4. Scott Rechler

Landlord of the most commercial real estate on Long Island, with 5.7 million square feet. Vice chair of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Visionary developer with plans to reinvent LI by building mixed-use housing in Glen Cove, Huntington and Hempstead. Add to that the lengthy list of boards he sits on—from the Association for a Better Long Island to the Long Island Children’s Museum—and it’s any wonder Rechler has time to sleep with his fingers in so many pies, leaving his prints all over our changing landscape. Anyone who’s driven by Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum has seen two of his most recognizable properties: RXR Plaza, with its two, distinctly recognizable, 15-story reflective glass towers, and the 10-story, architecturally unique Omni Building, which features a cascading atrium. No matter what’s next for Long Island’s future, it’s a sure bet Rechler will be one of the main voices calling the shots.