By Donna Heiderstadt

Elijah Schochet may be just 23 years old, but he’s already in a league of his own when it comes to selling high-end kitchen appliances. As a salesperson at AJMadison in North Miami Beach, FL, he manages dozens of brands and his 2024 sales numbers were 200% better than the industry average — which his superiors attribute to his ability to balance his success as a salesperson with developing genuine client relationships. But Eli, as he prefers to be called, doesn’t like the title “salesperson” due to its negative connotations. “I like to think of myself as a Luxury Kitchen Appliance Consultant and Dealer,” he says.

While Eli’s days are fairly straightforward — “workout early morning, read, head to work, take calls, answer emails, consult walk-ins, and close sales!” — his influence at AJMadison also extends to high-profile collaborations. These have included a recent project with Miami-based  interior designer Micky Klein of Micky Klein Interiors, where he played a pivotal role in ensuring a seamless appliance selection process that included top brands Bosch and Monogram. And while Eli says he loves the diversity of options for appliances, his personal preference is for a sleek, integrated, contemporary look. “If you can, (custom) panel it,” he recommends.

Eli, who describes himself as “analytical,” is also passionate about industry education and growth and he founded Appliance Academy, an innovative campaign that educates design professionals and homeowners about the home appliance industry. While this positioned him as a thought leader in the industry, he is also pursuing a degree in Psychology at Miami Dade College and is driven by a love for luxury real estate development that has him eying broader ambitions of making a significant impact on the booming South Florida market.

When he’s not guiding homeowners and designers to the right kitchen appliances, Eli enjoys spending time with friends, working out, playing music (he studied piano as a child), writing, drawing, and traveling. His future must-do’s include one day owning a dog, althought his personal life goals are more introspective: “Continue to grow as a person and eventually have a happy and healthy family.”