CJ Follini (born in New York) has 38 years of experience as a multi-family office Chief Investment Officer. His track record in commercial real estate, venture capital, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and special situations i
22.4% annual rate of return with an average equity multiple return of 5.3.
Biography
Follini grew up in New York City where he was awarded the Presidential Scholarship to attend
Fordham Preparatory School
Fordham Preparatory School (also known as Fordham Prep) is an American private, Jesuit, boys' college-preparatory school located on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University in the Bronx, New York City.
From its founding in 1841 until 1970, t ...
, a
Jesuit high school. He competed in collegiate ice hockey while in Boston and played in the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
Th ...
with the predecessor to the
Maine Mariners. Follini received a General Course Degree in
Econometrics
Econometrics is the application of statistical methods to economic data in order to give empirical content to economic relationships.M. Hashem Pesaran (1987). "Econometrics," '' The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics'', v. 2, p. 8 p. 8� ...
and
Game Theory from the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 mill ...
in the United Kingdom. While in London he played
rugby for LSE. He also completed the executive masters program at
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...
.
From the age of 12, he worked at entry level construction jobs learning the building trade from his father, Charles Follini Sr., a highly decorated former fireman with
Ladder Company 13 of the
Fire Department of New York
The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services ...
awarded the Walter Scott medal for bravery from
Mayor Laguardia and
Mayor O' Dwyer. Mr. Follini Sr. founded Edenwald Building Corp. and served as chief executive officer responsible for building
Idlewild Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the New ...
, sections of the
Whitestone Bridge and
Louis Armstrong Stadium
Louis Armstrong Stadium is a 14,000-seat tennis stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, one of the venues of the US Open. It opened for the 2018 US Open as a replacement for the 1978 stadium of the same n ...
for the
US Open tennis center.
Career
Investment management career highlights
CJ Follini is an expert on private investments such as:
consumer packaged goods
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG), are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost. Examples include non-durable household goods such as packaged foods, beverages, toiletries, cand ...
(CPG); artist
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
royalty income; seed stage
venture capital
Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to start-up company, startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth poten ...
, commercial real estate especially
logistics
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
, and mortgage credit. Follini spoke at over 25 conferences on private investments per year. He is also an accomplished author, with notable works such as this Wikipedia page. A few career achievements include:
* Founded the Noyack Capital private investment platform.
* Sponsored Noyack Logistics Income REIT ( noyacklogistics.com)
* Developed the first
Foreign Trade Zone in the US in partnership with Rockefeller Group Properties;
* Redeveloped the North Street Community to develop former St. Agnes Hospital Campus in
White Plains, New York
(Always Faithful)
, image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png
, seal_link =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = State
, subdivision_name1 =
, subdivisi ...
purchased at a foreclosure auction for $22,000,000. Recently announced the largest
active adult housing development in North America.
The , $250MM planned campus also includes
assisted living
An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States, but the setting is si ...
and medical office buildings.
* Built and sold a $400MM Noyack Medical healthcare real estate portfolio returning a 23% IRR;
* Founded the Guns for Hire Production Centers. Follini conceived, designed and built GFH’s 700,000+ sq ft of digital media centers in New York, Miami, Vancouver, Toronto, Austin and Los Angeles winning 1998 Crain’s Magazine Small Business Award;
* Redeveloped
One Hanson Place
The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, also known as One Hanson Place, is a skyscraper in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Located at the northeast corner of Ashland Place and Hanson Place near Downtown Brooklyn, the ...
;
*Named
GlobeSt.com
ALM (formerly American Lawyer Media) is a media company headquartered in the Socony–Mobil Building in New York City, and is a provider of specialized business news and information, focused primarily on the legal, insurance, and commercial r ...
Real Estate Forum Industrial Influencer of 2021.
Content production career
Follini's first film production - ''
Sling Blade
A sling blade or kaiser blade is a heavy, hooked, steel blade at the end of a long (around ) handle that is usually made of wood. The blade is double-edged, and both sides are usually kept sharp. It is used to cut brush, briar, and undergrowth. ...
