Douglas Durst, Chairman
Douglas Durst is the chairman of the Durst Organization, one of the oldest family-run real estate companies in New York City. Mr. Durst joined the family business in 1968. Under his leadership, the company has made important strides in sustainable development, including construction of the nation’s first sustainable skyscraper and the first LEED Platinum high rise office tower. In addition to his position at the Durst Organization, he is the chair of the Real Estate Board of New York, The New School, and The Trust for Public Land. He also founded the Model Organic Farm Foundation, and is a trustee of the Old York Foundation.
Durst Organization
Jonathan Durst, President
Jonathan Durst is the president of the Durst Organization, one of the oldest family-run real estate companies in New York City. Mr. Durst began his career with the Durst Organization in 1984 in the construction department before moving on to direct the operations of office space and supervising new construction projects. Prior to joining the family business, he worked as an engine performance engineer for the Chrysler Corporation and as a research and development engineer for FMC. In his current role, Mr. Durst oversees the management of the company’s impressive office and rental portfolio, as well as the development, management, and leasing of One World Trade Center.
Fisher Brothers
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Arnold Fisher, Partner
Kenneth Fisher, Partner
Steven Fisher, Partner
Winston, Partner
For more than a century, Fisher Brothers has excelled in real estate innovation, developing, owning, and operating unique spaces that enable people to thrive. From cutting-edge building design to neighborhood-defining art installations, Fisher Brothers leverages each real estate asset to create one-of-a-kind spaces for people to live, work, and play. Fisher Brothers currently owns and operates 7.5 million SF of commercial, over 1 million SF residential, and 200,000 SF of experiential retail assets in New York City, Washington, DC, Las Vegas, Miami, and Orlando.
What is your favorite Landmark in New York State?
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum is the most special New York State landmark in the hearts of our family. Founded by Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher, the legendary aircraft carrier was saved from the scrapyard and brought to NYC in 1982, with the intent to honor the men, women and their families who served in our nation’s armed forces. The iconic landmark has a renowned collection of historic aircrafts and has evolved into a beloved cultural institution. Bringing in about 1 million visitors each year, the museum sheds light on the extraordinary stories of our nation’s history.
What has been your favorite development project and why?
Located in Tribeca, the 111 Murray Street luxury condo building is our favorite development project. The building has a distinctive, sleek design with curved glass that elegantly wraps its 64-floors. The tower gently expands as it moves upwards culminating in a distinctive crown. The building features luxurious amenities with several distinct spaces flowing naturally into one another. The building’s breathtaking beauty and world-class design has become an iconic addition to the NYC skyline.
What is the current state of commercial real estate in New York? What impact has the pandemic had?
The commercial real estate market in New York is in a healthy position. Last year we executed on 800,000 SF of leases, which is a great accomplishment. We continue to see leasing and tour activity rising, which points to the value of office space and its comeback in the market. The pandemic gave us and other landlords the opportunity to make improvements to our buildings’ health and safety protocols and sustainable infrastructure upgrades.
How did you become interested in architecture, real estate or construction?
Since our beginnings in 1915, Fisher Brothers is a family-owned business whose core values have been passed down and preserved for generations. Each successive generation proudly embraces and carries out the teachings of the leaders who led before them. It is inspiring and empowering to continue building upon the legacy of our founding Fishers and putting our mark on the NYC skyline. To put it simply, it’s in our blood.
What is your favorite place you’ve ever lived?
New York! We are all New Yorkers at heart. New York is a great place to live, work, and has so much to offer regarding culture, art, entertainment, and culinary experiences. We know that despite the unprecedented challenges the city has faced over the past two years, the future is bright for New York. There’s no place in the world quite like it.
George Fontas
Founder and CEO, Fontas Advisors
As founder of Fontas Advisors, George has earned a reputation as an innovative leader and trusted strategist, advising clients across the corporate, real estate, technology, and nonprofit sectors as they navigate the complexity of New York City and State. Fontas Advisors began with a vision to build a firm that offers superior government affairs services and maintains a boutique culture, enabling a highly attentive approach and customized solutions for every engagement. With the ability to work seamlessly across jurisdictions in New York, New Jersey, and California and diverse capabilities curated for today’s rapidly evolving public affairs environment, Fontas Advisors builds trusted, long-term partnerships with its clients.
What is your favorite landmark in New York State?
New York.
What has been your favorite development project and why?
Most interesting is what lies ahead. We are currently working on approvals to build a floating swimming pool in the East River that would provide free, safe, clean swimming for 40,000 people per year.
