35. Sal Ferro

If there was ever a question as to the importance of home values, it was resoundingly answered as the entire global economy collapsed when the U.S. housing crisis began. The American Dream has been defined as the ability to own a home and no one person has had more of an impact on home values on LI than Sal Ferro. As the president of Alure Home Improvements, the largest home improvement contractor on Ll, Ferro has consistently grown the footprint of his company while reducing its carbon footprint. Ferro has been at the forefront of every green initiative on LI…even when he didn’t have to be. When several contractors from around the country came together in New Orleans for a special Hurricane Katrina edition of ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover, it took less than a day for Ferro to take control of the entire project. A natural born leader who worked his way up from the bottom, Ferro himself is a version of the American Dream.