A graduate of the University of Dayton, his clients included the Mathile Family Foundation, Day-Pak, Inc., Synergy Development, Union Central Life Insurance, Fifth Third Bank, Premier Physician Services, First Financial Bank and Yaskawa America Motoman Robotics among many others.
He was also the developer of Lyons Business Park in Miamisburg.
Mark Fornes and Nikolai started their company 30 years ago after working at Danis Industries in the real estate division.
“I can tell you that he was a man of great integrity, a great family man, probably one of the brightest real estate people,” Fornes said Monday. “He had just an incredible mind.”
Nikolai had served as president of the Dayton Chapter of NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association) as well as with the National Association of Realtors, the Dayton Area Board of Realtors’ commercial-industrial committee as well as Alter High School’s board of trustees.
Jeff Hoagland, chief executive and president of the Dayton Development Coalition, said he knew Nikolai from his time as development director and assistant city manager at the city of Kettering. Hoagland worked with him and Mark Fornes on several projects. Hoagland also worked with him when he was Vandalia city manager, and Nikolai was a NAIOP representative on the coalition’s board.
In time, Hoagland and his family grew to knew Nikolai and his family. He and his wife Carol have four children.
“I can honestly tell you our relationship has been more personal because of how close our families have grown over the last decade,” he said.
“He was family first, and … people looked to Tom and Carol for inspiration on how to raise a family and how to raise kids because they did it in an unbelievable way,” he said.
The visitation will be 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, at Tobias Far Hills, 5471 Far Hills Ave. The funeral will be 11 a.m. Friday at Incarnation Church, 7415 Far Hills Ave., Centerville, with lunch for family and close friends only to follow at Moraine Country Club.
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