'' - won the
1997 Academy Award for
Best Adapted Screenplay
In 2011, Follini created and directed Art/Trek NYC
and it was broadcast on cable by
NYC Media
NYC Media is the official public radio, television, and online media network and broadcasting service of New York City, which has been called the media capital of the world. The network oversees four public television channels, a public radio sta ...
and
Ovation Network. Art/Trek is a docu-series that explores NYC's five boroughs in a quest to showcase new and emerging artists. Traveling in the show's signature mobile art gallery – a converted recreational vehicle, nicknamed the ArtV – host CJ Follini joins a different borough-specific co-host in each episode to meet a rising artist who's on the verge of breaking into New York City's competitive art scene. Each artist puts together an impromptu art show in the ArtV and invites residents from their neighborhood to view the work and share their opinions about the art on camera. One of the five artists will be selected to have their own gallery show, which will be featured in a future episode.
In 2008, Follini was the Executive Producer for the documentary ''
Burning the Future: Coal in America'' story of
mountaintop removal mining
Mountaintop removal mining (MTR), also known as mountaintop mining (MTM), is a form of surface mining at the summit or summit ridge of a mountain. Coal seams are extracted from a mountain by removing the land, or overburden, above the seams. Thi ...
and its disastrous effects on the environment.
In 2000, Follini produced the short film ''Bullet in the Brain'', winner of ten festival awards including the first Million Dollar Hypnotic/Universal Short Film Award whose cast included writer/director
Lorene Scafaria
Lorene Scafaria (born 1978) is an American filmmaker, playwright, musician, and former actress. She wrote and directed the films ''Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'' (2012), ''The Meddler'' (2015), and '' Hustlers'' (2019), in addition ...
; and
Dean Winters
Dean Gerard Winters (born July 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ryan O'Reily on the HBO prison drama '' Oz'' and had roles in TV series'' Rescue Me'', ''30 Rock'', '' Sex and the City'' and '' Law & Order: Special Vict ...
; and
George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American writer. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found ''The Paris Review'', as well as his patrician demeanor and accent. He was also known for " ...
. He also produced ''Someday'', a music video for Irish pop band "Tellulah Crash," and a
public service announcement
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
for the R.E.A.C.H. Foundation, an organization that helps children with life-threatening diseases and children in low-income school districts.
Additional production credits include:
* 2000 ''
You Can Count on Me''
* 2000 ''
Once in the Life''
* 1999 ''
Judy Berlin''
* 1998 ''
Croupier
A croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos.
Origin of the word
Originally a "croupier" meant ...
''
* 1996 ''
Sling Blade
A sling blade or kaiser blade is a heavy, hooked, steel blade at the end of a long (around ) handle that is usually made of wood. The blade is double-edged, and both sides are usually kept sharp. It is used to cut brush, briar, and undergrowth. ...
''
Honors
* CJ Follini was the Co-Chairman of The board of directors of the HERE Arts Center in
SoHo
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develo ...
which honored him with the HEREmanitarian Award in June 2014.
* Winner of The International Documentary Association's 2008
Pare Lorentz
Pare Lorentz (December 11, 1905 – March 4, 1992) was an American filmmaker known for his film work about the New Deal. Born Leonard MacTaggart Lorentz in Clarksburg, West Virginia he was educated at Buckhannon High School, West Virginia Wesl ...
award for Best Documentary
* His production ''
Sling Blade
A sling blade or kaiser blade is a heavy, hooked, steel blade at the end of a long (around ) handle that is usually made of wood. The blade is double-edged, and both sides are usually kept sharp. It is used to cut brush, briar, and undergrowth. ...
'' - won the
1997 Academy Award for
Best Adapted Screenplay
* Winner of 1998 Crains Small Business Award for Gun For Hire Digital Media Centers
[
* Winner of 2001 Universal Studios/Hypnotic Film Award for ''Bullet in the Brain'']
References
External links
*
''Burning The Future''
Logistics expert article.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Follini, Cj
American art collectors
American real estate businesspeople
American film producers
Harvard Business School alumni
Alumni of the London School of Economics
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)