By Chris Blumenstetter '05

He enters the restaurant like a conquering hero, like Julius Caesar entering Rome in 49 B.C.  The smile is relevant, as it would take such a man to run his own modern day Empire, but more on that later…
 
I wait patiently at the table, watching with a smile, for my friend of 16 years to meet for a meal like we have done dozens of times before.  This time though, the purpose of the meeting is different, as I intend to attempt to contain his energy for a meeting to capture his unique story and encapsulate it on a two dimensional space with a soft word count cap…a tough task for such a tremendous tale.
 
Bryan Karp (Football '06) stands out in a crowd.  Not for his 6'4" frame, his flashy suit or bright colored shirt/tie combinations that match meticulously and flawlessly, but for his heir of humble confidence and approachability.  His unbridled enthusiasm and positive temperament coupled with the aforementioned physical traits cause him to garner a lot of attention in a public setting.
 
Those who know him best have come to enjoy watching it unfold.  Before he even gets to the table he is stopped by onlookers on two occasions and is met with hugs and smiles. One being the owner of the restaurant he just walked into that he met along his 32 year winding road to success, the other a former client that he helped secure a dream home for only months earlier.  The metaphorical mayor of a fictitious town called Prosperity has arrived, and always has time for a chat.
 
Bryan first tries to make the focus of the conversation me, his friend and author of this biographical piece.  That's Bryan.  A caring individual who puts emphasis on others first.  We catch up, give each other the family update over some appetizers and drinks, before it's time to get down to business.  That can be Bryan too, a consummate business man.
 
This former football standout is now an extremely successful real estate agent.  Karp is the number one agent for Re/max on Long Island.  The Wall Street Journal and Real Trends have ranked him #38 in New York State in annual transactions.  He is a Re/max Platinum Member and was recently inducted into the firm's 'Hall of Fame' after just four years with the company.  The majority of others in the prestigious group have taken at least a decade to achieve such a pinnacle. While the average real estate agent sells four-six homes annually, Bryan has averaged 60 homes sold per year from 2014-2016.
 
"I look at it as if I am building an empire," Karp says.  "I make sure to put my best self forward in every interaction because there is no telling what it could lead to in the future."  This relentless pursuit requires Bryan to work extremely long hours.  He wakes up at 4am daily to visit his gym and makes it home in time to have breakfast with his family before heading out for closings, meetings, and showings that can go as late as 10pm on some nights.  Putting in extra time and working harder than others has been a character trait present in Bryan since very early on in his life.
 
"I knew anything I ever tried to be successful at would take more work than anyone else.  I knew that it would take more time and more effort.  I had been conditioned very early to outwork everyone" Bryan recalls from his youth.  He was playfully dubbed the 'Mayor of the Resource Room' by his peers at Long Island's Mepham High School for the amount of time he spent getting assistance with his studies.
 
Bryan Karp has suffered from Dyslexia his entire life.  He was officially diagnosed during elementary school.  The well known neurobiological disorder causes difficulties in reading, interpretation of written words, and overall comprehension of knowledge.  This issue could easily stifle the smallest aspirations in those afflicted, but it did not deter Bryan from his goal of creating his own empire.

As a result of his disorder, Bryan had to take in most educational content in high school with the use of books on tape.  In some cases, he even was relegated to using a record player for his educational needs.  "I had to drive around with a huge green box record player on the passenger seat of my car so I could listen to textbooks.  I would do it on the way to and from the gym, practices, and school."  No matter what was necessary, Karp used any resource or aid available to help lessen the effects of his disability. 

As a high school football player, Bryan was highly recruited with multiple offers from Division I level suitors.  Stony Brook University won out among the competition and the reason, though seemingly simple, was vital to his success both in college and in his professional life after.
 
"Stony Brook had a plan.  They were the only ones who were committed to providing the help that would be necessary for me to succeed in the classroom as well as on the field" Karp says.  "When they made that plan, I am not too sure they realized how much help it would actually take'" he joked, "But they made good on their promise".
 
That help would take many forms over his five years of study at SBU, and required Bryan to continue to outwork his classmates by putting in extra hours constantly.  After long arduous practices as a freshman, Karp worked with assistant coach Brian Donnelly on his studies in the football offices that were at the time in mobile home style trailers just feet away from where LaValle Stadium was being erected.  
 
"The University was taking care of Bryan because they understood the importance of his education.   Bryan's recall ability was fantastic.  We just had to find the best thing to relate the material to so that he could both comprehend and retain it" Donnelly said about those times.  He now teaches at Abney Elementary in Slidell, Louisiana. "Bryan's memory is a steel trap for educational content and football gameplans alike.  I'm sure it continues to serve him well.  
 
The man that recruited him, then Defensive Coordinator Andrew Cohen, also played an integral role in Bryan's success.  "We made promises to Bryan and his family, and I felt it was my responsibility to make sure those were kept," Cohen says.  As a result, Coach Cohen and his wife Bridget, who was a school psychologist in a local school district, would help Bryan with his homework and read him his text books when books on tape were unavailable.  "The first time he showed up to my house he brought flowers for my wife.  That is the kind of guy he is...So caring and thoughtful."  Coach Cohen now recruits full time, running his Get Recruited Consulting business helping student athletes nationwide find the right fit for their collegiate experience.