About Us

Ken Stein founded Kensington in 1997 after owning and operating numerous drug stores and home health care companies for 18 years. He opened his first drug store at only 18 and built his small chain into a well-respected healthcare company on Long Island.

In 1995 when he sold his Drug Stores to Revco Drug Stores which at the time was the second largest chain in the country with 2,500 stores, one of his store’s was ranked 3rd in sales volume out of the entire chain.

Ken’s guiding core principle in creating Kensington was out of his sheer frustration with the process of trying to purchase a small to mid-size company after he sold his drugstores. He was confident that he could “do it better” and created the Kensington Company with a promise to himself and to all his clients to always act with uncompromising integrity.

The goal was to build a “Re-Mark-Able” Company. The work is not completed however in the past 20 years Ken with his team has built a company that has successfully completed several million dollars’ worth of transaction across a broad range of industries. Ken’s real life experiences of owning and operating small to multi-million dollar businesses helps facilitate successful transactions for his clients. His passion and integrity drives constructive solutions to the various challenges that business transactions face. No matter what the founding core principles of Kensington 20 years later is still the driving force for the success of Kensington.

Founding Core Principle:
To help our clients achieve THEIR objectives whether they are looking to acquire a business, change their career, or sell their business in a professional manner. Our process is based on integrity and we are committed to serving THEIR needs to the best of our ability no matter our investment of time or what our financial gain is.

Ken is married for 32 years and when not working spends his time with his wife Donna and 3 kids, ideally on the beach, jet skiing, hiking, playing tennis or barbequing.

Stuart Levenberg has been a Business Intermediary and Franchise Consultant with The Kensington Company since 2005. Since then he has helped hundreds of buyers and sellers complete transactions utilizing his own life experiences of building a retail store, operating it and selling it. His personal experience as a franchise owner and years of transnational experience working with over 100 franchisors gives him the knowledge to help move transactions forward while understanding all sides of a transaction.

After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, Stu went to work for a multi-unit food service operator, managing in-store operations for 3 years in Cleveland. He then moved back to Long Island to work in the franchisor's corporate office as a Franchise Development Manager. In this role, Stu helped buyers through the company’s sales process. He loved helping people learn about business and buying a franchise, but did not love the company’s pushy sales culture. This led him to make the move to The Kensington Company in 2005, where he has been able to serve as a Franchise Development Manager for numerous emerging franchise brands as part of The Kensington’s Franchise Sales and Development Division.

Over the years at Kensington Company Stu has been personally involved with hundreds of business transactions both of franchises and independent businesses. He is a guest lecturer at local Universities, Small Business Development Centers, Department of Labor and other venues.

“I am fortunate to love what I do and I find great fulfilment in helping others complete their business goals and often a life dream. More so than that, I am fortunate to have the support and love of my amazing wife and sweetheart, Rachel and my two daughters, Sloane and Audrey.”

Adam began working at The Kensington Company as a summer intern in 2008. He joined the company full time in 2012. Adam is a Certified Mergers and Acquisitions Advisor and graduated magna cum laude from Baruch University with a BBA in Finance.

Albert is an Entrepreneur with 25 years of experience across many different business segments. He has owned successful retail business, wholesale & distribution, web-based businesses as well as spent time in the corporate world as head of corporate sales at a publicly traded company and a business consultant. He is uniquely qualified to assist in all aspects of business transactions and brings that talent to the Kensington Company.

Sellers of businesses are comfortable speaking to someone who truly understands business, both the complexities and the emotional part of selling one’s business and buyers appreciate his ability to understand the real needs and match a buyer’s skill set to the right business opportunity.

Buyers - People buy businesses for many reasons, they are in career transition, they have been laid off, they want to hedge against a shaky employment market or they just want to take more control over their future. Albert helps his clients identify the real reasons they are looking at business ownership and match them with businesses that fit their objectives.

Sellers - If you are a small to mid-sized company (1-10 million in sales), you really want Albert representing you because he knows how to price, promote and market your business to meet your selling objectives.

Albert has many references from all kinds of industries that he can supply but the most important thing to remember is that he is committed to happy buyers and happy sellers. That is the secret of his success.

David Stein is a sales and marketing professional and Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with an established background in building relationships and territories.

David comes to the Kensington Company with over 20 years of franchise experience, most recently as the Franchising Manager for Dunkin’ Brands. There his primary responsibilities were to source, interview and recruit new franchisees and sell additional stores to existing franchisees. While at Dunkin’ Donuts, David recruited 45 new franchisees/area developers which amounted to the opening of over 250 stores.

Prior to working for Dunkin Donuts, David owned and operated a franchise/sales consulting business in South Florida. There he developed the territory into the most successful in the state from a client base of zero.

David uses his expertise in promoting and presenting businesses and franchises to help clients wishing to enter the franchise path to success.

David received the Franchise Licensing Manager Leadership Award from Dunkin’ Brands in 2003, and his CFE Certification in 2005

Gary Epstein joined The Kensington Company as a Business Intermediary in 2010. Gary has a strong background as an entrepreneur and sales executive with more than 30 years of experience building as well as driving the profitability and performance of the companies he was associated with. He worked in the garment center for some of the largest brand names in the apparel industry such as, The Van Heusen Company, Gant, Stanley Blacker and Hartmarx.

