Charles Wang

He’s got all the ingredients for a Power List Hall of Famer: wealth, influence and vision, and his partnership with real estate titan Scott Rechler to redevelop 150 acres surrounding the Nassau Coliseum, utilizes all three of those assets, which he hopes will help him to get his No. 1 dream project completed. The New York Islanders owner and Islandia-based Computer Associates (CA) co-founder and former CEO had abandoned another ambitious proposal last year, a mixed-use development he had dubbed “Old Plainview.” Given his reputation as a tough negotiator and one of the strongest of hard-nosed corporate leaders, Wang seems to be showing a new side in his goal to develop the Uniondale landmark. After the public outcry resulting from his initial proposal to build a 60-story skyscraper nicknamed “The Lighthouse,” he scaled down the project to a development that would be more suburban-skyline friendly. He still faces significant community opposition, but the man who made millions on software is one determined guy. In the next year, while the Town of Hempstead mulls over the plan, he hopes to lay the groundwork for the coliseum project by beginning renovation of the LI Marriott, which he purchased three years ago. Still, Wang doesn’t live or die by what happens on Hempstead Turnpike. His name lives on at the building named in his honor at SUNY Stony Brook and at a healthcare clinic in Chinatown. Hockey journalists remember him as a contrarian owner, creating as many critics as fans, yet he escaped the CA sales and profit inflation scandal unscathed. Love him or hate him, he’s not leaving, and he’ll continue working toward implementing his vision for Long Island.

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2008