30. Russell Albanese

The Albanese Organization is one of the leading green developers in our area and the credit surely has to go in no small part to Russell Albanese, the far-thinking chairman of the Garden City-based company. Just a couple of years ago the Long Island Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council honored him at its annual gala at Oheka Castle because of his notable accomplishments in making energy-saving—as well as planet-saving—buildings a priority. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Albanese Organization manages 5 million square feet of space in its portfolio, and of that, 60 percent is residential, 24 percent is office-related, and the rest is hotel, retail and other uses. Last year, Albanese broke ground on Wyandanch Village, a $500 million, 40-acre mixed-use neighborhood in one of the most deserving communities on Long Island. This environmentally aware developer also serves on the boards of Sustainable Long Island, the Nature Conservancy and Long Island Youth for Christ.