How did you become interested in architecture, real estate, or construction?
We experience the built environment every single day. Developing a community or city that enhances the livability of that environment is exciting.
What is your favorite place you’ve ever lived?
Brooklyn – of course.
Mike Freedberg
President, Suffolk Industrial Properties
Mike Freedberg is the president of Suffolk Industrial Properties, a prominent Long Island Real Estate Agency and Full Service Industrial Brokerage. He is a real estate professional, broker, owner, property manager, and developer aiming to help the Suffolk community and put the customer first. Prior to joining Suffolk Industrial Properties, Freedberg worked as director and sales person at Ashlind Properties, and spent many years as president of Bellini Furniture.
Dan Garodnick
Director, New York City Department of City Planning and Chair, City Planning Commission
Dan Garodnick, appointed by Mayor Adams, began serving as director of the Department of City Planning and chair of the City Planning Commission in February 2022. Before joining City Planning, Garodnick was president and CEO of the Riverside Park Conservancy. He previously represented the East Side of Manhattan in the New York City Council for 12 years. Prior to his public service, Garodnick was a litigator at the law firm of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP. He lives with his wife Zoe, and sons, in Manhattan.
What is your favorite landmark in New York State?
Met Life Tower on Madison Avenue.
What has been your favorite development project and why?
One Vanderbilt. When I was in the City Council, we negotiated every detail as part of the Vanderbilt Avenue Rezoning. It’s a spectacular commercial building, next to one of the region’s most important transit hubs and delivered $220 million for the subway.
What is the current state of commercial real estate in New York? What impact has the pandemic had?
Commercial real estate has taken a hit. Because people’s living and working habits have changed, we don’t yet know what long-term impacts will be. We must look at land use rules to ensure they are flexible and inclusive enough for the city to continue to grow and support families. I’m bullish about the future of commercial real estate in New York. People still want a place to connect in person, to share ideas, and to have fun. New York City remains the most exciting place to do that.
How did you become interested in architecture, real estate, or construction?
As a life-long New Yorker, I’ve taken part in the growth and evolution of the city that I love. My interests led me to the City Council, where I served for 12 years on the Land Use Committee and chaired hearings on Yankee Stadium, Willets Point, East Midtown rezoning, and Columbia University, and approved thousands of units of housing in all five boroughs, including the city’s largest affordable housing preservation deal in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village.
What is your favorite place you’ve ever lived?
Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, of course!
Dana Getman
Principal, SHoP Architects
Dana Getman is a principal at SHoP Architects, where she has led many of the firm’s most complex and definitive New York projects, including the East River Waterfront, Essex Crossing, and the recently completed supertall 111 W. 57th Street. She has a particular passion for community-centered architecture, collaborating with clients and institutional and stakeholder groups as part of the design process. Dana has taught at Cornell, Yale, and Columbia Universities, chairs the Women’s Leadership Initiative at ULI and is a member of the Urban Planning Committee at the Municipal Art Society.
What is your favorite landmark in New York State?
The Brooklyn Bridge, where I’ve been commuting by bike for two years now, from Red Hook to our offices in Lower Manhattan. Though it’s a critical piece of infrastructure, it’s also an icon for the city that people flock to and uniquely define. It’s dynamic, a connector and a lifeline, and the experience of the city from the bridge is never the same, from bright sunny mornings to a dusty pink evening ride.
What has been your favorite development project and why?
I love visiting (and taking my daughter to!) Essex Market. As an architect of public spaces, you don’t really know if your design is successful until you offer it up to people. It’s been incredible to see how the space fosters community, from locals getting groceries in the morning to kids from the high school across the street in the afternoon to Heart of Dinner lovingly preparing and delivering meals to Chinatown elders.
What is the current state of commercial real estate in New York? What impact has the pandemic had?
The past couple of years shifted the focus from “Do I have to be here?” to “Do I want to be here?” We have to really think about how we define quality of place. Through the pandemic, mixed-use communities offer a blueprint of where we should be going — not relying on a single typology or use but approaching neighborhoods more like ecosystems. Diversity is key to a healthy ecosystem: a mix of residents and workers, small businesses and opportunities for a broad range of income groups and supportive infrastructure, such as parks for kids and access to health care.
How did you become interested in architecture, real estate, or construction?
Full disclosure: My parents are both architects, so I was introduced early to the joy of creating places for people. My first design-build project was the beautification of a park for the Girl Scouts in my hometown of South Pasadena, California, including a small bridge I built in my high school woodshop class. Seeing how much the community loved the project and how proud the Girl Scouts were to have it got me hooked on not just architecture but architecture that has a positive impact on the cities we live in — even if the project is only 24 square feet.
