is the first line that one sees when he or she accesses the Drake Life homepage. Along with pictures of apartment, studio, and loft rentals, you are immediately advised that this is not simply a company based on business. Listed among the Infrastructure there is an elaborate detail of everything from the Dake Yacht and Jet to Hava Light events. What started as a Real Estate company has truly grown into a lifestyle agency.

At the end of the day, that is the end of workday, David Drake stands up, puts on his jacket and gets ready to leave the office. One last buzz from his Blackberry pauses him momentarily. He looks down, types a message and leaves. Later on in the evening there is a Loft party scheduled, and David will change gears from the office manager to the host of the party. His is a work day that only extends from one location to another. Either from the office, the Loft, or anywhere else on the planet, the company that he founded is one that ensures that at very least, the client will be taken care of in whatever form of business he is engaged in. David Drake’s handshake assures this.

THE BEST PRICE IN THE WORLD: AIR FARE, HOTELS, CRUISES.