Professional Profile: Michael Polimeni, 2014

Name: Michael Polimeni Title: President and CEO Company: Polimeni International Location: Garden City, N.Y. Birthplace: Long Island, N.Y. Education: The real estate industry First job outside of real estate: Founded a lumber harvesting company in the northeast. I actually worked as a tree trimmer on Long Island around the age of 15. First job in real estate or allied field: Tenant/building mechanic. What do you do now and what are you planning for the future? I have a very specific focus. I lead an executive team whose focus is to recognize and benefit from real estate growth opportunities here and abroad for the purpose of creating maximum return on investment while contributing to the quality of life enjoyed by the communities where we develop. We believe it's not sufficient to simply say "it's a good deal for us" if it's not a good deal for the surrounding community. I oversee over 1.5 million s/f in the U.S. and an additional 600,000 in Eastern Europe. And I am aggressively seeking out new assets to expand my corporations current envelop. How do you unwind from a busy day in real estate? Mountain climbing, camping, "boot camp" participant, I am an avid outdoorsman. I am an experienced rock climber, surfer, spear fisherman and hunter. I am a die-hard Crossfitter and I like to participate in as many adventure races as possible throughout the year. Favorite book or author: It's a tie: Jack London and Robert Frost Favorite movie: That is a crazy question! You can't ask me to choose. Last song you purchased/downloaded? "Hopeless Wanderer" by Mumford & Sons - I am a little behind the times. One word to describe your work environment: Busy Rules to live by in business: Your reputation is everything. If you could invite one person to dinner (living or dead) who would it be and where would you go? Theodore Roosevelt and I would invite him to view his priceless legacy of America's national park system What is your dream job? That type of question always infers that the respondent is unhappy with his current position. The reality is this is an enormously exciting job that makes you be at the top of your game every day.