Dan Tishman
Who
Real estate scion Dan Tishman runs the construction and development concern Tishman Construction.
Backstory
The Tishman clan has been a force in New York real estate for over a century. Founded by Dan's Polish Jewish immigrant great-grandfather Julius in 1898, Tishman Construction initially developed tenement buildings on the Lower East Side. Under the leadership of Julius's son, Louis (Dan's grandfather), the firm started to construct residential buildings on Park Avenue and elsewhere on the Upper East Side. But Tishman Construction really took off under the stewardship of Dan's father, John Tishman. During his decades-long tenure beginning in the '50s, the firm built some of the most recognizable buildings of the late 20th century, including Madison Square Garden (1966), the John Hancock Building in Chicago (1969), the World Trade Center (1972), the Landmark Century City complex in Los Angeles (1977), Epcot Center (1982), and J.P. Morgan's Wall Street headquarters (1990).
Dan initially planned to pursue a career outside of real estate—he had aspirations to be a scientist and took his first post-college job at the National Audubon Society. In 1990, though, he succumbed to family tradition and took over Tishman Construction's New England operations. Several years later he became CEO, although his father John remains chairman of the company.
Of note
Since Dan took the reins, Tishman Construction has won commissions for a wide array of blue-chip projects. It's built several commercial skyscrapers in Manhattan, notably 3 Times Square, Doug Durst's 4 Times Square, and the LVHM Tower on West 57th Street. Through its subsidiary, the Tishman Hotel Corporation, the company has both constructed and developed a number of big-box hotels, including the Westin New York at Times Square and various Sheratons, Marriotts, and Hiltons. And while heavy construction generally isn't regarded as the most Earth-friendly activity, in recent years Dan has worked hard to style Tishman Construction as one of the more environmentally-conscious firms in town. It recently completed work on Larry Silverstein's green-friendly 7 World Trade and are busy constructing another, Doug Durst's Bank of America Tower. Other upcoming projects include the forthcoming Freedom Tower, a sprawling 76-acre mixed-use development called Project CityCenter in Las Vegas, and a 22-story hotel on West 44th Street.
Board game
The environmentally-friendly construction magnate was appointed chairman of the board of the National Resources Defense Council in 2007. He works in close association with NRDC president Frances Beinecke, as well as the mix of tree-hugging Hollywood types who largely comprise NRDC's board, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Redford, James Taylor, and Laurie David.
For the record
Though they both have "Tishman" in their names, don't confuse Tishman Construction with another major New York building concern, Tishman Speyer. In the '70s, the Tishman real estate dynasty splintered into several blocs. One of the Tishmans who broke off was Dan's great uncle Robert Tishman, who went on to found Tishman Speyer with developer Jerry Speyer.
Personal
Tishman and his wife Sheryl have two sons, Joshua and Gabriel. They live in Bedford, NY. Their vacation home is a 256-acre organic farm/llama compound in Maine, Sheryl's home state.
True story
Tishman and his company don't usually generate much ink in local tabloids. That changed in 2004 when the Jim McGreevey scandal broke and it was revealed that Golan Cipel, the former New Jersey governor's paramour, had been an executive at Tishman from 2003 to 2004. Tishman declined to speak about the matter, instead referring calls to publicist Howard Rubenstein.