What is your favorite place you’ve ever lived?
I love where I live now, in Brooklyn roughly at the intersection of Carroll Gardens and Red Hook. Our street is a mix of people who have lived there for generations and recent transplants. There are playgrounds and community gardens, one of the few places where every generation in the neighborhood connects. We walk to friends’ places. We hang out on our stoop to have drinks with neighbors. It’s an amazing community ecosystem.
Geto & de Milly
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Ethan Geto, Principal
Michele de Milly, Principal
Ethan and Michele are winning strategists and trusted advisors to some of the city and the nation’s best-known corporations, nonprofits, and civic leaders. Over the decades, their expertise has successfully guided complex New York City real estate development projects as well as nonprofit and issue advocacy campaigns. Geto & de Milly is well known for collaborating with communities to spur economic development, accelerate infrastructure and environmental improvements, build affordable housing, champion distinctive architecture and innovative urban planning, and further the public good.
What is your favorite landmark in New York State?
We’re proud to have helped bring two meaningful memorials to NYC. By securing public and private funding, Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park became the first memorial in the state dedicated to the president. As lifelong LGBTQ+ activists, we helped establish the AIDS Memorial Park in Manhattan’s West Village, which serves as a reminder of the “plague,” when NYC’s gay community suffered ravaging discrimination and loss — and honors the hope that lit the way forward.
What has been your favorite development project and why?
It was a thrill to help bring Frank Gehry’s first skyscraper to Lower Manhattan, a shining symbol of NYC post 9/11. And it has been fulfilling to see our work related to the transformation of Downtown Brooklyn become a steady catalyst of revitalization. The momentum that started with Brooklyn Commons launched thoughtful rezonings and led to the development of Barclays Center and its adjacent residential housing near Brooklyn’s thriving BAM cultural district and transit hub.
What is the current state of commercial real estate in New York? What impact has the pandemic had?
There is no question that the pandemic has spurred a rethinking of office and workplace culture, and all of us in the field are working to develop urban planning solutions that will result in what the city needs most for recovery: inclusive and equitable economic development, more affordable housing, as well as strategies to increase resilience and sustainability. At Geto & de Milly, we continue to believe in cities, and in the power of New York City to remain an epicenter of commercial activity and to successfully evolve — yet again — for the future.
How did you become interested in architecture, real estate, or construction?
Architecture, urban planning, culture, economic development, and ingenuity are in our blood. There’s something very humbling about having a chance to work with the best minds in this great city and state — in the public, private and nonprofit sectors, on projects that improve our built environment, make it more resilient and provide places for residents and families to live, work and play. Structures we’ve helped to create can last for generations and are recontextualized and reinvented as the city grows and evolves. There is nothing more inspiring than traversing the city and seeing the legacy of this work all around us.
What is your favorite place you’ve ever lived?
Ethan is a son of the Bronx and that borough is first in his heart. Both of us have spent the bulk of our adult lives in the Village — we’re “Downtown” people as all who know us would surely vouch. Through our work, we’ve spent so much time in Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens for our projects, these boroughs feel like second homes. We’re really true New Yorkers!
GFP Real Estate
Jeffrey Gural, Chairman and Principal
Jeffrey Gural is chairman of GFP Real Estate LLC (formerly Newmark Holdings). GFP Real Estate LLC has an ownership interest in more than 50 properties, most of which are in New York City. Mr. Gural, together with his son Eric Gural and nephew Brian Steinwurtzel, are responsible for all future acquisitions and the managing and leasing of the over 11 million square feet in which they have an ownership interest.
Mr. Gural joined Newmark in 1972, and served as chairman until 2017, after which he became chairman emeritus. Prior to that, Mr. Gural was a member of the staff of Morse-Diesel Construction Co. for approximately six years, where he was responsible for the supervision and construction of more than one million square feet of new office space in such notable buildings as 437 Madison Avenue and 645 Madison Avenue. Mr. Gural is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with a degree in Civil Engineering. He is married, has three grown children, five grandchildren and resides in Manhattan.
What is your favorite landmark in New York State?
Hands down, my favorite New York landmark is The Flatiron Building, which we have had a significant interest in for many years. From the many historic photographs of the building by photographers like Alfred Stieglitz that can be found worldwide — and have an almost romantic quality to them — to its stunning architectural elements and rich history as the world’s first skyscraper and (once) the tallest building in the world — we are excited to see what the future holds for the property following the completion of a complete gut renovation of the property.
