About

Early Life and Education

A first-generation American, Stephen S. Jemal was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest of 10 children. At a young age, he began working for his father and mentor, Norman N. Jemal, at the family discount store in Spanish Harlem. By the age of 16, Stephen started his venture with four successful electronics and music specialty stores. His experience and success with his father formed the foundation of Stephen’s brainchild, the iconic electronics chain “Nobody Beats the Wiz.”

Stephen attended Pace University.

Founder, Developer & Visionary, PASHA Brand, and President & CEO, JemRock Organization LLC

Stephen is a highly successful businessman and the founder, developer, and visionary behind PASHA. This one-of-a-kind multi-building project offers six-figure salary earners the opportunity to rent luxurious apartments in amenity-filled buildings in Manhattan locations at a fraction of the price. PASHA also caters to business professionals who regularly visit New York City for work and foreigners seeking a place to call home at an affordable price during their stay. Additionally, PASHA offers rentable office space and workstations, dubbed “WorkWell,” exclusively available to residents.ds,

Stephen is the President and CEO of JemRock Organization LLC, working closely with his sons, Norman, Solomon, Richard and James. The JemRock goal is focused on building PASHA into a global brand. Stephen and his sons have assembled a world-class team of experts, comprised of NYC-specific professionals, to bring PASHA to fruition.

The construction of the multi-building project will be highly cost effective as Stephen, his sons and the JemRock team are converting existing, magnificent office and hotel buildings into hotels and residential apartments. Additionally, a key component of what JemRock is doing is incorporating AI generated, cloud based, laser-driven interior prefabricated construction technology which enables the conversion of these building to be performed scientifically at heretofore undone hypersonic speed. 

Career

Following his entrée into business at a young age with his father, Stephen S. Jemal opened Nobody Beats the Wiz in 1976 on Fulton Street in downtown Brooklyn. He grew the famous electronics chain to 110 stores across six states with 6,000 employees and sales in excess of $2.5 billion. 

As a result of the Wiz brand’s rapid expansion and the high cost of opening the seventh store, Stephen decided to completely take over all aspects of the construction of his stores/shopping centers and operate an in-house construction/prefabricated fixture manufacturing company. Stephen’s construction company prefabricated the entire fit-out of all Wiz stores and shopping centers. He employed 600 tradespeople to build over 20 million square feet of retail shopping centers, and learned firsthand every aspect of construction, from concept to completion.

Jemal not only decided to manage the construction of his stores and shopping centers but also branched out into residential and commercial development projects, dedicating himself to learning every aspect of the real estate development and construction business including the very complicated and detailed zoning regulations. 

Stephen sold the Wiz to the Dolan family, founders of Cablevision, A.M.C. Theatres, Radio City Music Hall, and the MSG network, as well as owners of HBO, Madison Square Garden, the NBA team, the New York Knicks, and the NHL New York Rangers.

After selling the Wiz, Stephen turned his focus to waterfront revitalization and founded SSJ Development in 1997. He quickly made waves in the real estate world by winning a competitive RFP from the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation for Southpoint, outperforming 70 top national developers and demonstrating his ability to thrive in a new industry. 

Over the next 15 years, Stephen assembled underutilized waterfront parcels across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and New Jersey, launching large-scale projects. Along the way, he deepened his expertise in New York City zoning and expanded his network of local professionals, all of which now fuel his latest venture, PASHA.

With his oldest sons, Norman, Solomon, Richard and James he established JemRock Organization and launched the trademarked PASHA brand.

Notable Projects & Achievements

Nobody Beats The Wiz was undoubtedly one of Stephen’s greatest achievements. According to Advertising Age in 2000, the Wiz was the thirteenth most recognized brand in the United States, despite being a regional retailer based in the Northeast, and ranked behind Pepsi-Cola, which was twelfth.

Nobody Beats The Wiz became such an iconic brand in New York City that Jerry Seinfeld himself decided to dedicate an entire episode of Seinfeld to The Wiz. The Wiz also established numerous relationships with all the major electronics manufacturers, securing exclusive product introduction offerings, positioning the Wiz as the market leader in new technologies.

With PASHA, Stephen and his JemRock team are building a legacy in New York by developing a highly sustainable, luxurious, and supportive environment for young business owners and professionals who have been left out of Manhattan due to its unaffordability. Jemal is filling a gap for entrepreneurial individuals who want to live in centrally located areas of the city, rather than in outlying boroughs.

Industry Impact

Stephen S. Jemal has been a pioneer with The Wiz, creating a unique Northeast electronics chain that gained international recognition, way ahead of its time and outpacing the competition.

With PASHA, Stephen Jemal is redefining luxury housing living in Manhattan, recognizing a highly in-demand niche that no other New York developer has focused on. After Manhattan, his plans include expanding into other key cities in the United States and ultimately globally, providing an amenity-rich lifestyle to working-class individuals at an affordable price point that has only been accessible to multi-millionaires up to now.

Thought Leadership

Stephen’s phenomenal success with The Wiz, his innovative real estate developments, his unique AI technological approach to construction and JemRock have been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Daily News, The NY Post, The New York Times, Crains Magazine, Real Estate Weekly, Influencive, Daily Scanner, and USA Wire. The Wiz stores were a pop culture hit and were mentioned on hit shows like Seinfeld, King of Queens, Money Train and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, as well as Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Wolf of Wall Street.

Personal Life

A first-generation American, Stephen Jemal was born February 17th, 1956 and is the youngest child of Norman N. Jemal and Sally Jemal. Raised in a Sephardic Jewish family, from a young age, Stephen adopted the values passed down by his parents, including togetherness, family, and hard work, and has embodied them throughout his professional and personal life.