SPORTS
Ted Leonsis. Capitals hockey is slumping, but he helped bring two once-in-a-generation stars to Washington—Michael Jordan and Alex Ovechkin.
Ted Lerner. Already a real-estate giant, he muscled past a host of contenders to become Nationals owner and de facto mayor of the ballpark neighborhood.
Abe Pollin. Owner of the Wizards, he built Verizon Center and helped create a downtown-DC renaissance.
Dan Snyder. The Redskins owner gobbles up companies (Six Flags), celebrities (Tom Cruise), and free agents.
Debbie Yow. University of Maryland teams have won 15 national titles in her 13 years as athletic director.
REAL ESTATE
Jim Abdo. Known for reviving DC’s Logan Circle and other down-and-out neighborhoods, he’s taking aim at New York Avenue and Arlington.
Gary Abramson. Everyone in the Tower Cos. dynasty has power, but Abramson gets the nod after leading American University’s search for a new president.
Edward Asher. President of Chevy Chase Land Co., which developed the ritzy Wisconsin Avenue Collection of stores.
William Brennan. Regional head for Turner Construction, which is challenging Clark Construction’s supremacy.
Shalom Baranes. Commercial architect who mixes modernism with historic preservation. “His work is every bit as good as I.M. Pei’s—and often better,” says one architect.
Mike Glosserman and Ben Jacobs. Their JBG Cos. is a real-estate-development giant that makes deals area-wide for hotels, condos, apartments, office buildings, and mixed-use properties.
Michele Hagans. Daughter of late real-estate magnate Ted Hagans, she’s a big developer in Northeast DC.
Gerald Halpin. One of the original developers at Tysons Corner 45 years ago, he’ll help shape how that edge city looks after Metro arrives.
Monty Hoffman. Well before anyone saw the condo boom coming, his PN Hoffman company set the standard for luxury apartment living.
Doug Jemal. His felony conviction notwithstanding, the developer has a big heart for the city—and takes big risks to turn around its neglected parts.
Robert Kettler. Founder of Kettler and master at turning large tracts of exurbs into large communities. The company has “probably the biggest private portfolio of developable land in the region,” says the Post’s Steven Pearlstein.
Herb Miller. The developer who conjured up Washington Harbour and Potomac Mills is remaking Georgetown Park, one of his first projects.
Jeffrey Neal and Michael Darby. The two have turned Monument Realty—founded only nine years ago—into the area’s third-largest commercial developer.
Larry Nussdorf. Top guy in Jim Clark’s real-estate and construction empire. Projects include the Nationals stadium, Verizon Center, and Discovery’s headquarters.
Milt Peterson. Getting National Harbor off the drawing board took determination—and clout.
Linda Rabbitt. Founder of Rand Construction, former Board of Trade chair. Incredibly well connected.
Ray Ritchey. Washington head of Mort Zuckerman’s Boston Properties and a 31-year vet of commercial real estate. A beloved figure who commands respect.
Deborah Ratner Salzberg. The Washington head of Forest City Enterprises has a raft of projects in the pipeline near the baseball stadium.
Dwight Schar. Dan Snyder’s pal heads up NVR, the area’s largest home builder.
Mitchell Schear. The president of Vornado/Charles E. Smith spearheads redevelopment in Crystal City.
Brenda Shipplett. Wes Foster’s top exec at Long & Foster. The residential brokerage does $27 billion in sales annually—more than three times its closest rival’s.
