Can Your Concierge Firm Get You A Ticket To Space?

The power duo behind Roman & Erica can, among other near-magic tricks.

- Mark Ellwood

WITH HIS LATEST venture, Axiom Space, former International Space Station (ISS) programme manager Michael Suffredini offers civilians the chance to become real-life rocketeers, undergoing up to 15 weeks of training before blasting off, in partnership with SpaceX, on a 10-day mission to the ISS. The price tag: US$55 million. Enter New York company Roman & Erica, a discreet, high end concierge firm authorised by Suffredini to help facilitate this uber-exclusive opportunity to the world’s wealthiest. Through Roman & Erica’s exclusive network, Axiom was introduced to one would-be civilian astronaut who purchased a spot on the mission, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

“We do really interesting things for really interesting people,” says Roman Chiporukha with a shrug, describing the business he runs with his wife, Erica Jackowitz. Their namesake company isn’t a trip-booking service, to outer space or otherwise. Think of it, instead, as a cross between a fairy godmother and Miss Moneypenny. “As long as it’s legal, we’re happy to do it,” Chiporukha says, whether that’s “making a doctor’s appointment, getting clients a chef for a dinner party or hiring a dog trainer or therapist”.

The couple and their team of six might be arranging to knock down walls at a top-tier suite to fulfill a client’s yen for more outdoor space or facilitating complex getaways at the last minute should an original destination suddenly become unreachable due to bad weather or other circumstances. To vet the new Rosewood Baha Mar, for example, Jackowitz flew to the Bahamas on 12 hours’ notice; a client’s disability meant distance was critical so she counted the steps between his suite and each restaurant.