What has been your favorite development project and why?
The Meadowlands Racetrack, which in partnership with Hard Rock, I invested in heavily at a time when then-Governor Christie wanted to close the facility. As a horse guy, I felt it would have been devastating to the sport and local economy to see it close. Working in partnership with Hard Rock, we built an incredible new grandstand on spec with the goal of reviving the track. After winning the Supreme Court case legalizing sports betting, we built what may be the largest sportsbook in the country — it looks incredible. Today, the project is beginning to pay off and The Meadowlands is once- again at the center of the action. It has been an incredibly rewarding project for me personally.
What is the current state of commercial real estate in New York? What impact has the pandemic had?
Truthfully, the pandemic has had a negative impact on every aspect of the industry, but we are confident things will return to some sort of “new normal.” I believe that while people may continue to work from home for the foreseeable future — perhaps forever — employees will be incentivized to come to the office for more facetime with their bosses and peers, especially if those who are coming in 4-5 days a week begin getting promotions ahead of their WFH counterparts. Over the past six to 12 months, we have signed an incredible number of new leases despite the negative headlines seen so often today. We find that companies are attracted to our buildings with character and a certain cool factor — exposed brick, high ceilings, etc. — that they simply cannot find in the supertall class A buildings.
How did you become interested in architecture, real estate, or construction?
While real estate has always been a family business for us, I graduated with a degree in civil engineering, spending the first 7-8 years of my career in construction. When the company I worked for went public my father convinced me to give real estate a try, which eventually led to me partnering with Barry Gosin and the incredible growth of Newmark into what is today — a major public real estate company known worldwide.
What is your favorite place you’ve ever lived?
Where I live today. I love living across from Central Park, which always offers incredible and interesting views of New York City, which I adore and love living in.
Eric Gural, Co-CEO and Principal
Eric Gural is co-CEO and principal of GFP Real Estate alongside his cousin Brian Steinwurtzel. A corporate real estate veteran, Eric began working with the GFP portfolio at the age of 15 as a porter and freight operator during his summers off from school. He assumed a full-time position as an assistant asset manager in 1991. In 2008 he was promoted to his current role, in which he oversees all aspects of company operations, with a focus on leasing and management of the existing portfolio. Eric was instrumental in successfully converting over one million square feet of former manufacturing space into offices in the Garment District and launching the first rooftop restaurant and bar in a commercial building at 230 Fifth Avenue.
In 2010 he founded the first fashion incubator in New York City in collaboration with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and New York City Economic Development Corporation. Eric is very active within the community and serves on the boards of PowerMyLearning, the Garment Center Business Improvement District, Union Square Partnership, Design Trust for Public Space, and Playwrights Horizons.
What is your favorite landmark in New York State?
The Statue of Liberty – growing up in Staten Island, I always loved passing the Statue of Liberty when I’d ride the ferry in to Lower Manhattan.
What has been your favorite development project and why?
The redevelopment of Guardian Life Insurance’s former headquarters at 7 Hanover Square into 100 Pearl Street and 50 Water Street was the largest project GFP and the Gural family had ever undertaken. It brought together every department of the company which successfully demonstrated our combined capabilities. Despite the pandemic, we were able to lease up and complete the ~1 million square foot project into the headquarters for NY Health + Hospitals, the NY SEC, Fred Alger Management and the NY Legal Assistance Group. I am extremely proud of the work our team did to reimagine the asset into one of the top buildings in the neighborhood.
What is the current state of commercial real estate in New York? What impact has the pandemic had?
There is no question that the pandemic has created major issues for the commercial real estate industry at-large. Whether its tenants going out of business or reducing their footprint, the slower-than expected return to work or increased expenses for landlords, there is a major reevaluation taking place as owners consider how to reimagine commercial real estate moving forward.
How did you become interested in architecture, real estate, or construction?
We are a multi-generational real estate family, so real estate as a profession was always a consideration for me. My grandfather, and then father, always believed in holding our portfolio in perpetuity — a strategy that has continued to pay off. I began working with the GFP portfolio at the age of 15 as a porter and freight operator during my summers off from school. After college I assumed a full-time position as an assistant asset manager in 1991 and focused on learning every aspect of the business from the bottom-up. In 2008, I began serving as co-CEO and principal overseeing all aspects of company operations, with a focus on leasing and management of the existing portfolio.
What is your favorite place you’ve ever lived?
My current home in Westchester, which gives me the best of both worlds. I also find the train commute an incredibly productive time!
