NAIOP President Michael Seeve celebrated his 44th birthday Wednesday with nearly 300 of his close friends.
Seeve, whose day job is president of Woodland Park-based Mountain Development Corp., presided over the real estate group’s dinner meeting at the Short Hills Hilton.
To celebrate New Jersey’s first Super Bowl, the featured speaker was former New York Giant Stephen “Touchdown Maker” Baker, who Seeve introduced.
NAIOP President Michael Seeve celebrates his birthday at meeting.
NAIOP President Michael Seeve celebrates his birthday at meeting. Gary Gellman/Gellman Images
Baker was the Giants’ Super Bowl hero in 1991, “which, incidentally was the last year many of us successfully negotiated a rent increase,” Seeve joked, getting laughs from the crowd of real estate executives and brothers.
Baker started his talk by taking out a replica of the Vince Lombardi trophy, which drew applause from the crowd.
“Every Super Bowl champion, they get one of these,” Baker said. “It’s a great keepsake. It’s made out of the same material as the real one, it’s just a little bit smaller. I’ve had it for about 23 years now. Whenever I have to speak to young kids or to big kids like yourself, it always gets a round of applause.”
Baker also offered some anecdotes about playing for coach Bill Parcells.
“He flat out told me he didn’t like me,” Baker said. “He didn’t like little guys, so he didn’t like me. He didn’t like guys from California. And he didn’t like guys who wore earrings, and I used to wear an earring in my ear.”
The ex-NFL star gave Seeve an autographed football and a five-minute DVD with some of his best plays.
Baker also offered a prediction for the big game: “There is never going to be another cold Super Bowl, guys.”