Meet Colleen and Thomas: Longtime Residents and Community Builders

SILVERMAN residents aren’t your average residents. They wave hello to whoever’s passing by. They support local businesses. They seek out their neighbors, with the intention of forming friendships. We’re proud of the neighborhoods that have sprouted where we’ve planted seeds, and we want to highlight the neighbors that make our communities especially special. 

This month, we’re highlighting Colleen Cingel and Thomas McArdle. Colleen and Tom have not only seen the growth of Jersey City over the past 8 years, they’ve been a part of it. We’re elated to share their SILVERMAN story!

About Colleen and Tom  

Tom grew up in Westchester, eventually moving to Manhattan and working on the New York Stock Exchange for 21 years. Tom was first introduced to Jersey City when he got involved in the hospitality industry – Hamilton Inn near Hamilton Park, to be exact! Tom lived in Hoboken prior to making a move to JC, and has been a friend of SILVERMAN’s since then. 

Colleen is originally from Cleveland. After attending Villanova in Philadelphia, Colleen moved to Hoboken and began working for a real estate attorney. As someone who cares deeply about being an active member of the community and giving back, Colleen decided to volunteer with Party With Purpose – a Hoboken based non-profit that raises money for charities throughout Hudson County. Party With Purpose is where Colleen first came in contact with SILVERMAN, as we were a corporate sponsor for their inaugural Party With Purpose Jersey City 5k. Colleen met Paul at the event, and the rest is (somewhat) history. Colleen is the Business Development Manager for A Royal Flush, a portable restroom company that is a woman owned family business based in Jersey City and servicing New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.

After years of visiting and engaging with the Jersey City community through restaurants and charity, Colleen and Tom knew they wanted to settle down and make a lasting impact in the neighborhood. It was true – they had fallen in love with Jersey City! Even though Colleen had thoughts of moving back into NYC, they both knew the Jersey City market was booming and they should take advantage of all the city had to offer from a real estate, culture, and community perspective.

Their SILVERMAN Story 

It was 2013 that Colleen and Tom found the perfect place to call home in Jersey City. Where might that have been? The Majestic Theatre Condominiums, of course. It wasn’t long after moving in that they realized the “SILVERMAN difference”, Colleen tells us. “You aren’t just moving into a building. This became our community and our people.” 

Tom and Colleen first met their neighbors at a Majestic Theatre Condominium Art Gallery Opening that they were invited to attend. Early into their time as a SILVERMAN resident, Tom was approached by Paul Silverman to be a “principal for a day” at an elementary school. The fact that they were (nearly instantly) invited to events, asked to participate, and thought about regularly by the owners of their building amazed them. Today, the couple still loves getting invited and involved in local initiatives through Eric and Paul’s invitation, and they try their best to attend every SILVERMAN hosted event. 

“First getting to know Eric, Paul and the team, whether people in the field or in the office… it was all clear these are all amazing, talented people”, Tom says. The couple also raved about the varying property staff members they’ve befriended. “The amount of effort they put into hiring really great talent to run their buildings is evident”, they gush. Colleen especially appreciates how friendly, smiley, and “insanely” helpful everyone at SILVERMAN is. 

Their experience at their first apartment at Majestic was so positive that when they outgrew their one bedroom and were looking for a new home, they decided to stay in the SILVERMAN family. At the time, Park Francis had recently been constructed and the couple was curious to see what the new building had to offer. You guessed it, they moved in! 

Cheers to Building Neighborhoods 

Tom and Colleen were quite serious about planting their roots here on both a personal and a professional level. In 2017, they (along with partners) opened Hudson Hall downtown. The couple and their business partners wanted to not only add something new and beautiful to the downtown restaurant scene, but they also wanted to provide an inviting space for families and friends to gather to enjoy each others company while enjoying watching their favorite sporting event or hosting an intimate event. Their staff and customers have become a part of their extended family. “Another bonus to being business owners in Jersey City,” they tell us. 

Fast forward to 2021, and Colleen and Tom continue to marvel at just how supportive our Jersey City community can be. When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, the small business owners swiftly pivoted, like many others. They started a Go Feed Me program and collected donations from their customers and the greater jersey city community and donated over 2000 meals to frontline workers and to their neighbors in the Jersey City Housing Authority. As a thank you to their loyal and generous customers, they offered free donuts with every take out order.

Tom says, “we’re proud to put in the work for the community.” After putting in so much work to Hudson Hall, he and Colleen have a special appreciation for the dedication that our founders showed when first building neighborhoods in Jersey City. “Paul and Eric have sweat equity in Jersey City – they have put in so much work here, they invested in a place that not a lot of people believed in and created lively, friendly neighborhoods. It’s incredible.”

Colleen and Tom love spending time in those same neighborhoods that the Silverman’s transformed. Van Vorst Park and Hamilton Park are two of their favorite places to peruse when it’s warm out. They love that every corner of the city has personality, and checking out all of the unique restaurants, boutiques and storefronts has basically become a hobby. Many of their friends have become Jersey City business owners, too! 

Colleen loves collaborating with local organizations and businesses. Shortly after becoming a SILVERMAN resident, Colleen met Kristen Scalia, owner of Kanibal & Co. Through this connection, Colleen got involved in The Jersey City Project, which Kristen started, handling sponsorships. 

More Than an Apartment 

On top of persuading their friends and family to come to events they’re hosting or attending around town, Colleen and Tom are constantly convincing friends to move to Jersey City. 

“We live in a Silverman Building for a reason. They offer modern conveniences like doormen, valet parking, package rooms, easy access to mass transit and various retail stores but also the management team is best in class and very responsive,” Tom says. “We have had the experience where builders build and then they’re gone. The accessibility to the SILVERMAN team is shocking – running into the owners of the lobby doesn’t just happen everywhere.”

Colleen and Tom believe wholeheartedly, just like we do, that the SILVERMAN tagline isn’t just a tagline. “SILVERMAN really wants people to thrive, they want to promote everyone around them whether that’s a resident, business owner, or employee.” And, so do their residents and partners. Colleen and Tom are so grateful to have neighbors as helpful and warm as our building staff. 

We’re so lucky to have long-term residents like Colleen and Thomas, who are aligned in our mission of Building Neighborhoods and giving back to the community in so many ways.