2025-Innovators in Commercial Real Estate-John Gordon of Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP

Corporate Culture: How does your organization foster a culture of innovation among employees and leadership? My firm encourages attorneys from different departments to work together collaboratively on projects, which helps us anticipate challenges from multiple angles. The wide range of experience in different areas within the firm’s real estate sub-practice groups (land use/zoning, tax certiorari, municipal law, financing, litigation, and environmental law) enables us to develop new and creative strategies for helping our clients achieve their goals.

Beyond Buildings: How do you see innovation in commercial real estate creating a broader impact on communities and the people who live and work in them? The lack of availability of rental housing is a concern for Long Island. It’s sometimes difficult to find suitable sites for development and obtain local support. Adaptive reuse projects and transit-oriented development projects are transforming formerly blighted areas into thriving downtowns that are desirable places to live and work. This would not be possible without innovation on the part of the development community and local governments.