The 2013 Owners Magazine

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When The Commercial Observer first set out to survey New York City’s most venerable commercial real estate owners in our inaugural Owners Inquisition last year, the old guard at some of Manhattan’s largest public relations firms pushed back, presuming their clients might wilt in the face of questions about their personal role models, biggest fears and market forecasts.

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One year later, however, our second annual Owners Magazine is better than ever, with even more real estate owners gamely discussing topics as serious as what the next mayor’s priorities should be and as silly as what actor they would choose to play them in the movie of their life (Hint: George Clooney in most cases).

From Jeff Blau of the Related Companies to Douglas Durst of the Durst Organization, owners submitted candid questionnaires detailing their hopes for the city and the real estate market itself while also sharing private thoughts on their greatest fears, which served as a litmus test for where our city is heading.

Indeed, when Laurie Golub, the chief operating officer of HFZ Capital Group, acknowledges that her greatest fear is that “the crime rate in New York City will increase, which will reduce property values,” she’s not only allowing us some insight into her perspective but preaching to the choir, since many of her peers answered similarly. Take note, Bill de Blasio and Joe Llota!

Speaking of the mayoral elections, owners had a message for Michael Bloomberg’s successor: lower property taxes or else. From David Greene of Murray Hill Properties to Jeff Gural of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, nearly everyone agreed that a top priority for the incoming mayor was reassessing property taxes, although others pointed to affordable housing and accountability as equally important.

“The next mayor should focus on creating more accountability within the D.O.B. and other New York City agencies,” answered Eddie Hidary of Hidrock Realty. “To streamline approvals, as developers, our projects are for the greater good of the city of New York.”

As much as possible, we view this, our second annual Owners Inquisition, as an opportunity to include the city’s diverse array of landlords, from real estate investment trusts like SL Green and Vornado, who together command in excess of 50 million square feet of property in Manhattan alone, to smaller, nimbler companies like Himmel + Meringoff Properties, United American Land and a host of other players whose well-known names dot the borough’s skyline. The only requirement, in fact, was that the submissions come from owners boasting property in one of the five boroughs.

Between July and September, we sent questionnaires to the media liaisons of nearly 100 of the largest Manhattan real estate owners, asking that they forward the questions to their company presidents, chief executives and chairmen. In some cases, we reached out to the principals themselves and to managing directors or anyone else with access to decision-makers. Still later, we publicized the project through advertisements in The Commercial Observer and other avenues.

As a result, the who’s who of commercial real estate owners that follows is a nice cross-section of strong personalities, young up-and-comers and brash industry veterans, all going above and beyond to share their insights with the community they lead.

Features of the Owners Magazine:

Questionnaires and Profiles:

earle altman final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Earle Altman
ABS Real Estate Partners
albert behler final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Albert Behler
Paramount Group
charles bendit final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Charles Bendit
Taconic Investment Partners
jeff blau final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Jeff Blau
Related Companies
tommy craig final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Tommy Craig
Hines
kalman dolgin final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Kalmon Dolgin
Kalmon Dolgin Affiliates
douglas durst final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Douglas Durst
Durst Organization
justi elgayahan final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Justin Elghanayan
Rockrose Development Corp.
k thomas elghayan final The 2013 Owners Magazine
K. Thomas Elghanayan
TF Cornerstone
ziel feldman final2 The 2013 Owners Magazine
Ziel Feldman
HFZ Capital Group
winston fisher final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Winston Fisher
Fisher Brothers
dennis friedrich final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Dennis Friedrich
Brookfield Office Properties
scott galin final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Scott Galin
Handler Real Estate
maryanne gilmartin final2 The 2013 Owners Magazine
MaryAnne Gilmartin
Forest City Ratner Companies
laurie golab final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Laurie Golub
HFZ Capital Group
kate goodman final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Kate Goodman
ATCO
jon gray final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Jonathan Gray
Blackstone Group
david greene final The 2013 Owners Magazine
David Greene
MHP
jeff gural final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Jeff Gural
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
eddie hidary final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Eddie Hidary
Hidrock Realty Inc.
leslie himmel final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Leslie Wohlman Himmel
Himmel + Meringoff
mark holliday final1 The 2013 Owners Magazine
Marc Holliday
SL Green Realty
jared kushner final2 The 2013 Owners Magazine
Jared Kushner
Kushner Companies
albet loboz final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Albert Laboz
United American Land
robert lapidus final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Robert Lapidus
L&L Holding Company
david levinson final2 The 2013 Owners Magazine
David Levinson
L&L Holding Company
veronica manniete final2 The 2013 Owners Magazine
Veronica Mainetti
Sorgente Group of America
anthony malkin final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Anthony Malkin
Malkin Holdings
stephen meringhoff final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Stephen Meringoff
Himmel + Meringoff
joseph moinian final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Joseph Moinian
The Moinian Group
paul pariser final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Paul Pariser
Taconic Investment Partners
adam parkoff final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Adam Parkoff
The Parkoff Organization
michael phillips final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Michael Phillips
Jamestown
jason pizer final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Jason Pizer
Trinity Real Estate
stephen roth final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Steven Roth
Vornado Realty Trust
bill rudin final The 2013 Owners Magazine
William Rudin
Rudin Management Company
gregg schenker final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Gregg Schenker
ABS Partners Real Estate
larry silverstein final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Larry Silverstein
Silverstein Properties
rob peyer final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Rob Speyer
Tishman Speyer
james wacht final The 2013 Owners Magazine
James Wacht
Lee & Associates
david zar final The 2013 Owners Magazine
David Zar
Zar Property NY
mort zuckerman final The 2013 Owners Magazine
Mortimer Zuckerman
Boston Properties