Since founding SL Green Properties in 1980, Stephen L. Green has been involved in the acquisition of more than 75 Manhattan office buildings.
He said he is humbled by the honor bestowed on him by REBNY and grateful to his peers for selecting him.
“Receiving the Mendik Lifetime Leadership Award from REBNY is especially gratifying, since Bernie was such a great mentor to me when I started in the real estate business. He became a close friend and Suzy Mendik remains a friend as well,” said Mr Green.
“Likewise, I have always valued my REBNY affiliation – as a member, as a Governor and most recently as a member of the Executive Committee. REBNY is an important force for good in New York and Steve Spinola has been an outstanding leader in keeping us all focused on ways we can improve the business environment and the quality of life for the citizens of this great city.”
Mr. Green launched his career in commercial real estate in 1980 when he began purchasing older, underperforming loft buildings. By injecting fresh capital into these properties, he was able to create new value in buildings with architectural integrity, while offering tenants an alternative to higher priced Class A office towers.
When the New York office market rebounded in the mid 1990’s, he formed the first public REIT to focus solely on New York City, and aggressively expanded his portfolio. Since its IPO in 1997, SL Green has experienced remarkable growth. When the firm went public, SL Green Realty Corp. owned six properties comprising 1.2 million square feet, and had a market capitalization of $258 million.
Today, the company is Manhattan’s largest owner of office buildings, with owned interests in more than 80 Manhattan properties totaling more than 42 million square feet.
Mr. Green received his BA from Hartwick College in 1959, and earned his JD from Boston College Law School in 1962. He later attended New York University Law School’s Graduate Tax Program, and went on to practice trial law for five years.
He is a member of the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York. He is on the Board of Directors of Street Squash, an urban youth enrichment program providing academic tutoring and squash instruction, and a member of the US Squash 1904 Legacy Society.
Mr. Green and his wife Nancy contribute to a host of charitable and philanthropic organizations and maintain an endowment for the New York-Presbyterian Global Prostate Cancer Research Center and Hartwick College, where he also funds the Stephen L. Green Governance Award.
