Bruce Ratner is the Executive Chairman of Forest City Ratner Companies, a New York-based real estate development company which he started in 1985. As one of the largest urban real estate developers in the country, Mr. Ratner has developed 44 ground-up projects in the New York City area over nearly 30 years, including several important to Brooklyn.
Mr. Ratner developed Barclays Center, the new state of the art entertainment venue in Brooklyn. By making Barclays Center the home of the Brooklyn Nets, Mr. Ratner is recognized for bringing the first major professional sports team to Brooklyn since the Dodgers left in 1957. The arena is part of the Pacific Park Brooklyn development, which will include 6,400 residential units, 2,250 of which will be affordable.
In addition to Barclays Center, Mr. Ratner recently completed several critically-acclaimed buildings including New York by Gehry, a residential apartment building designed by architect Frank Gehry, and The New York Times Building, designed by architect Renzo Piano. Mr. Ratner’s MetroTech Center, an 11- building corporate campus, is occupied by over 20,000 workers and has often been credited with helping spur the renaissance of downtown Brooklyn.
Mr. Ratner currently serves on a number of boards including Weill Cornell Medical College; the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, where he serves as Chairman; and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Mr. Ratner is a graduate of Harvard College and the Columbia University School of Law. He holds honorary degrees from Brooklyn College, Medgar Evers College, the Pratt Institute and Long Island University.