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Mark Gordon, 39
Managing Director
Sonnenblick-Goldman
Investment banker Mark Gordon, a specialist in the world of hospitality, has completed $10 billion worth of transactions in the past 12 years, largely by force of personality.
He kicked off the current wave of hotel-to-condominium conversions with the sale of the Delmonico Hotel shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks of 2001, when the real estate market was in the doldrums. The Woodmere, L.I., native touted the fading property on the Upper East Side with gusto, doggedly pursuing his target customer.
"I called Donald Trump twice, and both times he said no," Mr. Gordon recalls.
Instead of giving up, the Ithaca College graduate marched across the street to Mr. Trump's office to convince the mogul that he needed his moniker on Park Avenue. The hard sell worked, and The Donald acquired the building--soon transformed into Trump Park Avenue--for $115 million.
The star of The Apprentice isn't Mr. Gordon's only famous acquaintance.
Last year, the banker was a guest at the wedding in India of Vikram Chatwal, the jet-setting owner of the Hampshire Hotels and Resorts chain. The ceremony was attended by a slew of celebrities, including former President Bill Clinton and spiritual guru Deepak Chopra.
Mr. Gordon, who has a master's degree in real estate from New York University, lives with his wife and two young children in the prosperous Westchester suburb of Armonk.
"He is the best in the business," says Steve Kisielica, co-founder of Lodging Capital Partners. "Aside from being one of my preferred vendors, he is a great friend."