In 1993, after evaluating several business opportunities he orchestrated the start-up, development and growth of By Design Worldwide. Gary's business acumen and strategic planning led him to identify and target new business opportunities. His role within the company was to cultivate a client base comprised of major retailers such as Nordstrom, Bon Ton and Costco. While maintaining the sales of the company he was instrumental in increasing the quality standards of the products they manufactured while reducing the costs. Gary was responsible for the profit and loss, systems management and inventory which positioned the company to be triumphant against the competition.
He brings to The Kensington Company years of business experience. His vast knowledge will assist clients in orchestrating the development of owning, operating and marketing their business.

Jay Patel joined the Kensington Company in early 2015. Jay has extensive business ownership knowledge which he is happy to bring to The Kensington Company.

Jay's business experience began in Philadelphia where at the age of 19 he started working full time in his brother's pizzeria. Over the years Jay has owned and sold many successful businesses including liquor stores and c-stores. Currently Jay owns 3 Dunkin Donuts in Connecticut. These stores were purchased as underperforming units and with Jay's knowledge and leadership the stores have experienced system leading growth year to year. Jay lives in New Haven County, Connecticut with his wife and two sons. He speaks fluent English, Hindi and Gujarati

Joe Randazzo joined The Kensington Company as a Business Intermediary in 2012. Joe brings a strong background as an owner and operator of multiple pizzerias, Italian restaurants and lounges, with a successful track record in the food industry spanning over twenty years. His largest restaurant management project was Pomodorino Restaurant on Long Island, which Joe created and spun off his Café Randazzo in Glen Cove . Joe oversaw a total of 250 employees before eventually selling the chain and pursuing other opportunities as the owner operator of a number of successful pizzerias. Simultaneously, Joe owned and operated Café Randazzo, serving a specialty of brick oven pizzas and fine Italian cuisine.

At Sapore Del Mediterraneo in Locust Valley, Joe enjoyed similar success, as he built the restaurant from the ground up and turned it into a huge success. He was awarded a 4-Star Review by The New York Times while serving a high profile clientele.

Most recently, Joe has provided his services as a Restaurant Consultant, advising potential restaurant owners in opening a new business, attempting to turn around a failing one, or debating any major changes to a restaurant. His expertise is expansive, ranging from the plan and design of menus, to the physical layout and interior décor of facilities. His unique ideas and proven track record in their successful implementation make Joe a valuable asset to Kensington Company and their clients, especially in the development, ownership and operation of a business in the food industry. Joe’s entrepreneurial experience will enable clients so successfully navigate the owning, operating and marketing of their business.

Lauren Brown is a marketing and client services specialist with over 15 years of experience in real estate sales, leasing and retailer expansion. Her background in listing marketing, lead generation and working with sales teams to increase productivity led her to the business brokerage team at Kensington in January of 2015.

Lauren has worked closely with clients such as Walmart, Starbucks, Panda Express and other growing franchises on their expansion planning and territory development with an emphasis on demographics, trends and metrics.

She also brings skills in the areas of design, social media, event planning, online marketing and office administration to the Kensington Company. Lauren is not only involved in the marketing initiatives for the Kensington Company; her talents are actively used on behalf of our clients in marketing their businesses for sale.

Johanna Seegers joined the Kensington Company in 2022. Johanna focuses on businesses development and helping buyers find the right businesses to purchase.

Kenneth Kendes is a successful self-made entrepreneur bringing over 35 years of experience in manufacturing, distribution, wholesale and retail selling to the Kensington Company.

As a business owner, Ken led the start-up and sale of his companies which were widely recognized as world leaders in the photo novelty software and supply industries. Mr. Kendes' companies sold systems that provided an opportunity for tens of thousands of people in over 40 countries to own their own business. Ken brings his extensive skill set to Kensington Company to help facilitate successful transac¬tions. During his successful 35 year career, Mr. Kendes has been involved in the sale, purchase and merger of a variety of companies.

Mr. Kendes is a self-described "business guidance counselor" - a role he has found to be very rewarding. He has extensive experience consulting and guiding individuals into businesses that were the right choice for them. Mr. Kendes is a native New Yorker who is active in charitable organizations. He is a Board Member of NAMI - The National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. He is also a member of other civic and community committees.

In 2019 Mike merged his business brokerage and consulting practice into Kensington Company. For the past several years he has focused on brokering deals in the retail small business market on Long Island. Previously, Mike owned and operated several full-service laundromats during which time he was the President of the New York Coin Laundry Association. During this time period, he also co-created a patented remote laundry and dry-cleaning business.

Prior to this experience, Mike had a long standing and successful career in the Financial Services Industry rising to the position of Chairman and CEO of a NYSE Member Firm. While there he orchestrated numerous acquisitions, which resulted in the formation of the largest global securities processing company in the USA overseeing the business development and operations on three continents.

Mike brings his vast executive, managerial and business development experience to Kensington where he intends to continue focusing on the business investment strategies of entrepreneurs.

John began working and joined the Kensington team in September of 2018. John is an analyst with a background in retail and the food industry. John focuses on finding business owners who are looking to sell and finding buyers for those businesses.

Ziggy joined The Kensington Company shortly after his birth in 2015. He currently works part time for the company ensuring all visitors are greeted properly and that no trash is left on the floor. Ziggy is currently studying to become a certified therapy dog, and is generally regarded as a very good boy.